Medical Adventures

Landed in Williston

2011-03-28T23:43:00.000-04:00

Well, as you know, I've been off the blog for a while. On my way back to the US from Kwaj, I stopped off in Hawaii then on to Lynchburg. Spent about six weeks with my family, during which time I took two weeks off to travel to Shanghai and Singapore. I also did some job hunting in Virginia and Washington state. On the 28th of December I departed Lynchburg for Williston, North Dakota, site of my new career.

Williston is in far northwest North Dakota. It is the epicenter of an oil-industry boom. There are about 170 active drilling rigs and thousands of producing wells. Seems that the industry developed a cost-effective way to extract oil from shale. Williston lies in a region known as the Bakken Formation. This is a very oil-rich shale formation. There will be oil production here for years to come. The result is a population and economic boom. Here are some internet photos of Williston.

Along with the boom comes challenges: new schools, roads, houses, hotel rooms, apartments, workers, and restaurants are all in short supply. People are moving here every week for work as we are one of the few places in the country that enjoy a thriving economy.

For a small town (population about 17,000 officially; actually probably much more) we have quite a few amenities. There is an actual drive-in movie theater in addition to the 8 screen cinema. There is a bowling alley, race track, municipal golf course and country club course, an airport with daily service to Denver, and many indoor/outdoor recreational facilities. Hunting and fishing are popular here too.

The practice I joined, Great Plains Women's Health Center, is an independent private practice group of outstanding providers working out of a state-of-the-art facility. The practice is paperless, enjoying the benefits of a well-integrated electronic medical record system. The practice has full-time ultrasound and two suites for in-office procedures. The hospital, Mercy Medical Center, is located across the parking lot.

Housing is in short supply in Williston and throughout the region. I was fortunate to secure a lovely two bedroom apartment a short distance from the hospital. I've been using my weekends to explore the region and all it has to offer. Recent trips have taken me to: Minot, Watford City, Regina (Saskatchewan), Fairview (MT), Sydney (MT), and cultural sites Fort Union Trading Post and the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center. In April I will go to Billings, MT to see Elton John in concert at MetraPark. I will also visit Grand Forks in April.

Meeting new people and making friends is one of the first things I like to do in a new place. To that end, I have joined the Rotary Club and have volunteered to serve dinner on Sunday evenings at a local church. They put on a dinner every Sunday hosted by a different church or organization every week. It is not religious or evangelical, just a good meal for whomever wants to come and partake. It is great fun to work with the guys in the kitchen.

I'll try and write again soon.

PCS Party

2010-11-09T20:53:00.000-05:00

I should tell you now about my PCS party. Doreen Matsunaga and Lauren Harrold hosted the party. It was held Sunday evening at the Matsunaga's yard, under a tent. It poured rain all day long until about 4 pm. Then the rain stopped - it seemed like a miracle. Between 60 and 100 people turned out, others wanted to come but had to work or were off-island. There were people from all areas: USAKA, active duty military, hospital, doctors, nurses, co-workers, friends, patients, racquetball teammates, Americans, Marshallese, Filipinos, Mexicans, South Americans, and a Bahamian. I was hugged by so many patients with tears in their eyes. Guys would pump my hand and wish me well.

And, did I mention the food?! OMG, everybody cooked their best dishes. The food tables were overflowing. The desserts had to be taken indoors until the main meal was over because there was not enough room for everything on the tables at once. It was a truly humbling experience. It was all I could do to maintain my composure during the event. Even now, just writing about it makes my eyes well up.

The Adventure Ends

2010-09-23T03:03:00.003-04:00

Well, as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end." So it is with my tenure on Kwajalein. I enjoy my work, the people I work with, and the place I live. So it will be a bittersweet experience to leave the Marshall Islands.

Officially, my last work day is 06 November and I depart Kwajalein on 09 November destined for Lynchburg, VA. Until then I will be occupied with job hunting and scuba diving. I want to do so much diving that I'm sick of it by the time I leave the island.

As for job prospects, it turns out that there are plenty. Most of the positions I am encountering are in the states of Washington, North Dakota and Minnesota. There is one position in Hawaii for which I interview tomorrow. I'm not exactly clear why there are not suitable opportunities in Texas or Virginia, but that's just the market at this time.

There are some international opportunities for which I am qualified. Right now, they are recruiting for Beijing and Shanghai (China) and Singapore. I was being recruited for a position in Dubai, but after talking with one of their current physicians by phone for over an hour, I have come to the conclusion that Dubai might be a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

More will follow.

Halloween on Kwajalein

2009-10-31T18:15:00.006-04:00

Halloween is a BIG DEAL on Kwajalein. In the morning the preschoolers came to the hospital in their costumes. How cute!

Marshallese and American children dress up and go trick or treating throughout the housing areas. They are adorable and so excited.

After the trick-or-treat time, I was invited to an adult party at the Colonel's home. There were about 40 people there enjoying snacks and homemade chilis. It was a delightful evening.

I've put up a web album of all the photos of the children in their costumes. I think you will get a smile from seeing them.

Sunset at Emon Beach

2009-08-16T06:12:00.002-04:00

Sitting on Emon Beach on the evening of August 13th, the sunset was developing into a real beauty. Took out the trusty point-and-shoot digital camera and took 12 gorgeous photos. The other 11 shots are equally as gorgeous. In case you were wondering, yes, there was a "green flash".

Reflections On Pacific Diving

2009-07-31T04:20:00.006-04:00

Sperm Whale photographed by Officer Mark Ervin at Gea Pass

I am doing plenty of scuba diving in Kwajalein. Some of the dives are from a boat and others are from the beach. I have been using Zofran to prevent my debilitating seasickness and it worked, all but once. There are a wide variety of things to see and diving environments. During the beach dives I've seen manta rays, eagle rays, octopi, and the usual variety of reef flora and fauna.

The water temperature is a comfortable 85 degrees Fahrenheit. I'm actually warm wearing just a Lycra dive skin. Some people dive just in shorts and a short sleeved "rash guard". I've tried the rash guard and shorts method too, but I like the protection offered by the Lycra suit.

I'm using my new SeaQuest Balance BCD. It is very comfortable, light weight, and well outfitted with D-rings, integrated weights, and pockets. It has a high pressure inflator coupled to an integrated second stage regulator. My first stage regulator has a Suunto tank pressure sending unit. The second stage main regulator is an old Mares MR12. I've used newer but never better regulators. A Suunto D9 dive watch computer receives the tank pressure directly from the sending unit. As a result, my regulator set up has just two hoses: my primary regulator and the high pressure inflator hose. The Suunto also gives time, depth, temperature, compass, No Decompression and Decompression data for air or nitrogen-enriched dive gas. My fins and mask are as old-school as the regulator but they work well.

I have to admit that I am very partial to the walk-in beach dives. No seasickness potential. Also, my house is about 100' from the beach dive shack. Most of my walk-in dives are from Emon Beach but next week I will do a dive from the ski dock. There is a wreck there at about 80 - 90 feet deep that I hope to explore.

To dive in Kwajalein one has to belong to the Kwajalein Scuba Club (KSC). Once one is a member, all the tank fills are free. I am told that the KSC does more tank fills per year than any scuba club or outfit in the world.

Click here to see a photo gallery of my home and surroundings.

Fireworks on Kwaj

2009-07-04T04:55:00.002-04:00

Today it is the Fourth Of July on Kwajalein. It was a full and delightful day. It started with surgery this morning, but after that it got much better.

At 10:30 am Bess, her husband, Stan, Kevin and I went out diving. Stan captained their boat and took us to the Pacific Ocean side of some distant islands. For those readers who know my handicap, seasickness, you will know that this was quite the adventure for me. Thanks to a fabulous medicine, called Zofran, I was able to make the 7 hour trip without incident. We did two dives. While Stan spearfished, Bess, Kevin and I tootled around the reefs. The 82 degree water did not require wet suits. The dives were spectacular. The second site had more clams and enormous stony corals than I had ever seen. Bess is quite good at identifying abandoned shells. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I got more sun exposure than I am happy with, but am not burnt. It was obvious that I am new here because my legs were the whitest on the boat.

After returning home I showered, changed clothes and went to Emon Beach. The whole day there were activities there for the holiday. Families were out in droves with barbecues, picnic tables, beach chairs, and all variety of events and music. The sun set at about 7:30 pm and at exactly 8:00 pm (with military precision) the fireworks began. There was a barge anchored off shore from the beach and for the longest time (which was really only about 15 minutes) we were treated to a constant and impressive display of pyrotechnics. I sat with Kevin, Mary, Marian, another Marian and her husband, John. We snacked and listened to the Souza patriotic marches as fireworks exploded overhead. A nearly-full moon lit the beach and water in a awesome display of natural moonlight. It was a special time: sitting on the beach, 50' from my front door, listening to music, visiting with friends, eating good food, and watching fireworks. What a finalé to a fabulous day.

My First Dive on Kwaj

2009-06-22T02:19:00.011-04:00

This afternoon Mike Malone took me out for my USAKA-required check-out and orientation dive. First we pedaled down to the scuba tank house and selected our tanks. Along the way, Mike familiarized me with the lagoon dive sites and some of the features and wrecks there are to be seen. He told me about the flags that might fly above the Harbor Tower: a red flag means small craft warning; black and white pennant means the hyperbaric chamber is not available and diving is restricted to above 50').

Mike oriented me to the tank house. There are hundreds of scuba tanks in numbered racks. Each tank has a number and it goes into the rack slot that matches its number. We tested our tanks for a full fill and loaded them into Mike's Tipke Foldit Cart with Bike Trailer Attachment. Off to Emon Beach we rode.

Emon (I'm told it means "good" in Marshallese) Beach is about 50 feet from my front door. It is a lovely family beach with a volleyball court, large clean sandy beach, a pavilion for grilling and dining, restrooms, and a lifeguard tower that is staffed on weekends. The photo above is from Emon Beach.

Mike lent me some extra gear and we got suited up. The water temperature was about 82 degrees Fahrenheit, somewhat cooler than normal since we had a torrential downpour about two hours earlier. We waded in from the beach and floated out about 200 feet. Then down we went. There was a huge coral head at about 30 feet that was loaded with fish and fry. Attached to this coral head was an enormous carpet anemone. Along the way down the reef there were many more anemones. The thing I noticed was that the anemones were home to scores of clownfish. I am accustomed to seeing just one or two clownfish per anemone, so this was quite a surprise. The other unusual finding was the plethora of sea cucumbers littering the sandy bottom. The coral heads were teeming with a wide variety of small fish.

After a satisfying and relaxing dive (70' max. depth for 52 minutes) we rinsed off our gear in the fresh water tank and packed it back up. I was then introduced to Mike's wife and one-year old daughter. They live just one block from me, in similar quarters to mine. Mike will take the tanks back to be filled when he goes to work in the morning. It was a great experience for my first dive on Kwajalein.

The Trip to Kwaj and My First Days

2009-06-14T00:26:00.010-04:00

Photo: Sunfish Regatta by Timothy Hall

My parents took me to the Lynchburg airport on Tuesday morning and I boarded the jet for Atlanta. Once there I chilled out in the Sky Miles lounge and later boarded my plane to Honolulu. After arriving in Honolulu about 2:45 pm (local) Tuesday afternoon, I got my bags and checked into the hotel. I had an early dinner and hit the sack early because I had to be up at 3:15 am Wednesday morning to catch the next plane.

