Thursday, January 12, 2012

And they're off!

For the last couple of days the team has been assembled in Punta Arenas, Chile awaiting their flight to Antarctica. We received word that they flew last night, a good 10 hours earlier than expected due to approaching weather, and they arrived in Antarctica very early this morning.

What is it like to get off the plane in Antarctica? The first thing you would notice is that it is bright. This is because everything is white (of course) and the reflection of the light and the sun's UV rays is bouncing off everything, bombarding your eyes from all angles. It's so bright and there is so much UV exposure in Antarctica, that you need to wear sunglasses or goggles all the time. A few minutes without eye protection and you can experience mild snow blindness. More than a few minutes without eye protection and you could be down right miserable! The next thing you will notice is that it is, slippery! Not everywhere of course, but when you step off the plane you are standing on an ice runway and there is very little traction until you get off the runway. As silly as it sounds people are instructed to shuffle their way off the runway, very slowly, to avoid slipping.

Of course there's also the crisp Antarctic air and the wind that seems perpetual. But on rare occasions when the sun is beaming down though a cloudless sky and the wind is nowhere to be found it can seem like springtime in the Rockies. This is NOT the case further South near the Pole, where even on the warmest days it is still darn right "frEEZING!"

When the team woke up later in the morning the weather had fully closed in. They had a tour of the basecamp, a nice dinner, and when we spoke with them they were enjoying a slide show about Amundsen's South Pole expedition.

Make sure to Listen to Melissa's audio update and check back in again for more details from the team!

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