October 23 - 25, 1996


McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica.

Greetings from Antarctica! I am writing to you from McMurdo Station, located on Ross Island in the Ross Sea, about 2,500 miles south of New Zealand.

At first light, the sky appeared to be clearing as the sun shone over the airport buildings at Christchurch, on New Zealand's south island. It looked like we would have a good day for flying to the "ice." We all reported to the Clothing Distribution Centre (CDC) at 0530 hours sharp, where we were shown a video and given instructions for our flight on the Air Force C-141 transport jet. Next, it was into the changing area to get into our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) clothing.

Our bags had been lined up, tagged for hand carry and cargo hold. There were also a set of dog tags with our name and number and a set of ear plugs, along with an Antarctic travelers form: something like immigration papers. We suited up and filed through to the pre-flight holding area. As we entered, we were instructed to set our bags down and to line up in two single file lines; a Kiwi military police officer and a drug sniffing dog checked everything. We then shuffled to the scales, where our cargo hold bags were weighed and loaded onto large palettes. About 15 minutes passed and we received our pre-flight briefing, which reminded me of flying a comercial airliner, only with an Air Force staff sergeant giving us an overview of safety and in-flight procedures. After receiving an update from flight operations at McMurdo, we were given final clearance and filed to shuttle buses, which took us out to the runway.

The C-141 had been fueled and the cargo palettes were being driven into the open rear. We were lucky to get on this flight, as opposed to the LC-130 Hercules (Herc), a turbo prop which normally took a little longer. We were a large group of 84 plus about six crew, and a lot of cargo. Men boarded first and the women followed; the only bathroom was located up near the flight deck. The guys used a makeshift latrine in the cargo hold. We took our places in 1st Class: in 4 parallel rows with webbed seating where we sat, cheek by jowl, for the next 6 hours. I sat across from Jerry Kooyman, an Emperor penguin researcher, and Don McNair. I had met Jerry earlier on, and Don, a soft-spoken gentleman introduced himself to me. His voice faded in the din of jet roar and we all scrambled for our earplugs. About three hours into the flight, the clouds broke and I could see icebergs scattered below in a deep green sea. Luckily, I was sitting next to one of the few windows on the plane.


The Clothing Distribution Centre (CDC) in Christchurch.

At the scales.

C141 on the runway.

Going 1st Class.

The approach to McMurdo Sound was a smooth descent through the clouds and we had a clean landing on the sea ice. The hold in which we travelled had been heated to a toasty 70 degrees; upon landing the door was opened to a -27 degrees. Welcome to Antarctica! We filed out onto the ice and boarded "Ivan" the terrabus, a large vehicle with huge snow tires. Once full, the bus rolled slowly along a flagged route towards McMurdo Station, or MacTown, as it is called. We were dropped off at the Galley, and received our first orientation from Antarctic Support Associates (ASA); they, along with the United States Naval Support Force Antarctica (NSFA), handle many of the logistics for the National Science Foundation (NSF).

I was glad to be here after nearly two years of planning. As part of a unique undertaking, the NSF Antarctic Artist and Writers' Program, I am one of three artists whose project involves describing and documenting life and work on this planet's last frontier. Being the first music composer and sound artist is an honour. My work involves making sound recordings of wildlife and ice phenomena as well as interviewing people for a series of radio programs for Radio-France and West German Radio in Cologne. In addition to radio work, my recordings will be shared with scientists for their research. My roommate, Jim Barker, is a photographer from Fairbanks, Alaska and he will be preparing a piece for National Geographic. Ann Hawthorne, also a photographer, from Washington, DC is here for a third trip. She came in on the winter flight, or Winfly, in August and will be heading out in the beginning of November.

The rest of the evening, I sorting through my bags, found my dormitory and my office in the Crary Science and Engineering Center. At Crary, I had the opportunity to meet Ethan Dicks, the Senior Computer Technician who has made my internet access possible and been very helpful launching the Antarctic Journal. Ethan is a gregarious fellow, with the patience of Job--when it comes to dealing with the many questions and problems that arise in the course of a given day. He is also a mean dijeridu player, using a version of the Australian aboriginal instrument that he made from PVC pipe. Be sure to check out Ethan Dicks' Home Page, where you will find many photographs and his impressions of Antarctica.


The Galley.

Dormitories.

Crary Science and Engineering Center.

October 24, 1996
In getting the lay of the land, I walked around MacTown and took in some of the sights, including Observation Hill and the Ice Pier, where a Coast Guard icebreaker and cargo ship come in once a year in February after the sea ice has broken up. Meanwhile, back at Crary Lab, I introduced myself to Dr. Jim McClintock from the University of Alabama at Birmingham; he and his colleague, Dr. Bill Baker of the Florida Institute of Technology, are the Principal Investigators of an interdisciplinary project focusing on the chemical ecology of Antarctic benthic, or bottom dwelling, marine invertebrates. One aspect of their team's work involves evaluating the development of chemical defenses in sponges.
As Bill told me, "These creatures can't run away, can't hide, but they have the ability to chemically defend themselves from predators--notably starfish."
In meeting with this group, I met Dominic Tedeschi, a high school teacher from Norwalk, Connecticut who is pulling double duty as a lab assistant and webmaster. Be sure to stop by Dom's NSF Teacher in Antarctica web site for regular updates about this and other science projects in progress.


Observation Hill.

The ice pier.

October 25, 1996
This was my in-brief day, where I met with David Bresnahan, the NSF Representative at McMurdo, and nearly a dozen other people, without whose assistance my work would not be possible. The logistics of providing support to researchers and to those attached to research projects, like myself, is truly mind-boggling. Most of my first week on station was spent in field training, lectures and meetings:

As anxious as I have been to get out on the ice to begin my work, I was grateful for the detailed preparation and training...

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