My plane boarded and departed on time Wednesday morning and after a 5 hr flight to Majuro (the capital of the Marshall Islands) and a 45 min flight from Majuro to Kwajalein, I arrived at about 11:30 a.m. THURSDAY (we crossed the international date line so the day advanced by one). I was in-processed at the airport, had my photo taken and was met by my friend from Antarctica, Jake Woolery, and a contingent of people from the medical department: Beth Turnbaugh (Hospital Administrator), Stacy Welcher (Administrative Assistant to Beth and me), and Dr. Jill Horner.

After collecting my bags, we dropped them off in my temporary quarters (more on that later) and went to lunch. After lunch was the tour of the medical facilities and introduction to the physicians and staff. The medical facility is a two story structure with ED, pharmacy, doctor's offices and exam rooms on the first level. The hospital, including OR, is on the second level. My office looks out over the Pacific Ocean with gently swaying cononut palms in the foreground.

Right now there are four docs and one PA. Dr. Hallman is our general surgeon, Drs. Horner and Thorne are FPs, Bess Buchanan is the PA, and then there is me. There is an excellent group of nurses who staff the facility 24/7/365.

My house is not finished being refurbished, but I am told it will be available next week. Until then I am lodged in DV Quarters (Distinguished Visitor). It is essentially a hotel-type room, very large though, with a kitchenette. Waiting for me in the room were snacks, Special K, milk, coffee, mixed nuts and some other things. I did get an island tour on my first day and got to stop by my house. It is lovely. It has two stories, two bedrooms, two baths, plus an office. The laundry room and kitchen contain all new appliances. The laundry room even has a dedicated full size freezer in addition to the refrigerator/freezer in the kitchen. It has new carpeting, new paint and is very clean. The best part, though, is the view. From the master bedroom I look out over the ocean and coconut palms. It is a million dollar view!

The island has, in addition to the airfield and tracking installations, many recreational and entertainment features. There are two softball fields, a bowling alley, a skate park, two gyms, racquetball courts, an indoor adult recreation center with pool tables and ping pong, two theaters, outdoor bar/lounge (curiously nicknamed "The Snake Pit" but its real name is the Ocean View Club), a small boat marina with boats for rent (sail, ski, dive, & fishing), a Yacht Club, a Country Club w/ 9-hole golf course, a number of gorgeous sandy beaches, a family pool, an adult pool, soccer field, an elementary school, a grades 7-12 high school (ranked in the 95th percentile of all schools, private and public, in the US), and many other features that I am forgetting to include.

There is shopping here too. Surfway is our main grocery - they deliver! There used to be stores called "Macy's" and "Macy's West" but those have been replaced completely by AAFES PX faciities. There is an excellent selection of fresh fruits and vegetables as we get a barge in twice a week with produce from Hawaii and California. The PX faciities are in three different buildings: one is a department store (clothing, gifts, jewelry, linens, etc), another is hard goods (tools, yard equipment, camping stuff, coolers, fishing gear, etc.), and the third is like a convenience store, but larger with more selection. There is a small jewelry and craft store that sells handmade Marshallese items. We have a full-service post office.

Transportation around the island is by foot or bicycle. There are no private cars. There are a few cars & trucks for official use. There are also a number of pieces of heavy equipment, such as fire trucks, loaders and trash collection vehicles.

Since I am in temporary quarters, I have a meal card that entitles me to eat all my meals at Café Pacifica, the chow hall. The food is fresh, well-prepared and tasty. There is always a good selection of items. The cooks and servers are Marshallese and are all very friendly. Once I get into my house I will be off the meal plan and on my own.

This weekend (which, for us, is Sunday and Monday to correspond to the USA's Saturday/Sunday) I am going to ride my bike around to get oriented.

My camera battery is completely dead and I have to mail order a new one, so photos will come later.

Next weekend I am flying to Roi-Namur (an outlying island in the Kwajalein Atoll) to tour the dispensary and visit with John Snook, PA-C who staffs that facility.

My mailing address is:

Don Shuwarger
P O Box 1082
APO AP 96555

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2009-06-06T03:32:00.005-04:00

"Well, my bags are packed,
I'm ready to go.
Taxi's waitin'
He's blowin' his horn..."
(from "Leaving on a Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul, and Mary)

Three days ago the movers came and packed up my things. Two thousand one hundred fifty pounds of my life's stuff is bound for Kwajalein, Marshall Islands. A similar amount will be stored by them locally until I return.

It's sad and interesting that the stuff of my life can be expressed in pounds. How can photographs of my lovely daughter and a gas barbecue be measured in the same units? I clearly value the pictures of her much more than a grill, but in moving company parlance it is completely the other way around.

The packers were gentle and considerate with my things. I trust that most things will arrive intact. Their journey is an interesting one: after being trucked from Virginia to Richmond, California they will be loaded into a container and placed upon a barge. The barge will take two weeks to travel across the Pacific ocean to Kwajalein. Upon arrival in Kwajalein, many containers holding a variety of necessities will be unloaded. Eventually my stuff will be delivered to my home and unpacked.

So, what about my travel itinerary to Kwajalein? Thought you would never ask. Well, Tuesday (09 June) I fly from Lynchburg to Atlanta and then after a brief lay-over fly non-stop from Atlanta to Honolulu, a 10 hr. flight. Arrival in Honolulu is expected sometime around 2 pm local time Tuesday afternoon. I will overnight in Honolulu at an airport hotel. Early the next morning, Wednesday, I take a flight from Honolulu to Kwajalein, stopping first at Majuro, the capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The flight is about 6 hours, but since it crosses the International Date Line, I actually arrive on Thurday, 11 June! Wish me luck!

Thawing Out

2009-05-19T20:25:00.004-04:00

After leaving the Ice I toured the south island of New Zealand and went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Since returning to the US, I have been thawing out looking for my next big adventure. That's why the name of this blog was changed to Medical Adventures from Medical Ice.

Next month I move to the South Pacific. I will be living and working on the island of Kwajalein, in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The military base on the island supports our country's missile defense program. I will be the Chief Medical Office for the island, and will work for KRS.

Keep checking back to see what this adventure will bring....

Back in Christchurch

2009-02-19T18:23:00.004-05:00

I'm back in Christchurch. I've been meeting Ice People coming off the Ice. Some are staying in Chch for a few days before going off on vacation. Others are here just overnight before taking the next available plane home.

Mostly we get together in the evenings at restaurants or pubs. Last evening I went with my friend Patrick to Cafe Valentino. It was his first time there and, as you know from my earlier post, my second. This time I had Fettuccine Valentino, a delightfully cheesy fettuccine with panceta and mushrooms. From there it was off to Bailie's for a Guinness. Already there were large numbers of people from the Ice indoors and outdoors. Patrick and I sat and visited with them for hours.

Tonight a number of the folks from McMurdo Medical will meet at Holy Grail, a local sports pub. There are only three more flights coming to Chch from the Ice: today, Saturday, and Sunday. About 80 – 100 persons will be on each flight. At that point, McMurdo station will close for the winter with a final population around 140 - 150 persons.

Since returning to Chch, I have enjoyed Sushi twice. It was never served on the Ice....unless you count the few times we had lox.

Thanks for following along. I'll keep you posted on my travels as they unfold.

Queenstown and Wanaka

2009-02-16T02:15:00.003-05:00

Greetings, faithful reader. Today I drove from Te Anau to Queenstown, a tony lakeside town that reminds me of Jackson Hole. It is very tourist oriented with numbers of high end restaurants and stores. The lodging was high end too, so I decided to drive a bit further to Wanaka. There is a lake here also, and a smaller, less trendy, town. I got a cheap motel that reminds me of the Peaks of Otter Lodge in Virginia: no phone, TV or internet in the room. I am making this posting from the lobby where they have wireless internet for a fee.

I will hang here tomorrow and spend the night again before deciding whether to return to Christchurch Wednesday or go further up the west coast of NZ to Greymouth before returning to Christchurch on Friday or Saturday. It's nice to be free to choose.

Speaking of freedom, although I haven't gotten the absolute final word, it is looking more and more like I will not have to return to the Ice for winter. The South Pole station is fulled staffed and the last provider for McMurdo is scheduled to arrive today into Christchurch. Assuming all goes well and that provider makes it to McMurdo without a hitch, I will probably be taken off call on Wednesday.

I left my camera's charger in Christchurch (oops!) so my photos from here on will probably be very limited. My camera does not take replaceable batteries, opting instead for a built-in battery that needs periodic recharging. I've currently got a half-charge on it. Speaking of that, I want to assure you that Troublemaker, a rollerskate of a car, is still performing well after its repair in Dunedin.

That's it for today. I'll keep you posted on what I see and do tomorrow in Wanaka.

2009-02-15T03:25:00.012-05:00

After getting a couple of good night's rest in Christchurch, it was time to begin exploring New Zealand's south island. An internet search revealed a real bargain – about $22 day.

I got a Mazda Dimeo, a small four-seater with a hamster-powered engine. He picked me up, just like Enterprise, and whisked me to his office. To call it a hole in the wall is to exaggerate it's good points. With the car signed, sealed and delivered, it was putt-putting my way to the USAP NZ offices. There I checked in with Leeann and got the latest update on the two providers, one for South Pole, the other for McMurdo, and checked my USAP email.

Back on the road I pointed south toward Dunedin. After a quick stop at a small town along the way for lunch and to pick up a disposable mobile phone, I continued on what ended up to be about a six hour journey. Once in Dunedin, I went to the Otago Albatross Center, a recommendation from Steve and Carol Jones. As usual, they were spot on. It was very interesting to learn about a fascinating bird that heretofore had only been known to me as something worn about one's neck.

After a nice fish dinner, it was off to sleep at a cheap motel. In the morning I awoke to find a puddle of antifreeze below the car. After a series of back and forth phone calls (thank goodness I got that cellphone), the car was off to the repair shop and I was on foot. Fortunately, Dunedin was having a huge street festival in the center of town, about a fifteen minute walk. There were musical performers, arts, crafts, clothing, games, and food. I also walked down to the Farmer's Market where local growers sold fresh foods. I bought lamb-on-a-stick. Wow, was it ever delicious.

By five o'clock p.m. the Troublemaker was fixed and I was back on the road headed to Te Anau, a small tourist town at the gateway to the Fiordlands. After a night's rest at yet another cheap motel, I took off in the morning for Milford Sound. This is a very special, almost magical, place. Tall mountains jut abruptly up from fiords. Fresh water lakes wind along to reach the ocean between New Zealand and Australia. There are waterfalls and clouds that cloak the mountain tops in a misty lace. A nature boat cruise up and down the fiord gave an appreciation of that special place.

There were fur seals sunning themselves on rocks.

Back into Troublemaker and back to Te Anau for a quick dinner and a pricey internet connection I went.

Tomorrow I am off for my next destination, Queenstown.

Night

2009-02-12T02:59:00.003-05:00

The C-17 lifted off from Pegasus White Ice Runway yesterday with about seventy passengers headed north for Christchurch. When we arrived 5 1/2 hours later it was night and raining. We have not seen darkness in five months. We have not seen rain since before we deployed to Antarctica. It's hard to describe to those who have not experienced it the sense of wonder at revisiting these familiar but distant events. I have written here before of the curious nature of walking out of a building in Antarctica at midnight and being blasted between the eyes by bright sunlight. I've also talked about the lack of any humidity. To get on a jet and travel a mere five hours and be thrust suddenly into these most normal events of night and rain after having not experienced either for months is quite jarring.

