Everyone knows that the North Pole is the place from which millions (some say billions) of new toys issue forth each Christmas Eve. The Antarctic, home of the South Pole, has been described by and referring to its own inhabitants as the land of “misfit toys”. As the women also like to say about finding a man (and I think this quote may have been stolen by one of the “misfits” from Alaska) “the odds are good but the goods are odd”. Everyone here seems to have some odd or quirky character trait by which they identify. Many have odd ways of expressing their personality physically like the guy who has a blue Mohawk. For many this is their only family and their “real life”. Some look forward to leaving the ice and embarking on new adventures in some exotic corner of the world. This is their planet, the source of their renewal and hope. The first planes that leave are usually loaded with first timers like I was last year but as the later planes leave the population of old timers and long time friends diminishes. To some it’s a little bit like dying especially if they know they will never return. To others it’s a brief sojourn onto another planet. The Antarctic continent and the South Magnetic Pole will continue to draw inhabitants to its cold blustery shores each year but it will not do so for me. As I leave here this year I will conclude two phases of my life. The first will be the adventure of spending two summer seasons on this vast beautiful continent. The other will be the end of my active air traffic control career. I am happy and will be eternally grateful for both of these opportunities but there is always something in life to look forward to for as long as I continue to draw breath. Now that I have been to the South Pole I feel drawn to travel to the North Pole (perhaps I’ll meet Santa Claus). I have been to the most difficult continent to travel to now I’m drawn to visit South America and Africa the only two continents on which I have never set foot. First and foremost I look forward to returning to my family and friends healthy and happy. I’m recharged and ready to “sally forth” on a whole new wonderland of adventures in life. For those of you who have shared in my Antarctic Adventure through this blog I thank you. Knowing someone was out there keeping tabs on my daily activities sustained me through this long separation. Many of you I have never and will never meet. For those of you I know get ready because here I come! As the old saying goes, “parting is such sweet sorrow”. Thank you and good night.

As I left a going away party last night I saw the last of the ships leaving McMurdo Sound. It was accompanied by the ice breaker Oden as it began its long slow trip back to Sweden. Each day now there is a “last” for me, the last ship, the last meal, the last friend leaving… The sun still shines twenty four hours per day but it too is slowly sliding towards the horizon and its eventual annual demise. The Sound never cleared its broken ice this year which means lots of extra work for the crew next August as they try carve a runway out of the jagged edges of this year’s ice. The weather gets a little colder each day with occasional snow flurries. Our workload in the tower has reduced and recreational activities are now very limited so I spend time in my room watching old movies and exercising in the gerbil gym. Of course we still have the nightly cribbage game although it’s now in the dining room because of the closure of the coffee house. These are all signs that the season is ending and its time to pack up and move on.

One of the results of having the only hospital facility in this part of the world is that you get requests for critical care support from a variety of unexpected sources. Such a request came in about a week ago when a Russian vessel contacted us to say that one of their sailors had suffered a burst appendix. Emergency surgery was performed on the sailor but conditions on the ship were not ideal and the sailor suffered a serious infection. As soon as the appendix burst the captain of the ship decided to head for McMurdo as far as he could. Yesterday they were within helicopter range and at about 8:00PM last night a very large Russian helicopter arrived on the station with their patient. Fortunately the medical personnel on the ship had managed to stabilize the sailor but it was important to get him on to civilization as quickly as possible. He will spend the night here on station and then leave on the C17 on Tuesday.

A kind of funny side note is that about 18 people from the ship accompanied the sailor when he arrived. The leader of the group persuaded the station manager to open the station store to let them do a little shopping. And shop they did. There was barely room for the passengers on the helicopter when they departed the station for their return trip to the ship. I wonder what the outcome of this event would have been back in the cold war days.

We here, especially at the end of the season, think five months on the ice is a long time. Of course the winterovers spend about seven months here half of which is in total darkness. Our friends the Russians have us beat though. They are assigned at there station, Vostok, for two years at a time. They have very limited resources, rarely bathe, have no contact with women (which is a good thing if they don’t bathe for two years) and are always wildly happy when they come through McMurdo on their way home.

Last night they almost didn’t arrive at Williams Field. The weather was great up until about thirty minutes before their estimated time of arrival. At that point Mother Nature decided to spice up their lives by sending heavy snow showers and reducing visibility dramatically. The pilot hung in there though and we worked together to get everyone on the ground safe and sound. It’s always nice at the end of the day when the pilot says, “Thanks for the help”. They will be staying with us for a couple of nights as they wait for the next C-17 departure on Tuesday.

I did hear an unverified story once when one of our Russian friends walked into the bar with a gallon of vodka and offered the whole gallon up for a hug from a woman. He hadn’t showered yet and I don’t think there were any takers. They do really enjoy our food and eat mass quantities of it while here. To them, after two years at Vostok, this is like staying at a fine hotel back in the states.

By the way the coldest temperature ever recorded on planet earth was recorded at Vostok several years ago. I’m not questioning the veracity of our friends but it was they who took and recorded the event.

All over the world, in bitter cold locations, human beings, not of sound mind, engage in an event called the “Polar Plunge”. Generally the event involves consuming great quantities of alcohol to numb the brain into believing you can immerse the human body in 28 degree Fahrenheit water without great bodily harm. To me a polar plunge involves jumping into our swimming pool when the water temperature is 80 degrees.

Such an annual unsanctioned event occurs at Scott Base the New Zealand base near here. Of course the invitation goes out to all McMurdoites and a great many take up the challenge. Thankfully I was working at the time so I had a really good excuse for not “taking the plunge”.

The event begins with disrobing in the bathroom to a level determined by each participant. Some participants dress in costumes akin to those you might wear at a Halloween party. Following the robbing or disrobing you walk across a metal grate deck down some stairs to a hole in the ice where you are attached to a bungee cord which provides some modicum of safety in the event your body and brain completely shut down when you hit the subfreezing water. Then at your own pace you step, jump or fall into the water whereupon your life functions began the aforementioned shut down. Upon exit from the water you are invited to take a dip in a hot tub located about ten feet from the dipping site. Apparently a fun time was had by all and believe it or not you get a patch from the Kiwi’s to verify the lunacy of your activity.

Apparently safety is not high on the list of concerns as there is a boom box located just above the hot tub plugged into an outlet playing some very interesting music. With just a slight nudge the radio could easily end up in the hot tub with the same results you have probably witnessed in many a horror movie.

Thankfully only one participant passed out following the dip and no one else seemed to suffer medically. (I know some of you out there are thinking this would be great fun and you are as nutty as these people here)