Change of Scenery

Well, I know I have yet to add more Antarctic Adventures, but I have left The Ice and will be traveling around New Zealand for a few weeks. When I return to Colorado, I promise I will add more adventures and lots of pictures from Antarctica plus all of my NZ excursions.

Anyone want to run…?

As one of the employees of the Galley, we tend to miss out on some of the recreational activities that make McMurdo special.  We missed the Turkey Trot, a noncompetitive run around town, the McMurdo marathon (full and 1/2, either running or cross country skiing), and various guided tours and hikes.

Since a few of us had discussed the possibility of setting up a special run for the galley folk, one of my employees, Dhane, took the iniative to set up a 5K run with the recreational department that would fit our schedule. 

The Scott Hut Race for the community was scheduled for Sunday, January 18 and Dhane arranged for the Galley folk to have their own race that evening.  It was planned to start Sunday  night at 7:30pm at the Chapel of the Snows.   As soon as I heard about this I tried to convince all of my coworkers and friends to participate with me.  I started training the Monday evening by jogging around town as well as back and forth to the New Zealand base, a similar route as the race would be.

For the rest of the week, I convinced my coworker Jenny to train with me.  We gradually increased our speed and distance to properly prepare for this race.  I think by Thursday Jenny would have killed me if her legs would have allowed her.  We took it easy on Friday and Saturday to allow our bodies to rest, but felt we were as prepared as we could be for the race on Sunday.

I did the proper carb (carbohydrates) loarding on Saturday evening as many runners do and indulged in Italian night sans the wine and beer.  I felt ready and strong and prepared to do this race. 

I worked my regular schedule on Sunday, from 6am-3pm and even got a little cat nap before the race.  We all met at the Chapel and soon realized that it was the coldest day it’d been all week.  I was physically ready for the distance and the physical challenge, was not mentally ready for the cold.  It had been very mild and warm (relatively speaking) all week. 

Jenny and I started with a bang.  There were lots of cheerleaders as we began and it was very motivating.  When the cheerleaders dissappated, the cold set in very quickly.  It was a little dreary out, with lots of wind and clouds.  Jenny and I stayed with each other for the first half, but then the hills came and it was a very large uphill climb in some of most windy conditions I have seen all summer.  It wasn’t the greatest feeling in the world. 

I did my best and gave it my all.  I pushed through and made it to the finish line alive and in one piece.  It was a goal of mine to compete in atleast one race while I was here and I did.  I got a really cool tshirt out of it (Patricia-you’d really like this one!) and a nice hot veggie burger and tater tots after we finished the race.  It was a nice accomplishment and I am very pleased I was able to participate. 

There were other galley staff that choose to walk the entire race and some that ran a great deal faster than I did, but I did do and it was a personal best. 

I did learn some lessons in the process.  If I do choose to return here again, I would like to do this race.  I have also decided that (1) I will do this race again, (2) I will start training more than one week in advance and (3) I will mentally prepare for cold weather. 

I have heard the McMurdo marathon is a bit more challenging and I am always up for a challenge.  Maybe I can shoot for competing in the cross country skiing portion of the marathon?  You have to aim high, right?

It may look like pooh, but it’s so much more.

Since I feel that I contribute a great deal of waste water, I felt I am entitled to take a tour of what happens at the Waste Water Plant. So, that’s just what I did.

I searched around to find one of the three individulas that work there and after some begging and bartering, I was able to schedule a tour on one of my days off.

I wasn’t sure exactly what to wear, so I put on my hiking boots and some shorter pants (I wasn’t sure how deep things would be). I then inquired where the plant was since there are not many signs garnishing the buildings, just building numbers that are completely random.   Humorously, the waste water plant is at the bottom of town.  I thought that was pretty funny! 

I hesitantly walked into the Waste Water Plant and held my breath.  I didn’t know what to expect and wanted to prepare for the worst.  Suprisingly, it didn’t smell and there wasn’t any ‘thing’ on the floor.   I first came to an office where John (my Pooh plant contact) was sitting and working hard, or atleast appeared to be (I think he was checking his personal email or his bank account!).  I guess this was very appropriate for a Tuesday afternoon.

He greeted me and we shook hands.  I was a bit skidish to shake his hand at first, but figured that if he was just typing on his computer, he wouldn’t have just been playing around with pooh. 

We started the tour with a brief description of what generally happens at the Waste Water Plant and John’s background.  Although many think that he sits around and plays with pooh all day or makes up and tells pooh jokes, it’s actually a great deal more interesting and very scientific.  John’s has a degree in English (very helpful down here) and in Chemistry and Biology.  He’s worked in a variety of Waste Water Plants in a number of different cities and varying in sizes.  He truly finds his work very challenging and interesting. 

He showed me the lab in which he performs many daily tasks and weekly checks to make sure the ‘good bugs’ are doing their job.  By ‘good bugs,’ he is refering to the microorganisisms that are naturally found in waste that eat what should be eaten and emit what is needed to make the waste water processing possible. 