The next morning brought other reminders: city noise, green plants, and familiar scents. What a surprise to the senses. I rode a bus. I ate at two different establishments. Lunch was at Subway where I had a delicious roasted lamb sub. Dinner was at an Italian restaurant (Valentinos) where I enjoyed a delightful Canterbury Lamb dinner. The exchange rate is favorable now. One US dollar buys about two New Zealand dollars. When I deployed one US dollar only bought about $1.25NZD. Occasionally I would bump into Ice People (as ones returning from Antarctica are known). A stop by Bailie's after dinner for a Guinness topped off a relaxing first day.

Tomorrow I will rent a car and begin a brief driving trip south of Christchurch. First destination: Dunedin, a city recommended by many who have been here before me. I need to stay in contact with McMurdo, though, because there is a scant possibility that I may be needed back on the ice for the winter. The station is attempting to fill the remaining medical provider vacancy and if they are successful I will not be needed. However, if there is any glitch in getting that provider, then I can be recalled. You, faithful reader will be kept posted on the events, experiences and photos as I begin exploring New Zealand's spectacular south island.

Cartoon of the Week

2009-02-02T12:45:00.002-05:00

Matt Davidson, our resident cartoonist, reminds us in this week's installment that the ice over the Ross Sea is breaking up and penguins are arriving.

Reflections on Ice - Season End

2009-01-29T14:39:00.005-05:00

The summer season at McMurdo is quickly winding up. Our annual resupply vessel, the American Tern, will be here in three days. After a whirlwind of activity off-loading the vessel, then reloading it with items to be returned to the U.S., the station will begin quickly sending home those people who are not staying for the winter season. The term used for working a winter is "winter over", as in "Are you wintering over?" or "Did you winter over last year?".

I am scheduled to redeploy on 11 February. I will fly back to Christchurch, NZ on a C-17 jet just like the one on which I arrived. There are some significant travel plans and I will continue to update the blog as I visit New Zealand, Australia, and Southeast Asia.

My experience in Antarctica has been transformative. The continent, this environment, is majestic yet harsh. It is alluring though challenging. I am continually impressed by the people I meet here. Everyone has a story, a life journey that includes working and living in Antarctica. I have been privileged to become very good friends with a small group of diverse individuals. They include managers of significant departments, an electrician, and a firefighter. The Wednesday evening Bridge group, which played its last game two days ago, started as students. I taught them how to play the game over six weeks. We have been playing weekly ever since. It warmed my heart that "Reefer Bob" (the refrigeration technician) told me he already located a group with whom to play Bridge when he gets home next week. It is my hope that Pedro the Food Monkey, Greg the Electrician, and Marci the Sous Chef continue playing too.

Room With A View

2009-01-21T18:30:00.024-05:00

Yesterday I was treated to a morale trip up the side of Mt. Erebus. You might remember from earlier posts that Mt. Erebus is an active volcano that is on the Ross Island, near Scott Base and McMurdo Station. It constantly emits a large plume of steam and smoke. Occasionally it will belch rocks. You can watch a live video from inside the Mt. Erebus crater at the MEVO website.

The trip started with a briefing on the outing at the Field Safety Training Program offices. Then we selected helmets to fit us. We then took a Hagglunds tracked transport from McMurdo to the Scott Base sea ice transition. The Hagglunds is a Swedish dual-cab, medium class, over snow vehicle. Six persons sat in the rear cab and four sat in the front cab. A minimum thickness of 50 cm of hard ice is required before a Hagglunds can be driven across sea ice. They are powered by turbo diesel engines driving four rubber tracks through an automatic transmission and transfer case.

Once there, we were briefed on the proper operation of the snow mobiles (Bombardier Ski Doos). Interestingly enough, at McMurdo these are called "snow machines" not snow mobiles. I don't know the history or reason behind this change.

We rode tandem on the snow machines. There were many bumps and hills that occasionally caused the snow machine to become airborne. We took a route from the sea ice transition up the side of Mt. Erebus until we reached a large dome-like clearing. There was a Scott tent set up and inside it there with a football and soccer ball to play with. The wind was ferocious, probably at about 35 - 50 kts. The view was the most impressive part.
There was a giant panorama in 360 degrees that showed Mts. Erebus, Terra Nova and Terror;
the glacier that runs down to meet the sea ice;

the back side of Castle Rock; across the Ross Sea to Black Island and White Island;

the Royal Society Mountains;

and finally out to the liquid open water of the Ross Sea.

I could see the path the ice breaker Odin cut and the fuel tanker just behind it bring us 5.5 million gallons of fuel – enough to last the station for the next 12 months. These last photos are of the fuel tanker waiting just outside our ice pier and the pier itself.

It was a delightful afternoon outing that really gave one the sense of enormity and grandeur that is Antarctica.

2009-01-18T14:34:00.000-05:00

Another great cartoon from our friend, Matt Davidson.

Royal Visit

2009-01-15T12:39:00.006-05:00

His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco is visiting Antarctica as part of his interest in global ecology and climate. Americans may remember that he is the son of Prince Ranier and American actress Grace Kelly.

Wednesday, January 14, he visited the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and Thursday he visited McMurdo Station. He spoke with the assembled people in our dining hall at 7:15 pm. His comments were extemporaneous and unrehearsed. He spoke of his pride that Monaco is one of the signatories to the Antarctica Treaty, that the principality participates with Italy and France in other environmental issues and that his trip to both the Artic and Antarctic arose from his interest in the vital roles the poles play in global ecology and climate.

As you can see in this underexposed photo, he spoke to the crowd for about 15 minutes then he took a few questions from the audience. The questions were generic in quality as were the answers. He describes Monaco as a 2.2 square mile area with 33,000 residents, the majority of whom are not Monegasques (the name given to natives of Monaco....they are not Monicans). There are over 125 different nationalities living in Monaco where they receive over 4 million tourists annually. Prince Albert's grandfather was also a polar explorer, according to his remarks.

From McMurdo he travels to Antarctic bases of other countries: Concordia (France & Italy), Vostok (Russia), and Davis (Australia).

Arrived at the South Pole

2009-01-05T08:24:00.018-05:00

Greetings from the South Pole. I flew here from McMurdo Station aboard a USAF LC-130 Hercules. The flight took approximately 3 hours. I sat in webbing alongside the interior. There were seven of us on the plane plus the crew made up of the 139th Air National Guard out of New York.

The nominal altitude at the South Pole is 9300 feet. That is the measured altitude. However, due to less atmosphere and gravity at the poles, the barometric pressure is much lower here at any given altitude than would be seen in most of the world. The effect of this is that the effective altitude varies daily, but today was 10, 240 feet. I took Diamox before leaving McMurdo and will continue to take it for three more days to minimize symptoms arising from living at significant altitude.

Sunday was a great day here for me. It turns out that over the past couple of days some tourists (yes, you read that right) skied into the South Pole. They were guided and outfitted by a company and paid no less than $50,000USD for the privilege. They stay in tents outside the station. They brought their own provisions. They spent money to get where I am and I am making money being here. Go figure. Anyway, since they were here a tour of the Ice Cube science experiment was arranged and I got to tag along.

Ice Cube is an experiment where neutrino detectors are placed 2500 meters below the surface in an attempt to detect neutrinos passing through the Earth….from north to south. These neutrinos enter the Earth in the arctic or far northern regions, pass all the way through the Earth and are detected on their exit from the South Pole. It turns out that this is the best place on the planet to do this research because the Earth filters out all the other cosmic rays coming from that direction and leaves just the neutrinos to pass through. So, to get these detectors so far down under the ice, they use a hot water drill under extremely high pressure to melt a cylindrical column of ice 0.65 meters in diameter. It takes about 5000 gallons of fuel to generate the extremely hot water (88° C) for each hole. This summer they will drill about 19 holes. That will give them about 40 holes to their goal of about 80. Once the hole is drilled, they lower a specially made Digital Optical Module, or “DOM”, down into the hole.

The water in the hole refreezes over a couple of days. The DOM is spherical and clear with electronics inside. It can withstand about 10,000 psi pressure. The DOM is attached to the surface by an umbilical cable. All the cables from all the DOMs are gathered together in a common computer room that receives the data in real time. Massive banks of computers process the data and it is uploaded via satellite to the US nightly. The principal investigator for this $270 million project is at the Univ. of Wisconsin. Of the $270 million, about $240 million is funded from the National Science Foundation with the rest coming from a variety of European countries.

The drilling work can only be done during the austral summer months, but data collection and transmission is performed 24/7/365. This is pure research. Detecting neutrinos by a multiple detector array can give the approximate location of the source of the particle. The scientific question is: will knowing the sources of these particles lead to discovery of previously unknown things in the universe? It’s wildly expensive, highly theoretical, uses vast amounts of fuel (2/3 of all the South Pole fuel supply goes for Ice Cube), but it is science and that is what we are here to support.

After returning from that amazing tour, I went with Wayne, the Physician Assistant here, on a tour of the bowels of the station. He took me to the ice tunnels (See page 3 of this link). These tunnels were carved out of the ice 15 meters (45 feet) below the surface. The tunnels are about 6 feet wide and 10 feet tall. They house the fresh water and sewage lines for the station as well as the electrical cables. As you might imagine, we melt ice to get fresh water (more on that later). The wells that are melted are called Rodriguez Wells, or just Rod Wells for short. Any one Rod Well will have a useful life of about 7 years. Then they have to begin a new Rod Well. The former Rod Well is now an immense cavern deep within the ice. It becomes a storage depot for sewage which freezes solid over time. These ice tunnels take the fresh water out of the current Rod Well and return sewage to a former well, all via insulated piping. Did I mention that in the ice tunnels it is a consistent minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit? You better believe it was as cold down there as I have ever experienced. My eyelashes, mustache, and beard were all frozen with ice crystals. The hairs at the end of my nose were frozen. After about a half hour touring the ice tunnels, which Wayne tells me few people get to visit, we went to the power plant and water plant.

The power plant uses one Caterpillar generator for routine power generation and a second one for peak loads. There are two more generators: one for backup and one undergoing maintenance. Nearly all the heat produced by these massive diesel generators is recovered. They use the heat to provide all the heat to the station, provide domestic hot water, and heat the water for the Rod Wells. With the heat recovery these generators are 70% efficient – a huge number in power generation.

From there it was on to the water plant right next door. The water from the Rod Well is exceptionally pure…in fact it is the purest water on the planet. That makes it not great for drinking. We humans like the taste of minerals in our water and the deionized water from the Rod Well would leach minerals from our bones and the water pipes. Also, the pipes like the pH to be slightly alkaline to reduce corrosion. So the water plant adds Calcium Chloride, Soda Ash, trace minerals and a tiny amount of chlorine for protection against germs. Water quality is analyzed daily, more sophisticated analysis is done weekly, and a lead and chloroform assay is done monthly. It always passes.

From there it was on to see the carpenter shop and heavy vehicle maintenance facility.

In the latter they had a giant Caterpillar snow mover’s rear section dismantled. The transmission area was so large a person could get inside. Some of their wrenches were larger than my arm.

Our next stop was the geographic South Pole. It turns out that the South Pole’s ice cap moves over the land some 3000 meters below. Over the course of a year the ice moves about 10 meters relative to the actual pole. So, on January 1st of every year the geographic South Pole marker is moved. I got a photo of me at the geographic marker and know that since it was taken on January 4th, it is truly at the right place. Next stop was the ceremonial South Pole marker with the flags of the original signatories to the Antarctica treaty around it in a horseshoe configuration.

