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iʹll be a ga at south pole starting october ʹ05 and would like to know more about my layover time in mcmurdo. if possible, iʹd like to find someone to show me some nice places to take photos. preferably wildlife, but any sort of local knowledge would be appreciated. or, will that even be an optionʔsecondly, while iʹm at sp, any ideas of what sort of exploring options there will beʔ will i have a chance to go out on long range ʹʹovernightʹʹ tripsʔ working six days a week doesnʹt seem to leave much weekend warrior time. rumor has it of a hut some miles from sp that can be skied to and slept inʔ what about pitching a tent or kivaʔ would i need to bring my own gear (sleeping bag, kiva, etc.)ʔmore questions to come, iʹm sure. thanks in advance. iʹm keen to get down there.ciaoǃ
iʹll be leaving the 17th of october. if you are here on the 15 or less, come to electrical supply building 121 and iʹll give you the scoop. you canʹt leave town unless youʹve had the outdoor safety class. we donʹt want you dropping into a crevasse. after that, there are tons of things right in town. by the time you go climb ob hill, go to the discovery hut, climb the ridge trail, and hike the castle rock loop, there wonʹt be much time left. some hintsif the sun is shining, your automatic exposure will darken the picture to make sure the snow isnʹt washed out. if you have a person in the photo you will need a flash to lighten them back up. yup, you need the flash in full bright sun. your camera should have a setting that lets you force it. bring lots of batteries. they go dead very quickly in the cold. better yet go get one of those giant external batteries that plug into the power jack on your camera. there are generic ones at good camera stores that fit multiple cameras. if you are going to be staying on for the winter. itʹs imperative that you have a tripod. the exposures to capture night shots are so long that there is no way to have sharp pics without one at night. imaging a seal or penguin a hundred feet away. take a picture of something small and a good distance away. take it at your full zoom. if you cant see it now you wonʹt be able to see the penguins in your photos either. get a great big zoom lens. if you are in a tent, wide angle lenses do well at getting the insides. get some filters. polarizers turn the sky more the blue you see it in your mind. they can bring out the colors in the nacreous clouds as well. neutral gray filters can sometimes help with the overbrightness from sun and snow. find someone else that wants to take photos and go on your trips with them. to do yourself well you will want to stop everywhere and take twenty photos. other photographers will be happy to stop. everyone else will be pressuring you to keep on walking. mike
you will experience what true cold is down at the pole. i doubt youʹll be wanting to walk anywhere. and campingʔ in a tentʔǃʔ hahahahahahhahha…itʹs a fun place, though, with lots of good people. i havenʹt been there in years (i work at mcmurdo), and i havenʹt even seen the new station. maybe one day iʹll load-up my tent, and head south… hahahahahahahhhaa…
what about the happy camper programʔ it looks like they head out from the pole, build some igloos or snowcaves or even just set up tents and camp out.any first hand experience with thoseʔ anyone taking it one step furtherʔhow about the numis crewʔ anyone think weʹll be seeing them at the poleʔ<ǃ-- m -->http://www.southpole2005.com/<ǃ-- m -->ciaoǃ
hi offyonder,outdoor survival school, a.k.a. happy camper, is taught at mcmurdo (iʹm not sure if they offer it at spole, or whether theyʹll offer it to you). all camping gear is provided, and you spend the ʹʹnightʹʹ out on the ross ice shelf. itʹs a great experience… the first time. as far as i know thereʹs no rules against camping or building an igloo at the pole, probably because most people find that, well hey, itʹs really damn cold and not much fun at all. i wonʹt laugh like atlas did, but i think when you get a taste of the environment youʹll understand his reaction.i do hope you get to see the numis expeditionǃ and by that i mean, i hope they survive. scottʹs team died horribly, which would not be a good thing to re-enact. in all that historic equipment theyʹd better also have a satellite phone to call for rescue if necessary. <ǃ-- s:ǃ: -->
<ǃ-- s:ǃ: -->
offyonder…this year folks set up a scott tent next to the pole, and several people actually slept in it at -100f temperatures (or tried to). i had no desire to attempt the chilling experience. last year there was an igloo built.most people who come to pole spend little time in mcmurdo unless they have specific job reasons to do so, or unless there is bad weather, so i suspect that you wonʹt have an opportunity to do happy camper school there. especially since it looks like youʹre showing up here as part of the massive influx of new summer folks. sometimes they have had a similar course at pole, so all i can say is keep your eyes and ears open when you get here. there arenʹt any crevasses or cliffs to fall down here, nor any real need for remote field party support or sar stuff (which is the real reason for happy camper training) but who knows. in any case, with your job youʹll probably be outside a lot, some of the construction is in the dark sector (science area) over 1/2 mile from the station.it will be interesting to see how the numis team does…there are a lot of nongovernmental groups planning overland travel to pole this summer–some may cancel out or quit halfway, but some will make it, and they are interesting folks to meet. sometimes they give lectures or presentations about their venture. there are some other unusual plans out there; my list of all of the planned ventures (at this point anyway) is here: http://www.southpolestation.com/news/news.html#sportssee you in about 3 weeks…
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