On November 11 and November 12, 2008 I completed mandatory Snow School, also known as "Happy Camper School". This course is a requirement for anyone leaving McMurdo proper for a field camp at any time during their stay in Antarctica. The two day course covers camping, safety and survival skills in an extreme environment. Participants are required to bring ECW (extreme weather) gear and camp out overnight in tents or snow trenches.The twenty happy campers in my group were transported to our campsite via shuttle bus in the late morning on November 11, 2008.
Happy Camper students waiting for transportation.
Jackie Hams in ECW gear. Mt. Erebus is in the background.
The instructor transports gear using a snowmobile.
Our instructor explains the camp layout.
Once we knew the area where we would be camping, we pitched tents, built a wall with ice blocks to buffer the wind, and built a snow trench. Some people slept in tents, while others slept in the snow trench.
They will retrieve the gear without collapsing the structure.
It was interesting to see how the leadership and various roles in our Camp City fell into place naturally. People assumed positions quickly and naturally without a lot of discussion and arguing. We had to make camp, cook dinner, go to sleep, break camp, and be ready to pack out by 0830 the next day.
The two people who assumed the camp leader roles were both very tall men who were extremely thin and fit. They looked as if they had participated in Extreme sports most of their lives. As it turns out, they had done just that. I assisted a participant who lived on a boat for two years and I have a recreational boat. We kept four stoves going to heat hot water for the packaged dinners and hot drinks.
Here comes the not so happy camping part. Then night came (not really, because the sun never sets) and it was time to retire. I spent a very unpleasant night sleeping on hard ice (ice in Antarctica, what a surprise!). It wasn't that cold as it was hard, even with two mattress pads beneath me. I felt like I slept on my hip bones all night.
The next morning after we finished packing and breaking camp, my hands went numb. I began to do the exercises I was taught to return circulation and nothing happened. I put additional hand warmers in my gloves and nothing happened. All of a sudden I felt this excruciating pain in my left hand that was so severe, I began to cry. At first I didn't want to tell anyone, but the severe pain did not seem normal. I told the camp leader that I thought something was terribly wrong because the pain was so severe. I really thought severe damage had been done to my hand. I was reassured by both camp leaders that in this case pain is a good sign. It means that the blood is pushing really hard to circulate in my hand and that can be very painful.
Swollen, red fingers are a sign of frostnip.
The weather in Antarctica should be taken very seriously. I was wearing the proper gloves with hand warmers and I became a statistic. In this case, I was one of the 1-2 people who have hand issues during each Happy Camper School. During the rest of the outdoor training, I was careful and when my hands became numb, I went inside to the Instructor's Hut. As I write this journal, I have been back from Snow Camp 1 ½ days and my fingers are still swollen and a little red, but not turning black. I am so happy that I am not a frostbite statistic. Nail salons all over Burbank are breathing a sigh of relief!
Snow School is extremely tiring, but based on my experience, it is invaluable. You quickly learn how your body responds in extreme cold and what your limitations are. I learned not to ignore the warning signs of frostbite. If your hands stay numb, take action to get out of the cold, get your hands warmed, or tell someone. Remember this type of cold is beyond anything I have (and probably most people) have experienced.
On a happy note, PolarTREC teacher Cameo Slaybaugh was at Happy Camper School with me and actually slept all night in a trench! Way to go, Cameo! You can read about Cameo's experience on the PolarTREC website.
What's next? I have a series of mandatory Environmental trainings for participants going to the Dry Valleys Area. The Dry Valleys is designated as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA) to ensure that its scientific, wilderness, ecological, and aesthetic values are protected and that data sets collected over the last 100 years will continue to be of high value. The best part is that the trainings will be held in the Library of the Crary Science Center. Dave Marchant is setting up the new drill and organizing camp. I will join him soon.
Stay tuned for some sights around McMurdo, also known as MacTown.