My first day was filled with science, exploration, discovery, and learning. Tomorrow I start work as the station doctor for approximately one week. The current station doctor, a delightful lady named Ella Derbyshire, is going to McMurdo for some rest and relaxation. Weather permitting, I’ll fly back to McMurdo on 12 January.

South Pole Bound

2008-12-23T18:53:00.008-05:00

I just received confirmation that I will be spending a week in January at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. This is an exciting and welcome opportunity. The physician at the South Pole will be staying there over the winter. Consequently, she will come to McMurdo Station for some rest and relaxation in early January. While she is out, I will fill in for her at the pole.

Tonight is Christmas Eve. I am on call tonight and tomorrow. Our Hanukkah party two days ago was fun and well attended. The food included such favorites as latkes with applesauce, smoked nova lox, challah, Hanukkah Gelt (not exactly a food) and other less traditional items such as cookies in the shape of a Magen David and spinach-artichoke dip.

Tonight is an all-station Holiday Party festively decorated in the Christmas theme. This will be the first time the Holiday Party is not held in the cavernous heavy vehicle maintenance facility (VMF) but is instead hosted in the gymnasium. I also understand from those who have been her before that in years past this Holiday Party had been quite the blowout with food, potent potables and live music. This year's event promises to be more sedate with none of the prior amenities. I'll let you know how it turned out, if I get to go.

Christmas Dinner will be served tomorrow. On the menu are roasted breast of duck, chilled crab legs, and prime rib. It's about the prime rib.....or the lack of it. It seems that the galley staff put the prime rib into the thawing refrigerator a few days ago. Shortly thereafter, 160 lbs. of it disappeared. Gone. Vanished. It has yet to return. It is unlikely that it could be cooked anywhere on station and everyone not smell it or discover it. Therefore, it is my speculation that it was purloined beef destined for another location. I know I've told you this story before, so this is just an update to let you know the prime rib is still on the lam (groan).

So here's wishing you and yours a very happy holiday season.

Season's Greetings

2008-12-19T23:55:00.009-05:00

Season's Greetings to all my readers. Once again, I have been the lucky recipient of handmade holiday cards from many of the students at Forest Elementary School in Forest, Virginia. Thanks to all the students that made cards and especially to the students in Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class. I love receiving your cards and very much appreciate the time and energy you took to make them and send them to me.

The McMurdo community is getting all geared up for the upcoming Solstice, Hanukkah, and Christmas holidays. The dining hall is decorated with a Festivus Pole, Christmas tree, garland and many other seasonal items. The Jewish members of the community hope to complete work on a large scale paper representation of a Hanukkah menorah to display there too.

There will be a Christmas dinner on the 25th. I'm told there will be breast of duck, chilled crab legs and prime rib. Just one thing....there will not be as much prime rib as the galley staff planned. It seems that while the prime rib was out thawing, two of them were purloined. Yes, we have a beef thief. The irony is that now that the word is out about the missing prime ribs, who in their right mind would think they could cook and serve it without being discovered? It is the community's hope that the missing 160 lbs. of prime rib magically reappears. Naturally, this event sparked numerous jokes and rumors. The latest is this graphic I received in an email from a friend.
On a sadder note, this has been a busy week in the medical department. We had three medical evacuations this week, one of which was for very serious trauma. Our flight nurse went out on the first medevac and on the day she returned to MacTown she had only time enough to change clothes and there was another medevac waiting to go out. Her gear had not been returned to the hospital yet by the cargo department, so she had to cobble together an entire second set of equipment, supplies and drugs to take our second patient out. This patient flew in a Bell Helicopter from the hospital to Pegasus White Ice Runway where it met up with an Australian Airbus A319 that was scheduled to leave hours earlier, but was delayed specially for this mission. This beautiful twin jet is equipped and outfitted to enable an ambulatory patient to be medically treated. There are numerous 110 volt 60 cycle outlets along the walls and in the seat arms. The seats fold flat to allow litter placement.

Our third medevac patient was not fortunate enough to ride on this plane, nor was he ambulatory. He flew by helo to the airfield, then flew to Christchurch on an Air National Guard Hercules LC-130. The ride north normally takes about 8.5 hrs, but this crew made it in 7.5 hrs. The patient is in the ICU, is stable and is expected to make a full recovery.

Ob Hill, Discovery Hut, and Helicopter Inspection

2008-12-06T21:42:00.019-05:00

Yesterday, Dr. Hanson and I got to tour the helicopter facility here at McMurdo. We saw the New Zealand helicopter in the hangar and the AStar and Bell helicopters out on the pad. We evaluated the set up and arrangement of the helicopter for aeromedical evacuation.
Today, Air National Guard officers and I toured Scott's Discovery Hut at Hut Point.
SSgt McMannus was our official guide. This hut, erected in 1902 for Scott's Discovery Expedition, was originally designed and manufactured in Australia of Jakarta wood. The design worked well in hot dry Australia to keep the interior cool. That was not the best design for Antarctica. Later built huts were designed to retain heat inside.

According to Wikipedia:

"In selecting a base of operations for the 1910-1913 Expedition, Scott rejected the notion of re-occupying the hut he had built on Ross Island during the Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904.

This first hut, known as the 'Discovery Hut' was located at Hut Point, 20km south of Cape Evans. Scott's ship, the Discovery, had been trapped by sea ice at Hut Point, a problem he hoped to avoid by establishing his new base further north. Discovery Hut was never fully occupied during the Discovery Expedition, as most expeditioners elected to live aboard the ice bound ship. Ten years later when members of the Terra Nova Expedition journeyed south from Scott's Hut at Cape Evans they found Discovery Hut intact (although full of snow and ice), along with supplies left over from 1903. Discovery Hut was cleaned out and used during 1911 and 1912 as a staging and rendezvous point for Terra Nova expeditioners heading south towards the Pole from Scott's Hut at Cape Evans."

After visiting Discovery Hut, Maj. French, TSgt Green and I climbed Observation Hill (referred to generally as Ob Hill).

Again, from Wikipedia: "Robert Falcon Scott's party was found by a search party led by the surgeon Dr. Edward Atkinson. They were found dead by the members of the base camp, who took their photographic film, scientific specimens, and other materials. They had to leave Scott and his men in their tent, and later parties could not locate the campsite, since that area had been covered in snow. So Scott's party eventually ended up drifting out to sea as part of an iceberg as the ice shelf made its way to the sea.

The search party then returned to what is now known as McMurdo and climbed Observation Hill. There they erected a large wooden cross, inscribed the names of the fatal party and a short quote from the Alfred Tennyson poem "Ulysses", which reads "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."

The photo below shows MacTown from the vantage point of Ob Hill.

Birthday Wishes Arrive

2008-12-04T13:02:00.008-05:00

Mrs. Shuwarger's Fifth Grade Class at Forest Elementary School send me handmade birthday cards! I am proudly displaying them for all to see on the wall outside my office.

All the cards are great and I so enjoyed receiving them. Thank you to all the children in the class. One of the cards gave me an extra laugh. It is from Peter. His card reminds me of a TV show and book by the late comedian, Art Linkletter: Kids Say The Darndest Things. The picture below is of the card Peter designed.

What can I say?

Pressure Ridges

2008-12-01T14:14:00.009-05:00

Monday night I got to tour the pressure ridges located just beyond Scott Base. Tours of about 10 persons were taken by bus to Scott Base. We then walked up and down a defined flagged route through the pressure ridges. Click on the photo below to see a whole gallery of images taken last night.

The above photo is of me with Mt. Erebus, an active volcano, in the background.

A pressure ridge is formed when sea ice encounters the Ross Ice Shelf. The mostly immovable ice shelf acts as a backstop for the sea ice. The sea ice is compressed against the ice shelf through a variety of different forces including tidal action and the expansion of water as it freezes. The pressure upon the sea ice causes it to develop a variety of shape changes from gentle undulations to violent upheavals. These changes take place over years.

Many of the tall ice formations have veins of blue and grey running through them. The blue is from water's ability to filter out the red and infrared spectrum of light. This is said to be some of the purest ice on the planet. The pressure that forms these structures causes small bubbles of gas to become trapped within the ice. If some of this ice is chipped off and put into a glass of water, the melting ice will release these trapped pressurized gas bubbles with a cacophony of hissing, popping and spitting.

In the background of the last of these photos can be seen Scott Base, Castle Rock, and Mt. Erebus. You will notice the tiny plume of smoke trailing off to the right from the cone of Erebus, an active volcano.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-28T14:46:00.020-05:00

The community celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday. Combined with Sunday, this weekend is the only two-day weekend this season. Other than this weekend, we work 6 days a week. So you can imagine the excitement around the community for this weekend.

The festivities began with a party Friday evening: Freezing Man, a parody of Burning Man. The event was held in the big gym. Partygoers were decorated with all manner of attire, costumes, body art, jewelry and hair adornments. One band after another took to the stage to amaze the audience with an incredible array of musical talents. There are about 900 persons on station now, about the population of a good sized high school. Yet we have 4 excellent bands from within our ranks.

The actual Thanksgiving Holiday feast was celebrated on Saturday. Three seatings were offered: 3 pm, 5 pm, and 7 pm. Everyone had to sign up for a seating. The medical department all signed up at 5 pm. The dining facility was transformed into a artistic display of culinary esthetics.

The diners arrived in their McMurdo finest attire. This evening's dinner and the Christmas dinner are the two times that people really dress up for a meal.

I volunteered to work in the galley from 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm to give the dining assistants a hand. This news will probably come as a shock to my wife who has yet to see me volunteer for kitchen duty. My job was carving tenderloins of beef as diners came by. Just an aside, doing dishes here is almost fun. You wear a cap, long apron, and humongous gloves. Water goes everywhere. The dishes are cleaned of food residue by hand then are sent through a long enclosed dishwasher via conveyor belt. Reminds me of a car wash. They come out the other end steaming hot, sanitized, and sparkling clean.

Sunday evening, from 6 pm to about midnight, I was to go with a group of twenty to Cape Evans and the ice caves. Cape Evans was a outpost for Robert F. Scott, the Antarctic explorer. He had a wooden hut on the Cape that today still has all the original contents, perfectly preserved. Whale blubber, penguin carcass, cans of food, and supplies all sit exactly where Scott and his team left them nearly one hundred years ago. No spoilage, no rusting, no change. When guided through his hut, one gets the impression that they must have just stepped out for a minute and will be back soon. The hut is catalogued, photographed, and monitored by the Antarctic Heritage Trust (New Zealand) and is well described on their website.

The ice caves are natural formations. Sliding in on one's bottom, you arrive inside the cave. Light filters throught the ice giving a variety of colors from pure white to a gorgeous azure blue. Simple digital cameras such as mine are not capable of showing the dazzling display of colors and ice crystals in the caves. This is what I saw:

On A Slow Day

2008-11-21T01:04:00.004-05:00

On a slow day in the clinic I inserted a nasopharyngeal airway into myself. Why? During our recent mass casualty incident training exercise, Barbie Brittel, PA-C explained that a NP airway could be used on an awake patient. She told us she knew a guy who demonstrated this ability on himself. We were amazed. The more I thought of it the more curious I became. So, I tried it.

Please do not try this on yourself. I am a highly trained medical professional. Likely, you are not.

