October 29, 1996

Field Safety Training Course (Happy Camper School), near Scott Base.

Another e-mail from Jill Vereyken, the Field Services Manager: Report to the Field Safety Training Program (FSTP), building 138, at 9:00am for an over night Field Safety and Survival Course. Dress in ECW gear--and bring all your gear. Fifteen of us showed up, including 4 members of the Navy's VXE-6 Squadron, whose responsibilities include flying the LC-130 Hercules (Herc) transport aircraft and flight operations. Our group also featured a number of scientists, or "beakers" as they are called, and graduate students working as grantees on NSF projects, as well as ASA personnel; it was a nice cross-section of the McMurdo community.

Bill Brewster and Vince Langman, both members of the Search and Rescue (SAR) team, were our instructors. After a brief overview, we assembled our gear. Buck Tilly, another instructor, leaned out from his office and said, "Just wanted to let you know, there is a Herbie on its way pushing 25 knot winds. Good luck!" I shuddered. A Herbie is a "Term used to describe a storm with fierce, blowing wind and/or snow, causing outdoor activities to be unpleasant." I had read this in my Field Manual for the United States Antarctic Program back in the comfort of my home in sunny California. We boarded a large Navy tracked vehicle and headed out of town, past the New Zealand Antarctic Program's Scott Base to Snow Mound City on the McMurdo Ice Shelf. Mt. Erebus at 12,500 rose in the distance--steam from its vent spilled a rounded froth from the peak; it was windswept and crystal clear. In a panoramic sweep, the horizon disappeared and merged with the ice across the ice shelf. White Island, Minna Bluff, and Black Island brought a darkening sky and further on, back towards McMurdo, Mt. Discovery loomed in the sun. It was hard to tell which way the weather would go.

Liesl Schernthanner and Judy Spanberger.	The Scott polar tent.
Cooking shelter.	Dome tent.

The morning began with a lecture about hypothermia, its prevention, diagnosis and treatment and a discussion of different medical procedures in the field. We gathered in a Jamesway, where the instructors stayed and held class. Jamesways date from the Korean War; they are a temporary shelter, a ribbed, tunnel-like affair with insulated blankets forming a protective skin. After sandwiches and hot chocolate, we loaded up our sleep kits: 1 fleece sleeping bag liner, 1 mummy sleeping bag and two thinsulate pads in a duffel. We then walked to Snow Mound City. The snow squeaked and creaked, like styrofoam beneath our feet and the ice pressure ridges near Scott Base shimmered and reflected a mirage of broken ice formations hovering above McMurdo Ice Shelf. The sun was intense, and the lack of wind surprising. "It always gets like this before a storm," commented one Antarctic veteran.

After selecting a site for making camp, we pulled ice and snow tools, Scott Polar Tents and several dome tents from a cargo container. The group divided in two. With me were 3 Navy VXE-6ers, Steve Thomas, Mark McCutcheon and Todd Scroggins, Liesl Schernthanner and Judy Spanberger, both a fuel handlers, or "fuelies" from ASA, and DJ Osborne an Electronics Technician. Bill was our instructor and Vince, whom I had just had a few days prior in my Sea Ice Course, took the other group. We were given directions for setting up camp: we pitched the Scott Polar Tent, anchoring lines into the snow against the winds; we made a snow wall enclosure, or arc, to setup a cooking and leeward protected area; we setup another dome tent; and finally, built a snow shelter--in this case to accommodate 3 of the VXE-6 guys. This involved stacking up our packs and covering them with a tarp. We all then piled snow on top of this in a mound, compressing it occasionally with a chorus of whacks with our shovels. Once a thickness of about 2 feet was reached, Mark and Todd burrowed and removed the bags. They proceeded to lower the floor inside, while Steve opened a second entrance, at a lower level, from the opposite side. In all, it took several hours to get the camp organized. Bill checked the weather from time to time; if anything it seemed to be getting clearer. Buck's parting words to us were to remain with us well into the evening.

Constructing a shelter. Making the core space from backpacks.	Covering the packs with snow.
Packing the snow.	Mark and Todd remove the backpacks.
Steve opens a second entrance .

The sun traveled across the sky, towards McMurdo and Castle Rock seemed to float on the surrounding ice. As the angle changed, we could see crevasse fields emerge as surface ripples: they still hold the bodies of two people who perished there 10 years ago...The Navy crew fine-tuned their snow shelter, and others got hot water boiling. Shelly Denike, a mechanical engineer and former Peace Corps Mathematics teacher in Cameroon and Botswana, was part of the other group. She was putting the finishing touches on her covered trench shelter, or "tomb," when DJ. and I walked over to admire her work. We got inspired and set about building our own--helping each other quarry snow blocks, excavating the site, inclining the blocks over the trench and shoveling loose snow over the whole thing. It reminded me of the Mycenaean 'dromos' or shaft tomb in construction. The snow cut into nice firm blocks and within a couple of hours our sleeping quarters were ready.

The sun was still pretty bright and high in the sky at ten o'clock; Dave Kasmer, DJ. and John Marko kicked back in the lee of the snow wall, exhausted. It had been a great day, and the weather, so far, had been perfect. I turned in for sleep, while some of the more energetic campers made snow sculptures.

Castle Rock.	Shelley Denike and her trench shelter.
D. J. Osborne.	Dave Kasmer, D. J. Osborne and John Marko.