After having been delayed a day...McMurdo has been beyond capacity due to not being able to get others to their final destinations...we finally had our appointment at the Clothing Distribution Center at the USAP facility. There are 28 of us scheduled for the flight tomorrow, so it was a small crowd.
After watching a required video that told us everything we wanted to know about our ECW (Extreme Cold Weather) gear and how to pack for the flight tomorrow, we split up into separate changing rooms.
Watching the first of what will be MANY required training videos
Waiting for me inside, were two large orange bags full of all of my issued gear...with MY name on them!!
These bags full of ECW gear were waiting for me in the ladies' changing room.
I couldn't believe how much was in there!! And, I had to try on and check out every single piece. Antarctica is no place for buttons and zippers that don't work. I also had to make sure that everything fit properly. As I worked through the vast amounts of clothing, I did have to swap a few things out for larger sizes. It appears that my arms a bit long, or it could be that I'm broader through the chest/shoulder area. I also asked for and received four extra pair of socks and some different gloves. They cut me off there-no boot liners for me. Oh well... Bette Midler has said, "Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can go anywhere." Well, check out my bunny boots! I did have to downsize. Most of the clothes/footwear at the CDC are made for men, not us women. But, once in the right size, I can go anywhere...where it's REALLY cold...like Antarctica!
Check out these honkers! AKA...bunny boots! I can barely walk in them let alone hop!
Regardless, I finally managed to get geared up. Thank God it wasn't too terribly hot in there.
This is some serious gear! But...my parka is brand new!!
Then it was time to repack my gear into one of 2 bags. One would be checked, and the other would be gear that I'm expected to wear when boarding the plane. I'll try to get some pics in the morning.
All of our gear is packed back up so that it's waiting for us in the morning.
One interesting note here. Check out the pics below of two different types of boots worn by the early explorers. Things have sure changed in the footwear department.
These boots worn by the early exploreres were made out of reindeer skin.
These were made out of caribou and were worn by the early explorers.
The next time you hear from me, I will be on the Ice-hopefully!!