Crew Swap

2008-11-18T22:55:00.011-05:00

The medical department at McMurdo is made up of a group of fine civilians complemented by a flight surgeon (Richert), flight nurse (Sapp) and aeromedical evacuation technician (Ray) from the Air Force. Our first contingent of Air Force medical personnel arrived with Mainbody and just now returned to their base or home. These are a group of well trained professionals who brought a wealth of experience, training and knowledge to our staff. We enjoyed meeting them and getting to know them better. We shared a lot of laughs.

Now that they have returned home, we say "until we meet again" in the sincere hopes that we will indeed get to meet them again (hopefully not as a patient!).

Pictured are (left to right): Captain Tracey Sapp, USAF; Captain Greg Richert, USAF; Master Sergeant Jennifer Ray, ANG.

Sea Ice Dance

2008-11-15T23:37:00.004-05:00

The ice covering the Ross Sea is, at times, feet thick. It melts in the austral summer and goes out to sea, just to reform later. When the ice is thick it appears solid and immovable.

This video shows just how powerful are ocean tides. They lift the ice every day. Also, you might notice the periodic appearance of penguins and a seal. Click on the image of the sea ice above to be taken to the gallery showing a time lapse video showing the incredible movement, melt, and breakup of the ice. In the gallery are also two pictures of our nearby penguin friend, Oswald.

Penguin Cartoon

2008-11-15T18:02:00.002-05:00

Matt Davidson is a guy working here at McMurdo. He has been here before and has returned for another season. Among his many other talents, he is also an accomplished cartoonist.

Dinner at Scott Base

2008-11-09T19:02:00.013-05:00

Our Radiology Technician, Air National Guard Aeromedical Evacution Technician, and I were fortunate to receive a dinner invitation to Scott Base last night. The facility is very nice and the food delicious. Our hostess, Sharron, was very gracious. Sharron is the medic on station. When her people need medical or dental care, x-rays, lab work or physical therapy Sharron brings them to us. We were able to get a couple of snapshots while visiting. One of these pictures here is of their sitting room, just of the main dining hall. It is a very nicely appointed room with a working gas fireplace and bookshelves filled with games and reading material. The person with me in the other photo is our hostess, Sharron.

Mount Erebus is visible from Scott Base. It is the southern most active volcano in the world. Inside its crater is a churning cauldron of lava. Occasionally it will spew a lava bomb. There is a website that shows live streaming video from Erebus, including the base of the cauldron where, when the conditions are right, you can see bubbling lava.

Change of Subject: When our patients come to see us, they fill out a little section of paper where they describe the reason for their visit. We get some creative answers. Some of my favorite are:

Sick
Ill
Under the weather
Hurt
Soar throat [sic]
Crud (or sometimes Krud)

I am not criticizing our patient's spelling. I just get a laugh out of the way they describe their reason for visiting the doctor. Maybe this is our fault. I wonder if it would work better to have a check box for the common symptoms. By the way, is Krud (with a capital "K") worse than regular old crud?

Halloween on Ice

2008-10-31T23:04:00.011-04:00

The day started with a C-17 flying in passengers and cargo. Among the cargo was mail, and among the mail was the most delightful surprise. Mrs. Shuwarger's Fifth Grade Class sent me Halloween cards that they made themselves. To the Class: Thank you so much for the cards! You are very creative and made great cards. I loved the animal pictures and the funny sayings inside. I also like the way some of you cut out your cards. They brightened up my day and bring smiles to everyone who visits the clinic here at McMurdo.

Last night was the annual Halloween Party at McMurdo. The party is so well known that it is hard to find an individual's blog or written account that doesn't mention it at some point. You can click here to see a gallery of photos from this year's party.

Lori and Barbie, our radiology technician and physician assistant, have drawn and colored a huge turkey. It is posted on the clinic wall next to the children's cards. The turkey is named "Mr. South Pole Tree" and he asks everyone to write on him all the things for which they are thankful. I am thankful for family, friends and the opportunity to work with a fine group of professionals in this wonderful place called "Antarctica".

I've been trying to find people who play bridge. So far, all I've found are people who want to learn to play. So, I have become the local bridge teacher. I had four students last Wednesday and hope to spread the word.

Happy Camper Gets Frostbite

2008-10-22T19:51:00.023-04:00

In the last entry, I mentioned the upcoming Snow Craft Training, affectionately known as "Happy Camper". I went and had a great time. Unfortunately, my fingers didn't enjoy it as much as the rest of me. More about that in a minute.

Happy Camper started with classroom education on camping in the snow environment. We discussed shelter, proper clothing, sun exposure, frostbite and other survival topics. There were 20 students in the group and two instructors. All the students showed up with their ECW and extra gloves, mittens, hats, and other protective gear.

After the classroom training we filed out to the transport vehicles (a Delta and a van) and loaded them with our personal gear and some camping equipment (stoves, and food, mostly). After a brief stop at the galley to pick up our lunch, we were off to the field. Our ride took us out onto the Ross Ice Shelf. We unloaded from the Delta and transferred the gear to a sled towed by a snow mobile. We then walked 20 minutes to a small hut where we received a briefing on how to set up, care for, and repair the camp stoves. The ones we used ran on a small cylinder of white gas (Coleman fuel) that is pressurized with a small integrated hand pump.After some more classroom training, orientation and lunch we loaded up the sled with sleeping bags and marched out into the open ice field. Once there we were taught how to set up a Scott tent, build a quinzee, pitch a mountain tent, build a wind wall of snow blocks, and use trenches as sleeping shelter.
I made a short video that shows the building of our quinzee but am prevented from uploading it because of limited bandwidth. We mounded up all the bags, covered them with a tarp, mounded snow, let it set up for a couple of hours, tunnelled into it, dragged out the bags, and voilá, it is done.

We used the snow blocks to build a wind barrier wall.

Later, our instructors departed. We had to figure out a method for firing up the camp stoves, melting snow, and then boiling water. The boiled water was used for instant coffee, tea, instant hot chocolate, or instant hot spiced apple cider. The hot water could also be used to rehydrate dehydrated meals. There were also candy bars, mixed nuts (just like us), and "gorp" - a trail mix-like conglomeration of nuts and chocolate chips. I ate just from this latter group of foods plus some hot chocolate. Almost all foodstuffs were years past their expiration date (e.g. "Best if used by: 07-05").
The view of Mount Erebus and its almost constant volcanic plume was spectacular. The wind carries the plume in a sideways drift, making the plume look like a cloud. In this shot you can also see a helicopter on a training mission.

I chose to sleep in a mountain tent. I've slept well in these in the past and hoped for the same experience this time. Alas, that was not my fate this trip. I slept fitfully, waking often. Footfalls of other campers were very loud in the snow and the almost constant sunlight was a distraction. I wore thermal wool socks on my feet and glove liners with hand warmers inside on my hands to keep everything warm at night. My feet felt great and never bothered me, but my hands often felt cold and would wake me. When I got up in the morning and got dressed, I noticed that my fingers were hurting when I tried to tie my bootlaces and didn't fit easily into my gloves. After reassembling in the hut, I removed my gloves and, to my horror, found frostbitten fingers. See the photo of my left hand.The third, fourth and fifth digits of both hands are frostbitten. You can see the color change at the last part of the fingers The pinkies are the worst on each hand. This is a classic example of first and second degree frostbite. It is also an example of how, despite taking all the precautions, it can still occur. Fortunately, after some blistering and peeling, they will heal fine. Right now, they have no sense of touch (I wouldn't feel a pin-prick) but are very painful deep inside and very tender if pressure is applied. Because of this, the entire blog entry was made with my two first fingers and thumbs in a hunt 'n peck style of keyboarding.

The rest of the morning consisted of VHF and HF radio training, simulating a search and rescue under white-out conditions, risk management discussions, and leadership education. Our return to base was uneventful and used the same vehicles.

Final Event of the Year

2008-10-17T23:57:00.006-04:00

My compliments to the commenters on their quick assessment of the question posted yesterday. October 21, at about 11:35 pm, is the last sunset this year.

Sunrise will happen for the last time this year on October 22 at about 12:35 am. Once it rises, it will stay up until the austral fall, sometime in March.

Something else is connected with those two dates, but this time it is personal. Those dates, the 21st and 22nd, are the dates that I will be attending Snow Craft Training, affectionately known around MacTown as "Happy Camper". This two-day event teaches the priniciples of survival on the ice. My fellow campers and I will attend classroom lectures, get hands-on training on equipment, and techniques for survival on the ice. Then our instructors will drop us off on a glacier. We will put into action the skills we learned earlier. We spend the night on the ice and are picked up the next day. I understand it will be the coldest night of my life. This link is to Mary Lynn's website where she has a brief video showing her experience at Happy Camper last week. She gave me much valuable advice for getting through the experience. Thanks, Mary Lynn.

I'm doing a small scientific study aided by a member of the Air National Guard. We are checking the accuracy and correlation of the three electronic thermometers in the hospital. To do this, we borrowed a constant temperature circulating water bath from the Crary Science Lab. Each thermometer will be tested 10 times at each of four temperatures. I'll post the results in a couple of weeks.

A Special Event

2008-10-16T21:25:00.002-04:00

On October 21, 2008 something will happen in Antarctica for the last time this year. What is it?

Everyone is invited to submit their guess as a comment to this entry.

For Mrs. Shuwarger's Fifth Grade Class: if a person from your class is the first one to post the correct answer as a comment to this entry, I will recommend to Mrs. Shuwarger that she give the entire class a special treat. This will only be a recommendation. Mrs. Shuwarger is the final judge of whether the class actually gets the treat.

Scott Of The Antarctic

2008-10-15T19:23:00.007-04:00

Mrs. Shuwarger's Fifth Grade Class: I'm so pleased you got the bookmarks. I've heard from many of you and it was my pleasure to send them to you.

My last post had to do with our visit to Scott Base, the New Zealand base that is about 4 Km from McMurdo. I've talked about Scott Base before, in earlier posts. Scott was such a well-known and historic figure that a movie was made about his exploration of Antarctica.

My question to the class is:

Who is Robert Falcon Scott? Why do you think New Zealand's base was named in honor of him?

As long as I brought up the subject of Scott, let me share with you a quotation attributed to him in which he reflects on Antarctica, "Great God, this is an aweful place." Do you think he mean "awful" as in horrible, or "aweful" as in full-of-awe?

He also said, "Every day some new fact comes to light - some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. I suppose this is the reason which makes the game so well worth playing. " In this quote Scott puts forth the opinion that it is overcoming serious challenges successfully that makes life interesting. Have you ever tried real hard to do something and finally succeeded? How did it make you feel? Afterwards, did you feel it was worth the effort?

Below are pictures of Scott, including one when he was 13 years old.

Visit to Scott Base

2008-10-15T14:27:00.016-04:00

Tuesday evening, the three medical members of the Air National Guard, our flight nurse and I were invited to Scott Base by Muppet, their paramedic. He will be leaving for New Zealand after a year on the ice so he wanted to have us over for a visit.

Our visit began by a brief wait at Derelict Junction for Muppet to arrive. He picked us up in a Toyota diesel 4 wheel drive SUV.

When we arrived at the base we could see the pressure ridges in the glacier. These form from the compression of glacial ice by movement of the glacier over time.
There are a couple of firefighters from Virginia here this season. One of them, Matt, has a mutual friend with my daughter. This is picture of Matt, nicknamed "Turtle", and me, taken in the hospital. A friend of Turtle's has a broken leg and will be medically evacuated. Turtle was here at the hospital visiting him.

