This afternoon was exciting - I got to try on and check out my cold weather clothing for the "Ice". At 1 p.m. we caught a shuttle to the United States Antarctic Program (USAP) Clothing Distribution Center (CDC).
Entrance to the United States Antarctic Program's Clothing Distribution Center
While here, we had several steps to accomplish. We had to drop off our laptop computers so they could set everything up that allows us to access the USAP computer network in McMurdo. While their computer technicians were working on our computers, some of us who had not had flu vaccinations yet went to get a shot in the arm. After all of that was taken care of, we had a short presentation about the required clothing, why we were assigned certain items and not others, the importance of trying absolutely everything on and making sure the zippers worked, and how to pack our two bags. Those who were returning to Antarctica were allowed to go work on organizing their gear while those of us who were new to the "Ice" had to stay and watch a video.
There is a very specific order to how things are done. This allows for maximum efficiency which is important because of the unpredictability of Antarctica. We will have 2 orange bags along with a "boomerang" bag. One orange bag will contain our required traveling cold weather gear. These are items that increase our chances of survival should the plane "go down" on route to Antarctica, such as the "Big Red" down parka, "bunny" boots, windproof balaclava, gloves, and windpants.
Poster depicting the required in-flight extreme cold weather (ECW) gear.
Name tag on my
The other orange bag will be checked just like on a normal flight. The "boomerang" bag contains clothing, toiletries, and other gear that might be needed back in New Zealand just in case our flight is forced to turn around mid-flight to return to Christchurch. Sometimes flights are forced to turn around because the weather has declined in McMurdo and conditions are too severe to allow the plane to land. This could be a number of things like a snow storm that creates white-out conditions, or winds that are too strong. The record for Boomerang flights is 7. This means that 7 times the plane set out with passengers and crew headed to Antarctica, and 7 times it was forced to turn around and head back to Christchurch! Hopefully, ours will be successful the first time around!
I sure hope so since I'm getting up at 3:30 tomorrow morning for the flight! Check in is at 5:30 and hopefully we'll be in the air an hour or so after that.
Next time you hear from me, I'll actually be in Antarctica!