CHAPTER 30
After saying our farewells, and waving goodbye to the remaining Polies who would spend the next 8 months winteringover, we boarded the plane and hunkered down for a long day of air travel back to civilization- and it was long: a 5 ½ hour flight from the Pole to McMurdo, a 3 hour layover, and then an 8 hr flight to New Zealand. We were understandably far more excited for these two long jumps than any regular commercial flight we have ever taken: aside from the uniqueness of flying anywhere over Antarctica there was the obvious novelty of traveling in such truly huge military aircraft, watching the snow covered peaks and flowing glaciers of the Transantarctic Mountains slide by beneath us, sighting the towering mass of the volcano Mt. Erebus looming over the McMurdo base, landing on a floating ice runway that was only a mere 10 feet thick and which measurably sags when the plane touches down, and last but not least, seeing our first sunset in over three and a half months.
Sitting on the plane for our long trip back to New Zealand gave us time to think a little bit about our Antarctic adventure, what we liked about it, what we learned from it, and whether we would recommend it to anyone else. Here is what we came up with…
- -20° F is not as cold as you might think- especially with a big warm puffy coat on.
- We quite liked the 24 hrs of daylight- there is just something about the sun being up that really cheers things up.
- Constant and reliable internet and phone service is something we take way too much for granted in the real world.
- Though a 2-minute shower is technically possible, it takes all the enjoyment out of it.
- There is only so much cafeteria food you can eat- no matter how gourmet- sometimes you just feel like a bowl of ramen noodles.
- Whiskey is delicious and will keep you warm. We gained a new found appreciation for this spirit of spirits, the official drink of choice at the South Pole.
- Cribbage is not just for old ladies. If you don’t know how to play, you won’t last two days at the Pole.
- Science is really cool- and the science going on down there is even more so since we got to tour the labs and learn the results of the experiments directly from the scientists who are running the show. The world would be a better place if we devoted more funding to scientific research.
- Antarctica is about as close to the moon you can get, without actually going there. It is cold, desolate, remote and fraught with peril, just like the moon. For comparison of difficulty, man only reached the South Pole a mere 58 years before stepping foot on the moon. Astronauts even come here to train for space missions- that should say enough right there. The fact that we, two ordinary people, got to go and experience it, is in our opinion, simply amazing.
- People that try to ski to the Pole are crazy. It’s a prerequisite.
- People that try to ski to the Pole are also incredibly courageous. The amount of spirit, dedication and perseverance required to accomplish such a task is admirable, to say the least.
- Dishwashing is not fun. Even at the South Pole, not fun. If it is the only way you can get there- then by all means, take the opportunity- but if you have even the slightest chance of getting a job doing something else, pursue that to the bitter end.
- Being a janitor is not fun either- better than dishwashing true, but still not very much fun. I have a newly formed and deep seated appreciation and respect for those people in the real world that by choice or circumstance take on the task of cleaning up after the rest of us. It is a thankless and anonymous job- and I for one will be going out of my way in the future to be as friendly to janitors as possible.
- People that make the effort to travel or work in very unique and remote places, such as Antarctica, and particularly the South Pole, are generally a pretty good bunch.
- Living some remote place like the South Pole tends to break people out of their social shell- we saw normally reserved old men get down on the dance floor, and shy scientists belt out song after song up on stage- toga parties, jorts parties, mustache parties- it wasn’t just the young “kids” throwing these, everyone on station took part- age and status fly right out the window when you are all alone and so far from the real world. If only this mentality of “dance like no one is watching” was more common in the real world- again, we think it would be a better place.
- Along those same lines, it was eye opening to realize the spread in age of people at the Pole- from 19 to the mid-60s- there were definitely a lot more “old” people there than we thought there would be. It just goes to show that you are never too old to go out and experience the world. Antarctica might not be everyone’s cup o’ tea, but there are a million other places besides, so don’t let age be the one thing that stops you.
- And last but not least, we realized that we still love seeing the world. Its not always fun, its not always easy, and not everyone always agrees with our choices, but in the end it is always worth it. We get so much more out of it than mere photos and stories. It makes us who we are and shapes what we believe in. Our time in Antarctica was no different, and only reconfirmed the validity of these beliefs- one more foundation stone behind the decision to live our lives the way we do.
In conclusion… We learned a lot: about living in high latitudes in remote environs, about our antipathy for performing menial tasks, about the depth of personal bonds that can form in spite of, or rather strengthened by, personal differences of age and status, and ultimately about our inherent compulsion to see what the world has to offer.
Considering all of this, our recommendation to you is: Go. If you can, go. If you have even the slightest little inkling to see the snow covered vastness that is Antarctica, go. If you’ve ever dreamed of being a modern day explorer, go. If you’ve ever wondered what negative 40 feels like, or how your body would react to 24 hrs of daylight, or what a sundog really looks like, don’t take my word for any of these things, you should see it for yourself, go. Or if your day job is just a bit boring right now and you need a change of pace, go. Its one short season, a few months of your time, but you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. Go. You won’t regret it.
And with that, I will lay down my pen, and close one more chapter in our Life of Saturdays.
There are many more to come though, so if you enjoyed our Day at the Pole, stay tuned and keep following us at lifeofsaturdays.com
Dave and Kacey- signing off.
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