On another note, I recently got the opportunity to go out to Pegasus Field and replace flags and runway markers. Pegasus is the only airfield of its type in the world. It is a glacier on top of which is compacted snow. There are plenty of compacted snow runways and roads, but this is the only one that is compacted upon a glacier. Upon this runway land C-17 jet transports, LC-130 Cargo transports and other large military cargo transport planes. The runway is 10,000' long and the airfield can support night vision goggle landings. It has modern navigational aids such as microwave landing assistance and other devices.

Making Water

2008-10-11T14:40:00.011-04:00

Antarctica is a land mass with huge amounts of ice upon it. In some places the ice is reported to be almost 3 miles thick. You would think that with all that frozen water, getting some to drink would be a simple matter of melting it. Not so fast. It takes huge amounts of energy to melt ice when it is minus 30 degrees F outside and the sun is absent 4 months a year.

All the water for McMurdo Station and Scott Base is produced in the McMurdo Water Plant. I had the opportunity to visit the plant. A sketch of the basic process is shown.

The basic idea is that there is a long pipe going from McMurdo base into the Ross Sea, the liquid part, deep underneath the frozen top of the sea. The sea water enters the plant at about 28 degrees F. If it isn't warmed, it will freeze the equipment. So, the cold sea water runs through heat exchangers (which recover heat from the diesel power generators).
The heat exchangers warm the incoming sea water from 28ºF to approximately 37ºF. The warmed sea water then is stored, indoors, in a huge steel tank. Sea water is very corrosive to steel. Therefore, this enormous tank has a plastic liner to keep the sea water from coming in contact with the steel tank walls. In this sea water there are all manner of tiny and microscopic organisms that must be filtered out before drinking water can be made.

The sea water is passed through a series of filters, each finer than the one before, to remove all microsopic organisms and debris. After filtration, the sea water is forced under very high pressure through the reverse osmosis tubes (shown at right). These RO tubes allow water to pass through a semi-permeable membrane while salts and other chemicals remain. The sea water is passed through this system two times to extract every possible ounce of pure water. There are two sets of these RO tubes. The second set of RO tubes, not pictured, are just to the right of the photo.

After all the pure water is extracted from sea water, the remaining brine is returned to the sea. The pure water is treated with carbon dioxide (CO2), calcium carbonate, and chlorine. These give the water desirable properties for drinking, protect the pipes, and prevent the growth of bacteria and other organisms in the drinking water. Water ready to drink is stored in huge steel tanks, indoors of course, and is pumped out to the McMurdo Station and Scott Base.

I mentioned earlier that excess heat from diesel power generators are used to warm incoming sea water. There is still more excess heat from those generators that is used to heat a recirculating glycol system that is used to heat some dorms (including mine) and buildings on station. Currently there are the old and new power plants. The glycol heat exchangers come from the new power plant which uses more efficient generators. The old power plant is scheduled to be replaced by the new one when the new plant gets all the generators installed and is fully operational.

There is a sophisticated computer-driven monitoring system for the power plant. It may look like a video game but it is monitoring the function and condition of the six generators that are our lifeline. The temperature, oil pressure, engine RPM, electrical generation and other parameters of each of the six generators are displayed for the operator to see. Tests on any specific generator can be conducted. Logs of electricity production requirements along with fuel consumption are kept.

I hope you have enjoyed this tour of McMurdo's power and water plants. I have just completed a tour of the wastewater treatment facility and it too is quite interesting. The biosolids are shipped off continent to a US landfill; the treated liquid is returned to the sea. In a way, we are a closed loop liquid system. We make purified water from the sea and return the treated water to the sea.

Just One Flight Gets In

2008-10-07T21:25:00.003-04:00

It's been a week since our first Mainbody flight was supposed to arrive. We got Fight #1 in yesterday afternoon. That went well.

Flight #2 was due in this morning at 0600. This means that yesterday the passengers got up and checked out of their Christchurch hotel. They spent the day out and about in Chch. They probably reported to the CDC at 2200 for a 0100 departure this morning. Their plane departed and got all the way here (5 hours in the air). While the plane was en route, the weather here took a sudden turn for the worse with high winds and blowing snow. Visibility went down to around 100' and the ceiling dropped to about 500'. This is below the limits set for a landing. The plane turned around and went back to Chch. Those poor passengers.

There was supposed to be a second flight today carrying Flight #3 passengers, arriving around 2200 tonight. It was canceled due to our weather. Flight #2 will try again tomorrow, with a scheduled departure of 1000, arriving at 1500. There's no telling when we will get caught up with the flights.

Photos With Me In Them

2008-10-04T20:27:00.009-04:00

I've had requests for photos that show me in them. I've got a couple from a buddy who took them over the past month. This first picture is from the inside of the C-17 as we traveled from Christchurch, NZ to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Can you find me?

From Medical Ice

My head is just under the lower left corner of the crate.

This next picture is of me with friends at Scott Base, the nearby Kiwi base. On some Thursday evenings they host "American Night" and we are invited over for a party.

From Medical Ice

Pictured from left to right: me, Jacob Woolery, Martin Robinson, Jess Ward and Mel Li.

I am not in this next picture, but since I recently wrote about Condition One, I thought I'd share a photo with you that shows the hospital in a Condition One. This picture is taken from about 40 feet away. If you look carefully, you can make out the red roof of the hospital.

From Medical Ice

Today's science lecture on penguins will likely be rescheduled because the scientist speaking is still in Christchurch. Now the hope is to try and bring a plane in on Monday, October 6. We will see.

Mainbody Delayed

2008-10-03T01:36:00.003-04:00

Mainbody, the series of flights that bring the 700 -800 people to McMurdo for the summer season, was to begin flying last Tuesday. The flight that day was scrubbed for bad weather in Antarctica. The people in Christchurch had to either check back into their room, or if it was unavailable, had to find new lodging.

Wednesday, the next day, they boarded the plane and took off. After 3 hours in the air the weather at McMurdo turned bad and the plane had to "boomerang" or return back to Christchurch. The travelers had to find new lodging again. To compound matters, new people were arriving in Christchurch for Thursday's scheduled flight. Upon arrival, these new folks learned of the two busted days for group one. Group two realized they would never fly on Thursday.

On Thursday, the flight was canceled, again because of bad weather here at McMurdo. Group one and group two were now joined in Christchurch by group three. There are now around four hundred people in Christchurch waiting for the chance to fly down to the Ice.

Today, Friday, the plane was scheduled to take group one but the departure was scheduled five hours later than usual. As time approached for them to board the plane, it was canceled. This time it was canceled on the forecast of bad weather. Sadly, the bad weather never materialized and as luck would have it, group one could have departed and arrived without weather issues. Tomorrow, group four is scheduled to arrive in Christchurch. I'm sure hotel rooms are becoming scarce.

I'm wondering if Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class remembers my earlier question: Who was the first explorer to reach the South Pole and when was it. For bonus points, tell me from what country this explorer came. You guys did a great job on questions about nacreous clouds, seals and penguins. Let's see if you can do as well with the question about the explorer. This is his picture:

Condition One!

2008-09-27T22:03:00.021-04:00

Saturday morning I awoke to a Condition One. Actually, I was awakened frequently during the night by howling winds and a gentle vibration of the building. The weather in Antarctica is categorized into three conditions.

Severe Weather Condition 1
Issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent:
Sustained wind speed greater than 55 knots
Wind chill temperature colder than -100°F (-73°C)
Visibility less than 100 feet

Severe Weather Condition 2
Issued when at least one of the following conditions is occurring or imminent:
Sustained wind speed 48 knots to 55 knots
Wind chill temperature -75°F (-60°C) to -100°F (-73°C)
Visibility 1/4 mile to 100 feet

Severe Weather Condition 3
Issued when all conditions exceed criteria for Condition 2. This is the normal condition.

If you are unfamiliar with knots as a speed indicator, I found out that a knot is equal to 1.15 miles per hour.

This YouTube video shows a Condition One here at McMurdo. It is was not made yesterday, but it is quite an accurate portrayal of the event.

When there is Condition One, everyone is required to remain indoors and not to go outside. I was, fortunately, in the hospital where we have the comforts of home: kitchenette, snacks, restroom, beds, computers, and TV. The Condition One lasted from about 7 am to noon and was more impressive than the hurricane I experienced in Houston back in the early 1980's. The snow here is as fine as baby powder, but when it hits you it feels like needles. Larger pieces of snow can feel like bullets. The wind will knock you over. I saw a recycling bin, a huge wooden box, blown down the street. A large piece of plywood took flight. Snow was blowing into the hospital's break room through a tiny crack above a window. Some buildings suffered minor damage or had windows blow out.

Last night the Carpenter's Shop, known locally as the "carp shop", hosted CarpStock - a party featuring about 4 or 5 rock bands, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, lots of other munchies, and a variety of beverages. Everyone seemed to have a great time enjoying the music, dancing and letting out the stress of a busy week and lousy weather.

Tonight, at 8 pm, we will be treated to another Science Lecture. Tonight's subject will be on a variety of weather topics, such as Fata Morgana (Wikipedia Link) and other oddities. These are always interesting and topical presentations by leaders in their field.

Earlier today there was a craft fair. Local artisans showed a variety of amazing talents in photography, jewelry, knitting, and ceramics. I am continually impressed by the talent we have on station.

As some may know, I am Jewish. Jews celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our High Holy Days (HHDs), in the coming weeks. Celebrating them here, at McMurdo, is a bit of a challenge. We have a non-denominational Christian chapel (Chapel of the Snows) and arriving soon will be a military chaplain and a Catholic priest. However, there is no facility, liturgy, or accomodation for Jews to observe these holidays. My request to be permitted to view streaming audio or video of services from a (technologically progressive) Synagogue in the U.S. was denied. There is a strict policy against permitting streaming audio/video due to bandwidth limitations and it is the opinion of station management that any variance from this policy, regardless of how worthy, would lead to other worthy requests. The concern, as explained to me, is that to make an exception for one would require an exception to all, and there is no desire to have that happen. So, for me, observing the HHDs will require finding printed resources online and trying to conduct self-guided worship. This should be an interesting experience. I'll let you know how it goes.

The Hike

2008-09-23T01:43:00.008-04:00

Last Saturday, the wind howled all night. When I got up Sunday morning it was still howling. I turned on the TV to our local weather report (just a series of slides, no audio). The temperature was -8 F with wind chill of -35 F. It is our "day off". The galley opened at 10 am for brunch. Afterwards, Shawn, a plumber, and I went for a hike. We went to Hut Point, which is where a cross sits on a hill, just past Scott's Hut. Scott's Hut was where he and his team arrived and built the shelter. The trip didn't end so well for them, as you probably know.

I got all decked out in my extreme cold weather gear for the hike. Let me tell you what was involved from the inside out:

underwear and socks
thermal long underwear, top and bottom
jeans and long-sleeved knit shirt
wind pants and Polartec fleece pull-over
balaclava (the grey ski mask covering my entire head except for a small opening around my eyes
Polartec fleece stocking cap
specially protective sunglasses
Thinsulate lined gloves
Thinsulate lined hiking boots
big red parka with fur-trimmed hood

The tiny patches of skin that show on the photo were really cold. When facing the wind, I had to turn my head to keep the wind from creating frostbite on the exposed skin.

