Waking Up on the Ice
Although I was surprisingly warm sleeping in the tent on the ice, it was still strange to wake up realizing I was sleeping over sea ice. I woke up early since there was a lot to do. We had to break down tents, fill in any trenches and boil water for breakfast. Living on the ice is not easy!
When I camp back in Texas and wake up early, I love the early morning light. A light layer of dew proves the cold, darker night has passed and light bends over the horizon in a gentle, golden hue. When I got out of the tent on the sea ice, a bright blazing sun shone in my face even though it was 6 a.m. That is because the sun never sets in the summer here. It was interesting to notice that the sun had moved to the other side of our camp (although really, we are the ones rotating!), but it was not peaking over the horizon.
Arising at 6 am shows a bright sky since the sun does not set.
After getting ready for the day and helping boil some water for breakfast, I returned to take down my tent to find another happy camper helping out. Our happy camper training was so enjoyable because everyone was constantly helping each other out. We took down our tent, and then carefully tied up the loose strings on the tent. This is so that it will be easy to open up the tent again if it is ever needed to provide quick shelter against a storm.
Around 9 a.m. our FSTP (Field Safety Training Program) teachers arrived to pick up our heavy gear and lead us back to the IHut for more training.
The Bucket Test
Although we had survived a night on the ice of Antarctica, we were not done with our survival training. We were given two scenarios and tested to see if we could survive.
Scenario 1: Bucket Head
The first scenario we had to react to took place in the IHut. We were told that we were in condition 1. Condition 1 is the worst weather in Antarctica. It is so bad that everyone is expected to find shelter and stay there until the weather improves. In Condition 1 weather, the wind blows snow so hard that there is a whiteout and you can't see in front of you. In our scenario, a member of our team has left to go to the outhouse, which is marked by flags about 50 feet from the IHut, but has not returned after half an hour. We were given time to think through a strategy, and then we had to try to find him. Our FSTP teacher would represent the lost camper and we put buckets over our heads to represent the whiteout. We sent out two happy campers to find the missing camper and attached a rope to them which connected back to another camper remaining at the IHut. Joni, who is a member of my research team, elected to go out with another camper. They started off in the right direction, but started to veer off and eventually were walking in circles. It was amusing to watch (they looked silly with buckets over their heads), but it provided a good lesson in safety and how hard it is to find someone in Condition 1 weather.
A stack of bucket heads to choose from for the bucket head activity.
Joni (on the left) tries to find the outhouse with a fellow happy camper.
We had time to re-think our plan and try again. In our next attempt, we had rope signals to guide the brave search party left or right. This time I volunteered to put a bucket over my head along with another camper. We were more successful, finding one of the poles that led to the outhouse, but our rope got caught on the pole and we too started heading out in the wrong direction. Although both attempts failed, a good lesson was learned: condition 1 is nothing to joke about.
Michelle is securely fastened with her bucket head while trying to find the outhouse.
Michelle and her fellow camper are headed straight for the outhouse--too bad they take a wrong turn.
Scenario 2: An Oncoming Storm
The second scenario we were given was that we were out on the ice when the weather started to change. We had to set up HF (High Frequency) radio wires so that we could radio in to McMurdo, build a snow wall in the direction of the prevailing wind to shield us and our tents, set up survival tents, and boil water all in 30 minutes. I wasn't sure if we could do it, but everyone jumped in to complete needed jobs and we made it work. While I was working on setting up the tent, our teacher called me over and asked me to pretend to get hypothermia as an extra test to the group. I returned to the camp area shaking and mumbling jumbled words. Two Happy Campers, Bridget and Monica, immediately noticed my odd behavior and took me into the tent with a "burrito wrap" sleeping bag set up. Needless to say, I was very, very hot since I wasn't really hypothermic--the burrito wrap sleeping bag works!
Happy campers use the HF radio in the orange box to practice making radio calls to McMurdo Station.
Happy Camper in Review
When all our training was over, we waited for our warm Pisten Bully to transport us back to civilized society at McMurdo Station. Although I was eager for a shower, warm bed and a meal that doesn't take arduous work to prepare, I was sad to leave the ice. I know the training will come in handy when I am out on the AGO site, but I also think the lessons I learned about safety, staying warm, and how to take care of myself will help me at McMurdo and the rest of my life!
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The happy camper group poses for a group photo after a successful two day training. Michelle is in the center in white.
Questions
Have you ever tried to open something, like a tent, to find that it has been all tangled up? That's why we learned how to put tents, and other safety gear, back neatly so it can be opened up easily in a storm. What other items would you want to be able to set up or open quickly in an emergency?
Math Connection
To eat our dehydrated dinners, we needed 2.5 cups of water each. If there were 20 happy campers, how much total water did we need to boil?
If 5 cups of snow boils down to 1 cup of water, how many cups of snow do you need to make enough water for one person's dinner?