Okay, well, maybe not high fashion, but what you wear in Antarctica is extremely important! It's cold and often snowy and very windy. If you have to be outside for any length of time whether you are doing research or going out for a hike up the glacier or out in the zodiac boat to explore the nearby islands you better be dressed properly or it can get very ugly very quick!
Dressing correctly is HUGE in Antarctica. Here are Kristin, myself, and Lisa in our waterproof fishing pants. (Oh, by the way I'm not really only 9% chimp...)
We have been fishing these past couple days and it has gone really well. We are heading back to Palmer Station a bit early to get the experiments with the icefishes going. I was on the night shift fishing from 7pm to 7am.
The deck was very slippery with ice. If you look at this picture closely you will see ice everywhere. Chains, ropes, straps, metal equipment - all ice covered.
The first night was really windy and cold so dressing properly was important. There is a saying - there is no bad weather, only bad clothing. So let's take a look at good fishing attire. It's important to dress in layers. And if you are going to be outside down here - don't wear cotton! It won't keep you warm if you get wet and it absorbs sweat, which under all those layers will make you cold. I had on some capilene long underwear (top and bottoms) - super thin, super warm. Sorry, no pics of me in those. Over that we had polar fleece pants. Then we donned these fancy black overalls!
Layers, no cotton, waterproof. Those are three good things to remember on your next fishing trip in the Southern Ocean. Lisa is helping me in adjusting my fishing pants.
We wore Float Coats for insulation and they serve as life preservers. They are really warm and have what is called a beaver tail that comes from behind and hooks in the front so the coat won't come off if you fall in.
Lisa was kind enough to give us a fashion shot so you can see the coat and the beaver tail behind. If you look closely on her front pocket you will see some silver hooks that hold the tail in place. Kind of like a diaper really.
Almost there. Just need to put on the outerlayer and I'll be set. It takes a few minutes to get dressed for the outdoors.
Let's see - long underwear, fleece pants, fleece jacket, fishing pants, steel toe, knee high waterboots, wool gloves, waterproof gloves, fleece hat, hard hat...ready to go! Needless to say, it's a little harder to move around. But hey, I was cozy and warm while braving the Antarctic night.
Okay, finally ready to brave the elements. Don't forget the neck gaiter. A must to block the cold from sneaking into your coat and doubles as a face
This was a busy trip so I didn't have a chance to make a video of the process so you will have to wait until our next fishing trip. We will be going out soon. I did manage to snap a few pictures so tomorrow's blog will give you a nice preview of how we catch these fish.
Sometimes I have to just stop and listen to those little voices in my head. I think they are telling me to stay warm and dry. I am so ready for the next Chicago winter!