The plaque that sits outside Scott's Hut is shown.
The last photo is of me standing at the cross at the top of Hut Point. The cross is in memory of a fellow whose last name is Vince. He died at or near that spot in 1902. He was part of Scott's team.
The hike to Hut Point was with the wind at my back. No worries. The hike back was with the wind to my face. Phew, that was tough: fighting the 35 kt winds and trying to guard against the effects of the cold wind against my exposed face. I should have worn the full-face goggles instead of sunglasses. Luckily, no harm came of it. As soon as I got back to the main building, Shawn and I made arrangements to meet in the dining room, where I was planning a warm cup of cocoa. As I was washing up to go to the dining room, my pager went off (yes, I carry a pager 24/7). The call was from the hospital, which was just across the street from the dining room. I walked over to find Colin and Maureen, the other doc and the nurse practitioner, already there. The three of us waited for the arrival of a hypothermia victim. He was on a longer windier hike. The day was bright and sunny and he was tricked by the appearance versus the conditions. Anyway, his buddies recognized his distress and called in the emergency. The Search and Rescue team was on it immediately. They brought him to the clinic. We were able to rewarm him appropriately and safely.

Harry Owens, the summer lead physician, arrives October 10. Also expected to arrive during the summer flights are a radiology technician, laboratory technician, physical therapist, flight nurse, and physician assistant. They are all seasoned veterans of this place, which leaves me as the sole newbie.
Dr. Harry Owens

I am volunteering in the library on Sunday afternoons. It's quiet, warm and humidified. Glorious! At 8 pm tonight is a Travelogue by one of the group. It should be an interesting talk. I am going to give a science lecture in late January on Dengue Fever. Many of the people redeploying will visit southeast asia. This is one of the areas in the world that is experiencing an epidemic of Dengue, so I thought it might benefit our community to learn about it prior to redeployment.

Today Colin x-rayed and casted a broken arm. Tomorrow begins my weekly series of meetings.

I am so impressed by the research that Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class has been doing on nacreous clouds, Antarctic seals, and penguins. Way to go! Now, can you tell me which explorer was first to reach the South Pole and when?

Penguins

2008-09-20T03:15:00.006-04:00

Before I talk about penguins, let me say how impressed I am that NRH from Ms. Shuwarger's fifth grade class took up my challenge to learn about nacreous clouds (or polar stratospheric clouds). She did a wonderful job of describing them and explaining what they are.

The class asked about penguins, so this is for you: Emperor penguins are the largest of all penguins, standing up to 42 inches (115 cm) tall and weighting 84 lb (38 kg). The female lays the egg, but it is soon transferred to the father who incubates it for months under a skin fold and on top of his feet. While he incubates the egg, the mother walks about 70 miles (112 km) to the sea. She needs to eat krill, squid and shrimp. When she returns, the chick has been born and it is tranferred back to her care from the father. You already knew this because you watched Happy Feet and/or March of the Penguins.

There are many other types of penguins. We talked about some of them when I visited your class. Do you remember their names? There is a book in your classroom that can help you recall their names and appearances.

So, what I want to know from you is what type of egg incubating behaviors are exhibited by other penguin species. Do they build nests? If so, what do they use? Who tends the egg? I think what you discover will surprise you.

Speaking of penguins, there has been some research on the effect of global climate change on penguins. The news is mixed: some good, some bad. This news story will talk about how our climate is impacting penguins. The webpage contains a link to a 7 minute audio recording of the broadcast, a video, and an audio slide show. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

I leave you with a beautiful image of an Antarctic sunset.......

Funny Photos

2008-09-19T00:05:00.006-04:00

During my review of the USAP's website, I came upon this photo. I am told it is copyright-free and able to be reproduced, so here it is for your giggles.

Sometimes the working environment can be harsh. This food freezer at South Pole Station is outside the geodesic dome. It uses no energy.

A Gorgeous Day

2008-09-17T23:58:00.012-04:00

It Was a Gorgeous Day!

This view from McMurdo Station shows the Royal Society Mountains. The Ross Ice Shelf, in the foreground, looks blue because the white ice reflects the sky. Thin wispy clouds can be seen arriving from the southwest.

This view of Mt. Discovery shows the volcano without its usual plume of smoke. Clouds from the southwest bisect the mountain. The Ross Ice Shelf is in the foreground. Both these pictures show mountains that are about 10 miles away. The clarity of the air is indescribable. They look so close that one is tempted to think that they are but a short walk to reach them.

The horizontal white line across the ice shelf is an ice road leading out to Pegasus, the ice airfield on which the C-17 jets land.

That was yesterday, a Gorgeous Day. Today I had duty as a Dining Assistant. That is a euphemism for dish washer. One of the benefits of being a DA is that I got to see the inside of the kitchen that prepares meals for over 1000 people, three times a day, plus midnight rations for night shift workers. The most impressive part is the scale on which everything is done. They have no use for the size pots and pans any of us have at home. Their baking trays are the size of a pool table. Mixing bowls sit in a floor mounted mixer large enough to fit a 5th grader! The roasting pans are the size of foot lockers. Bakery ovens stack one on top of another, many high, and side-by-side. Salad is prepared in a bowl just smaller than a hot tub.

Last night was Bridge Night. I organized an evening of Bridge playing in the galley. Only two people showed up and neither of them play Bridge, they just wanted to learn. I'm guessing that with Mainbody and the arrival of about 800 more people on station, including the scientists, there may be more success in recruiting a game.

Our work schedule is 9 hrs. a day, six days a week. We get Sundays off work. However, this weekend is a 2 day weekend, meaning we get off both Saturday and Sunday. This is the last such 2 day weekend until Thanksgiving so everyone is excited to make the most of it. I don't have any specific plans yet, but will probably find something to do with friends. I know one thing I won't be doing: playing Bridge!

Tonight I will go to Scott Base, the New Zealand base on Antarctica. It is about 4 km. from McMurdo. Our Kiwi hosts are very entertaining. They have a smaller base with about 125 people. Their mission is the same as ours: to support science.

I'll keep the pictures and stories coming. Thanks to everyone who has left comments. They really help me feel connected to everyone back home. Until my next post.......

Antarctica Facts

2008-09-16T15:49:00.008-04:00

You can click the map of Antarctica to be redirected to the CIA World Fact Sheet on Antarctica. There are listed some interesting facts about the continent.

Monday it was bitter cold with wind chill factor around minus 55 degrees F. Today it is much better, around minus 18 degrees F.

To Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class: Did you discover the different species of seals that are found in Antarctica? Post a comment to the blog and let me know the names of the seals you were able to find.

Awesome images

2008-09-13T21:19:00.006-04:00

Greetings from Antarctica!

Today is Sunday for me. The wind is howling outside, gusting to 35 kts There is little to no blowing snow. The temperature is now a balmy +3 F with wind chill down to -17 F. They expect more wind with blowing snow later today.

I've washed and dried my clothing and linens today. I've cleaned my in-room sink area and the bathroom this morning. We have to care for our own room and bathroom areas.

Yesterday was interesting. I saw a couple of patients and took an x-ray. When I say "took an x-ray" I mean everything: warm up the x-ray machine, load the digital film carrier, and literally shoot the film. Then I processed it in the digital reader and send the image to Denver for review. In three weeks there will be a radiology technologist here for the summer, but for now, we are it. In addition to seeing a couple of patients, I also filed charts for the incoming summer people (it took two days and was about 1000 charts). I vacuumed the hospital's carpet and mopped the floors with bleach+water. That wasn't covered in my internship. Janitors arrive the first week of October with Mainbody. Can't wait. Today, ostensibly my day off, I saw two patients and took another x-ray.

We recycle nearly everything at MacTown: batteries, cardboard, aluminum, light metals, mixed paper, glass, plastic, and probably other things I am forgetting. It is amazing how little trash I am generating. Each morning I throw into the sanitary disposal bucket a couple of Kleenex. If I eat an orange in my room, then I dispose of the peel in the food items bucket. That's about it. The galley has us recycle our paper napkins. We bus our own tables and separate the silverware by type. During this period, Winfly, before Mainbody arrives, everyone has to do a shift of dishwashing. Mine is Sep. 30th from 12 - 3:30 pm.

Last night about 20 of us took a shuttle over to Scott Base, the New Zealand base on Antarctica. They have a smaller base with about 100 people that is 4 km from McMurdo. We joined the Kiwis to watch the Tri-Nations Rugby match between New Zealand and Australia. The Kiwis won and it was smiles all around. There were three Australians who were disappointed: one of them was Colin, the other doctor that I work with here. We got back around midnight, the latest that I stayed up in Antarctica!

It's interesting to meet people here. The majority of scientists won't arrive until mainbody. The Raytheon people I've met have been very interesting: a state legislative lobbyist working in construction; a culinary institute graduate working as a dining assistant; a fellow in his master's program working in the fuels department; an environmentalist attorney working in the hazardous materials and spill clean-up department; a registered nurse working in logistics; a former flight attendant works in payroll, and the list goes on and on. These are people who see the adventure and excitement of travel to Antarctica and are willing to take any job available that will get them here. There are a number of OAEs (Old Antarctic Explorer) who keep coming back season after season. One 69 year old fellow has his master's degree and has been coming down for the past 9 seasons to work in the supply area (our version of Home Depot). Yesterday I met an old guy who retired as an electrician years ago, but wasn't ready to stop working. He and his wife have been coming down every season since.

Colin Muir, the current lead doctor, is a former Ob/gyn. He left ob/gyn a few years ago and became a cruise ship doctor. He'd be gone months at a time, but his wife and son would fly out and join him aboard the ship for a week or two at a time. They loved his job! This McMurdo gig is a new experience for him: no warm weather, no tanned bikini-clad passengers, no liquid water, etc. He's been here continuously since February and is eager to leave in October. He will be going to Australia to visit friends before returning home.

Today I am volunteering to work in the library from 3 -5 pm. I have no idea what that entails, but am willing to do it because it will familiarize me with the library...where it is located and what is located within.

I've signed up for Snow Camp. This is a two-day experience where they take us out onto the continent and teach us how to build a snow shelter, create heat, cook, sleep, and survive out on the continent. The OAEs call it "Happy Camper School". It may also include helicopter safety training. I don't know the dates for this training as scientists and others who require these skills have priority. It should be in late October.

The still image you see is of nacreous clouds. Due to their high altitude and the curvature of the surface of the Earth, these clouds will receive sunlight from below the horizon and reflect it to the ground, shining brightly well before dawn or after dusk. In the Antarctic, they are made up almost exclusively of ice crystals. The 30 second QuickTime movie (below) is of Aurora Australis, the Southern Lights. I have these images courtesy of my friend, James, who spent a great deal of time acquiring these excellent specimens.

For Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class: can you look up nacreous clouds and see why they call them by that name, by what other names they are known, and how they differ from the clouds we know in Forest, VA?

An Average Day

2008-09-11T02:32:00.003-04:00

After days of excellent weather (Condition 3), it began to snow lightly this afternoon. I saw patients today and got to do my first x-rays. Our x-ray technologist doesn't arrive until Main Body (in October) so I had to turn on, warm up, and calibrate the equipment. Then I did the x-rays, processed them in the digital x-ray machine, read the images, submitted them to our consultants in Denver for review and reset the image cartridges for the next use. This was all new stuff to me.

Tomorrow we have a conference call with our medical director. Still plenty cold here. No complaining about the food, though. It is excellent and much better than anticipated.

For Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class: What species of seals can be found in Antarctica? How many can you name? How are they different? Hint: there are at least 4 different varieties. There may be a book in Mrs. Shuwarger's room to help.

