Monday morning found me up after about 3 hours of sleep to meet Blake, Brent, and David for breakfast in our hotel before we walked to the USAP (United States Antarctic Program) warehouse to check out our extreme weather clothing (EWC's.) Punta Arenas is a small,quaint town on the water of the Straits of Magellan, a channel which cuts across the tip of South America. The first thing I noticed about Punta Arenas was the strong wind. At 10:00 am, there were occasional gusts strong enough to stop us in our tracks.If the gusts came from behind, they pushed you forward into a jog! The trees were twisted and bent from the wind, and the locals were definitely dressed for the wind and appeared unfazed by it.I was wearing a down jacket, two shirts,jeans, and gloves, and was just warm enough! The dock area near the warehouse is full of reminders that Punta Arenas is a key port in Antarctic travels.
Punta Arenas is full of reminders that it is a key departure point for Antarctic exploration and travel.
There are images of penguins all around Punta Arenas.
At the USAP clothing warehouse, we consulted a board with pictures of the available clothing choices and checked off what we needed to borrow. Then, after being handed a big duffel bag full of clothes, we tried everything on. There would be no exchanging clothing sizes in the middle of the Southern Ocean! I checked out the following clothes:
- 1 pair leather gloves
- 1 pair wool gloves
- 1 pair lined rubber gloves
- 1 pair glove liners
- neck gaiter
- 2 pair wool socks
- goggles
- 2 pair fleece pants
- fleece jacket
- 2 flannel work shirts
- fleece hat
- gortex pants
- bib overalls
- 2 sets capilene long underwear
- gortex parka
- "Big Red" ECW parka
- Sorel Sno-pak Boots
- White Bunny Boots
At the USAP warehouse, we selected clothing to be issued for our expedition.
We were issued Sorel snow boots and Bunny Boots. I hope they keep my feet warm!
My USAP issued clothing filled a large duffel bag. I hope it's enough to keep me warm!
At the warehouse Blake and Brent checked to make sure all the scientific equipment that was shipped to Punta Arenas for the expedition was present and accounted for, and we met some of the other people that would be aboard the Oden with us. We had lunch in a local cafe and had some fun souvenir shopping too! Blake and I picked up some matching penguin hats. Maybe the penguins will come over to visit us while we are working on the ice?
Blake Weissling and I display the latest in penguin fashion. Do you think the penguins will accept us into their colony?
We spent the rest of the day purchasing needed supplies and equipment. Blake and Brent visited the Oden (which was at a dock outside of town) while David and I stocked up on toiletries and coffee supplies. Would the Swedes have Splenda and Coffeemate for my coffee? I wasn't taking any chances! We also stopped in the town square to visit a statue of Ferdinand Magellan honoring the age of discovery. Legend has it that rubbing the left toe of the statue will bring you luck in your travels. Since we were about to embark on a crossing of Drake's Passage, some of the roughest seas in the world, we rubbed the toe for an extra long time!
In the town square of Punta Arenas, I rubbed the toe of the statue for good luck in my travels.
Blake Weissling, David Prado, and Anne Marie Wotkyns in the town square of Punta Arenas. Legend has it that rubbing the toe of the statue brings luck in your travels.
Before dinner, we were lucky enough to meet Veronica Vallegas, Acting Deputy Director of the Chilean Antarctic Program, who shared some fascinating information about the region with us. She explained that Chileans believe Punta Arenas is not at the bottom of the country, but in the middle. How could this be? Chile claims a "pie-shaped" piece of the Antarctic region from the South Pole northward, thus putting Punta Arenas in the "middle" of Chile! The Antarctic Treaty, which was written to govern and preserve Antarctica as an area for peaceful scientific endeavors, does not recognize or dismiss any territorial claims, so several countries "claim" part of Antarctica. Yet these countries also are some of the 47 nations that abide by the Antarctic Treaty which sets the guidelines for cooperation and harmony in governing Antarctica by a set of agreed upon rules. Veronica also described that challenges, both monetary and physical, of keeping scientific stations in Antarctica operating. After dinner, we visited Shackleton Bar, where beautiful watercolors depicting Edward Shackleton's heroic adventures are displayed, as well as a letter from Shackelton's daughter. Punta Arenas is the town that Shackelton returned to after he was rescued and had to raise funds to organize the rescue of his men from Elephant Island.If you don't know his story , be sure to read about how Shackelton helped save the lives of the crew of the Endurance after it froze in the Antarctic ice and sank.
Edward Shackleton 's Antarctic expedition was a test in courage as he took heroic measures to save all his men - as depicted in the art in Shackleton Bar.
Finally, I took all the classroom flags over top the town square and hung them up. This was a good trial run, as I quickly found out which knots needed to be tied more securely in the strong wind. I think they look great, and I can't wait to flyn them in more places throughout my journey.
I flew all of the flags in the Punta Arenas town square. This was a good test of all the knots holding the flags together because the winds was really blowing!
The flags looked great flying in the town square!
Next stop for us will be the Oden!
Lesson Learned: The "adventures" before the the big adventure can also be a lot of fun!