ARTEMIS

No Fly Tourism Day

As we feared, we woke up yesterday to the news that we wouldn’t be flying to McMurdo and we wouldn’t be given any training that day. So, we rented two cars and checked out the local area. One group went to Akaroa, a French town by the ocean on the peninsula south of Christchurch. They walked the town and went out on a small ship to see penguins & dolphins. Very cool.

Meanwhile, I went with Bill, John, and Chris up into the mountains. We had excellent weather and great light to experience the awesome landscapes in and around Arthur’s Pass National Park. We went for four short hikes, and the group was very tolerant of my “photographer’s pace”.

On The Way

Chris was a hero, volunteering to drive our group on this trip. Christchurch is super-high difficulty driving right now because of all the earthquake repair construction going on… plus Kiwis drive on the left. The drive was exceedingly beautiful well before we even got to the park entrance. Chris pulled over so I could get out and snap a few pictures:

Waterfall & Views of Avalanche Peak

We drove all the way to the summit of Arthur’s Pass, and then got out to hike the most enticing spots on our way back down. The first stop was a rocky road up to beautiful views of Avalanche Peak and a waterfall on our side of the valley. We were amazed by the scenery and also by the clarity of the air that day. Wow!

The Devil’s Punchbowl Waterfall

Our next stop on the way down was an even more majestic waterfall called The Devil’s Punchbowl.

Stream Cave

Just outside the national park, there’s a beautiful limestone cave with a stream running through it. Bill and John are way into caving, so this was a mandatory stop. In a previous year, Bill went all the way through this cave, and there are plans brewing to repeat that trip if we’re held in Christchurch too much longer…

Castle Station

Just downhill of Stream Cave lies Castle Station, named for the beautiful limestone formations that dot the area. The late afternoon light made this an especially wonderful stop.

… so no Ice Flight, but a pretty excellent day nonetheless.

Reporting by Peter Kimball

Ginger Beer

On the way home from Arthur’s Pass, we conducted a controlled head-to-head taste test, pitting Bundaberg Ginger Beer and Frank Ginger Beer against each other. Bundaberg is the unanimous winner.

Reporting by Peter Kimball

Training Day in Christchurch

5:30 am phone calls informed us that we would not be flying out today. Sad day. Instead, we went back to the CDC to knock off a few required trainings. There will be many more before we’re allowed out on the sea ice, but we fought through the acronyms and made some good progress today. Above are some photos from today’s survival bag familiarization.

Reporting by Peter Kimball

Clothing Distribution Center

We made it to Christchurch, NZ! We went to bed last night planning to fly to McMurdo today, but weather has kept us in Christchurch for the time being. We did go to the USAP Clothing Distribution Center (CDC) to receive our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear (photos above). While there, we also had our computers checked for anti-virus compliance and received anti-virus (flu) shots ourselves. We checked into a new hotel and spent the rest of the day analyzing data from our last ARTEMIS lake test in TX.

The current plan is that we fly tomorrow, but the forecast indicates more bad weather ahead – if we can’t fly tomorrow, we may be stuck here until Saturday. Christchurch is nice, but we’re keen to get to it!

Reporting by Peter Kimball

Packed & Ready

Clothing I’m Bringing

Back in the day (until last year), the U.S. Antarctic Program issued participants everything they needed to survive and work in the Antarctic. That is no longer true. Fortunately, I still have a bunch of high-quality gear from the Australian Antarctic Division. Here’s what I’m packing:

• Warm Socks (4)
• Really Warm Socks (8)
• Nuclear Option Socks (4)
• Lightweight Synth. Thermals (1)
• Midweight Synth. Thermals (1)
• Heavyweight Wool Thermals (2)
• Windproof Fleece Vest
• Work Pants
• Balaclavas (2)
• Hats (2)
• Neck Gaiter
• Glove Liners (2)
• Wrist Warmers (for typing)
• Goggles
• Extra Sunglasses & Glasses
• NZ Plug Adapter
• Towel, Toiletries, and Contacts
• Shirts, Undies, Sweaters, etc.
• Hiking Boots
• Extra Duffel

Clothing I’ll Be Issued

USAP participants ARE still issued the really serious stuff. Here’s what I think I’ll be issued in Christchurch:

• Nuclear Option Giant Red Parka
• Quilted, Bibbed Work Overalls
• Various (?) Gloves
• “Bunny” Boots
• Goggles, gaiters, facemask, etc…

I’m sure it’s going to be hectic in Christchurch, but I’ll try to do a gear post sometime after it’s been issued.

Camera Gear

This is obviously a play-to-win situation, but mass and volume are limited. Here’s what I’m bringing:

• 70-200 mm f/1.8
• 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6
• 17-40 mm f/4
• Polarizer & ND Filter
• Camcorder
• GoPro & Mounting Trinkets
• Tripod (!) & Ballhead
• Cleaning Equipment
• Camera Gloves
• External Flash & Batteries
• Headlamp
• 1 TB HDD

Packed!

All this fits into one checked bag, one carry-on (all camera gear), and one backpack (also w/ my project laptop).

Reporting by Peter Kimball