Christchurch to the Ice

2008-09-08T15:47:00.006-04:00

Got up at 4 am Monday (local time) in Christchurch and was downstairs with all my luggage at 4:20 am. Boarded the shuttle to the CDC and donned my ECW clothing. Checked in all my baggage for the flight and went across the street for breakfast at the Antarctica Center. After breakfast, we watched a briefing on safety, caring for the Antarctic environment, handwashing, and the trip. At about 7 am we went through the x-ray screening of carry on bags and walked through the metal detectors. Everyone set off the metal detectors due to the hardware on our ECW. We had to be individually examined with the wand. We were then shuttled to the military transport section of the airport where a New York Air National Guard C-17 was waiting for us. This is a four jet-engine plane built to carry cargo on palettes. The forward-most palette was a palette of airplane seats. Most of us sat on those. Others sat in webbing seats along the sides. We were given a sack lunch during the boarding process. We wore or carried our ECW. The rest of the plane was filled with palettes containing scientific instruments, replacement parts, and other materials needed both at McMurdo and South Pole stations.

We took off at 8 am for a five hour flight. We landed exactly at 1 pm at Pegasus airstrip. This airstrip is make from compacted snow over ice. Prior to disembarking we had to dress in our complete ECW. We disembarked and it was cold and windy! I was prepared physically but not mentally for the impressive cold. We boarded "Ivan the TerraBus". This vehicle is a large bus on enormous tires. These tires seem larger than the ones on the monster trucks. We rode another 30 minutes to McMurdo Station. We went inside the main building (155) and waited a few minutes before receiving another briefing on, what else, safety, respect for the environment, handwashing, etc. Then the station doctor, Colin Muir, took the dentist and me on a tour of the medical facility. It is small and compact but very functional.

You might be interested in the reason behind the emphasis on handwashing. As Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class at Forest Elementary School can tell you, it is because bacteria and viruses that make us sick are transmitted primarily by way of the hands. We must wash our hands before entering the dining hall, before touching patients, after touching patients, after coughing, sneezing or just because it has been a while since we washed last. This is a closed community and the "Antarctic Crud" can pass quickly through the station if we are not vigilant about handwashing. We even have to sanitize our hands with something like Purell before and after touching community keyboards/mice.

Next, we got keys to our dorm rooms. I went to my room (room 219 in Dorm 209) and checked it out. It was a bit smaller than Meris's freshman dorm room, there is a sink in the room and two lockable wardrobes, a TV (old 21" model), a telephone, small refrigerator, and a shower/commode room shared with the room next door. After retrieving my luggage, I unpacked and found a place for everything purchased in Christchurch. I made my twin bed with the linens they provide. I don't have a roommate right now, but am sure to get one when the rest of the group (called Main Body) flies down in early October.

Then, it was off to dinner. Dinner here is from 5:00 - 7:30 pm. The food was very tasty and there were plenty of choices between entree (meat & vegetarian), salad, breads, vegetables, a wide variety of juices and drinks, and desserts.

The sunset at about 6:15 pm was gorgeous. The air clarity here is unbelievable. Seeing the mountains 70 - 100 miles away is effortless and they seem so close that one is tricked into thinking that they are much closer than they are. Another observation: facial hair on men is much more common here than back home. I think this is partly because of the cold and partly cultural. There are about twice as many men as women on station.

I've got a question for Mrs. Shuwarger's fifth grade class: On what continent can you not find any frogs?

I hit the sack early this first night. The wind howled all night long and it got down to about -25 degrees Celcius with a wind chill temperature of -40 degrees Celcius. I was comfortable in my bed.

I've put together a collection of photos from my last day in Christchurch and the trip down to the ice. Unlike prior photos, I am actually shown in some of these.

Leaving for the Ice

2008-09-05T23:37:00.008-04:00

The trip to the Ice is taken in two parts: first is the travel from Denver, CO to Christchurch, NZ; next is the trip from Christchurch to the Ice. I'm covering the former in this posting. We left Raytheon's headquarters in Denver a bit past 12 noon on Thursday, September 4th. The plane left DIA about 5:45 pm (MDT) to LAX. The plane from LAX left about 9 pm (PDT) and arrived in Auckland, NZ shortly after 5 am on Saturday, September 6th. Note the date change.

This is the current date and time for Christchurch, NZ:

The flight from Auckland to Christchurch got us in just before 9 am. A quick shuttle to the hotel where we found our rooms....were not ready. We stored our luggage and went exploring. Got back to the hotel and our rooms were ready. The rooms at Hotel So are very small by any standard, but contain a bed and shower. Right now, that's all I want. Here are some pictures from our travels.

Going Away Party at Benjamin's Restaurant

2008-09-01T08:00:00.009-04:00

Briana hosted a fabulous Going Away Party for me at Benjamin's Restaurant in Forest. Guests were greeted by "Chilly McMurdo" the inflatable penguin. Meris wrote on the message board her hopes for a great voyage.

Friends from all over came to see me off in style. There was barbecue chicken, pork, baked beans and cole slaw. Drinks of all kinds flowed. People enjoyed conversation indoors or sun and music outdoors on the deck. A number of cigar aficionados were present.

People enjoyed the late afternoon and early evening weather.

Tim tried to teach a penguin a new vice.

Benjamin's put a penguin with my name on it on their back bar until I return from the ice.

Everybody said they had a great time. There were over seventy people who came to help us celebrate and send me off in style. Many thanks to Briana for organizing and decorating this fabulous party, to Meris for driving in for the weekend, and to all our friends and family who joined us. I can now say that I'm ready to go.

Ready, Set, ...

2008-08-29T06:24:00.003-04:00

The green duffel bag is packed with 48 lbs. of clothing and gear. The backpack is loaded with computer, camera, iPod, chargers, cables and Passport. I've double checked the packing list.

One doesn't get too upset if something is forgotten when traveling domestically. Usually it can be replaced at the destination. That does not work for this trip. If it is needed and it was not packed, too bad.

Next stop: Denver, Colorado for two days of training. During that time, the IT department will check my computer for viruses and be sure that I have a functioning anti-viral software installed. I'll update this site with more details as they are known, but as of now my anticipated itinerary is as follows:

02 Sep – Lynchburg to Denver
03 Sep – Training
04 Sep – Training in the morning. Depart for airport in afternoon.
04 Sep – Denver to LA to Auckland to Christchurch. Arrive in the evening of the same day!
05 Sep – Report to the CDC to be issued ECW gear
06 Sep – Possibly leave for McMurdo Station

According to other writers and official sources, the flight from Christchurch to Antarctica is weather-dependent. If the weather cooperates, we will report to the Antarctica Terminal on a specified date and time. Our bags will be loaded, not to be returned to us until we arrive in Antarctica. We are to wear much of our ECW gear aboard the plane. We will be allowed a small carry on bag. In this bag should be a change of clothes....more on that in a moment.

When the plane is in-flight, the weather at McMurdo will be evaluated. If it remains favorable then we continue on. If by the point-of-no-return the weather has become unfavorable, then the plane "boomerangs" and returns to Christchurch and we deplane with just the small carry on bag mentioned above. We will stay in Christchurch until the weather permits another flight. That's why we need the change of clothes. The process repeats itself until we arrive at McMurdo.

My Going Away Cake

2008-08-19T09:32:00.004-04:00

Cheri Bing at Forest Women's Center baked a cake and decorated it with glacial white icing, an igloo, and penguins in honor of my upcoming deployment. Thanks, Cheri!

Deployment Date Moved Up

2008-08-04T15:42:00.004-04:00

My original contract had a deployment date of approximately 04 October. I was ready to take off the month of September, get the supplies I need, finalize financial and family details, and wing out of Lynchburg for training toward the end of September. Well, as you can already tell from the title of this post, that plan was changed.

In an email from my medical director, he mentioned getting together with me for dinner when I'm training in Denver on 02 September. That was the first time I had heard that date, but it wasn't to be the last.

After some phone calls, it became apparent last Thursday that 02 September is the day I depart Lynchburg. After a couple of days in Denver, I depart Denver for Christchurch, New Zealand on 05 September. There I will be outfitted with Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) Gear at the Clothing Distribution Center (CDC).

As you might imagine, this kicks me into high gear. My posts between now and deployment may be sparse. I'm out buying polypropylene long underwear and other required items.

Thanks to everyone who wrote with their words of encouragement and support. I hope you follow along with the blog and take a moment of your precious time to leave comments when the mood strikes you.

Last Hurdle Cleared.

2008-07-27T05:17:00.004-04:00

I am PQ (physically qualified)! Just one more thing to do before deployment: they want me to attend a two day training on medical evacuation. The course is taught in Hawaii and I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. I'll fly on a Monday from the east coast of the US to Hawaii and fly back Wednesday night. Talk about your "Road Warrior".

Tome Submitted

2008-07-18T07:00:00.004-04:00

Well, its all done now. I've submitted my 23 pages of health history, physical examinations, dental history, dental examinations, bitewing x-rays, full-mouth x-ray (Panorex), laboratory tests, EKG, and exercise treadmill stress test. I sent in my travel and deployment forms, bought my 100% UV filtering sunglasses, and completed forms listing my hat, jacket, and glove size. I've submitted payroll information, including direct deposit instructions and the ever-requested voided check. Phew!

I think that does it, at least for now. Now, I wait to hear if I am PQ (physically qualified).

In the meantime, there is likely going to be a course on medical evacuation from Antarctica (medevac) that I will be asked to attend. It should be in late August. Until then, I guess I just sit tight and wait.

I just read a coffee table-sized book Briana gave me on Antarctica. It is filled with gorgeous photos along with interesting description of the geography, weather, plant life, and animal life.

Got the huge packet

2008-06-28T22:12:00.004-04:00

I got an email from RPSC containing the voluminous PQ (physical qualification) forms. These lengthy forms are a thorough medical history and examination forms for my doctor and dentist to complete. I need a full-mouth x-ray, EKG, and a Treadmill Stress Test. There are a host of laboratory tests that need to be done too. As a site physician, I am glad to know how thorough the PQ process is and the quality of the records to which I will have access during my tour of duty.

It's hard to get appointments with local doctors during the summer, so I will try to cobble together a variety of sources to complete the testing and examination process.

I also got a note from RPSC that they will no longer be providing non-prescription sunglasses to participants. Sunglasses of the highest quality are required at all times outdoors in Antarctica. The sun and its reflection off the snow and ice can cause snow blindness or severely damage the eye if it is not protected from all UV rays. Fortunately, RPSC has arranged for wholesale pricing on high quality mountaineering sunglasses. I've ordered three pair because I'm sure to lose a pair and sit on another pair.

I also received a Participant Guide. This is the everything-you-wanted-to-know guide. It is extremely comprehensive and complete. Reading this was invaluable and answered questions I didn't know I had. It also contained a well written history of the continent and related treaties.

In the beginning....

2008-06-23T21:54:00.000-04:00

After 27 years as an obstetrician-gynecologist, an opportunity crossed my desk that was too awesome to pass up: an opportunity to apply for a 20 week tour of duty as a physician in Antarctica. The US Antarctic Program runs three stations on Antarctica. They were seeking physicians for each location.

After successfully negotiating a lengthy screening process including background check, references and credentials verification, I was notified last week that I was selected to be the staff physician at McMurdo Station. The tour of duty runs from October 2008 through February 2009.

In coming posts, you will learn more about the stages of getting ready, training, travel, life and work on station, and returning home.

Many thanks to my wife, Briana, for her flexibility in letting me be away so long. Briana and our daughter, Meris, are very understanding and kind for letting me be absent for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Don & Briana's birthdays, Christmas, New Year's, and Valentine's Day.