It's Something.

Nothing really compares you for stepping out of a C17 and onto a 3 mile deep sheet of ice in Antarctica. The snow is stark white and it goes for miles until it hits these apparitional mountains off in the distance.

How far? Who knows.

You’re eyes squint at the violently intense light from the sun, completely unencumbered of clouds and you question any existence of shadows today. A glance back at the plane and it looks like someone slapped a sticker of a C17 on a Rothko during his blue era. There is just so much of nothing to take in.

I was thrust into the chaos of McMurdo pretty quickly once we arrived around 4pm. It was building 155/The Galley where we walked in the atrium filled with people welcoming new arrivals. It was very “deer in headlights”. We had a meeting that talked about other meetings and other general guidelines/safety. I was told that my start date was tomorrow at 5am.

Great.

And that my day off will come the following Thursday. 7 days later.

Fantastic.

This week has been coming at me pretty hard and fast but I’ve mostly been trying to fall into a rhythm. Even wandering souls need a beat in a place where summer is 24/7 daylight; time has no real meaning here. So my rhythm has mostly been- get up, work, shower, wander, sleep. Some of the places I have lightly explored so far:

• The Crary- Library, Science center, and the lovely people who helped me figure out internet.

• Hut Point Ridge

• Scott Base

• (Ob)servation Tube

• Penguin Power Plant

• Visiting Artist Lecture: Lily Simonson