We entered the main portion of the plant that consisted of three stations.  Each station contains it’s own system that separates and processing according to set guidelines.  John said that even though this set up is common to many other water treatment plants, it’s extremely small. 

We walked to the start of where the waste water enters the plant and is processed through this strainer-like machine that will catch large pieces of stuff and then it’s divided into one of the three stations.  Once in the station, it’s aerated to a specific level, then pushed through to the end of the station where it sits and naturally separates the liquids from the solids.  The liquids rise to the top (of course) and then are gently pushed downstairs to the UV clarifier.  In the UV clarifier, water is sanitized so that it can be pushed out to the Ross Island Sound, according to all of the Antarctic Treaty guidelines.  This water is usable for cooking and cleaning, but not recommended for drinking.   It was amazing how clear it was.  One might mistake it for water used in a drinking fountain.

The solids that sink to the bottom of the statiosn are also moved to the part of the plant called the digestor.  In one of two digestors, the solids collect and buildup until there is a specific saturation point of water to solid.  The waste water comes in at about 10% solids to liquid ration.  When it reaches the digestor and after it is allowed to sit and stew, the ratio goes up to about 60% solids. 

From the digestors, the solids are pressed through this really cool machine that turns the solids into these realy thin sheets by squeezing out any and all water left.  It’s then pushed through this long tube that leads to into the Cake Room downstairs.  In the Cake Room, the thin sheets carefully fill large cardboard boxes minimizing any airgaps.  Each box contains about 1/4 of a ton of solid waste.  This is then packaged up and held outside (yes, it’s frozen pooh) and shipped off the island once per year on the supply vessel that comes in February.

So there you have it.  Such an important part of our community and yet so misunderstood.  It was a very educational and thought provoking tour.  I wish I had been able to tour this earlier.  It would be really cool to be able to volunteer here during my down time. 

Since I was so interested in the process and how it all works, John took a sample of waste water that was being aerated in one of the stations and I got the chance to look at it under a superpowered microscope to see the good bugs at work. 

WOW is all I can say in response to what I saw!  I saw things that were so cool and amazing.  I am not sure what they all were, but John told me they were all the good bugs hard at work. 

I had never had such an interest in waste water until now.  John suggested that I should take a tour of other city waste water plant when I get back to the states.  It would give me a better appreciation for what happens when I flush the toliet or when I go to use water out of a faucet.

(*I have great photos, but again having technical difficulties.  I will upload them soon.)

Hike to Castle Rock

There are a variety of hiking opportunities down here that vary in difficulty.  Since I’d already become familiar with the hike to Scott Base and Ob Hill, I decided that Linda and I should venture to Castle Rock.  It’s a 3 1/2 mile moderate hike each way.  There are two apples that serve as huts to get warm or away from the elements.  

Linda and I picked a day she was off since I work in the mornings and am free after 2pm.  We put on all of our ECW and headed to the Firehouse to checkout.  Since it’s a longer hike and off the main roads, you have to go with a partner, checkout with the firehouse, pick up a radio in case of any emergency, and identify a designated time to return. 

We began our journey around 3pm.  To get to the trailhead was the most difficult part.  Getting out of  town in any direction is all uphill.   We hadn’t realized this until now!  As we walked and walked and walked, we realized that we were definitely warm enough, but exhausted before we even got to the trailhead.  We were in for a long afternoon. 

It was a beautiful afternoon with clear skies and the temperature was 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit.  We worked up a sweat pretty quick and felt we were warmed up by the time we actually found the trail.  The road was pretty challenging to walk on having to walk thru the path of the variety of vehicles that ride on this road.  There were all sorts of large tracks from SnowCat type vehicles (the ones used to groom ski mountains) and it made it really fun to maneuver around.

We came to the first apple and had to check it out.  It was really cute inside and really perfect for a little getaway from the weather and/or really bright sun.  We rested for a few minutes and then headed out to continue our journey. 

We peaked into the second apple along the way, but didn’t stop.  We had a goal in mind and were really excited to get to the rock.

We neared the base of Castle Rock and it got much more icy and slick.  Linda assured me she would keep me safe and sound and she did.  We made it safely halfway to the top of the rock which is as high as we were allowed to hike at this time of the year.  The scenery was so amazing.  We just sat for awhile and took in the views.  It was really worth all the effort. 

As it began to get more windy, we decided to head back to town.  The walk back was obviously much easier since most of it was downhill.  We knew what to expect and knew exactly where we were going.  The clouds rolled in pretty quick and it became colder and more windy.  We made it back to the firehouse to check in by our designated time and completed the route of 7 miles in a little under 3 hours.  I was impressed with our time.  It’s very important that we head right to the firehouse because if you don’t check in by your time, the firehouse activates the SAR team (search and rescue) and then they start looking for bodies!  It’s NO BUENO! 

The hike was really enjoyable.  It gave us time to chat and catch up as well as quiet time to just take in the beautiful scenery, think and reflect.  It was challenging at parts and it definitely appeared to be easier than it really was, but it was such  breathtaking views throughout the whole hike.  I am anxious to do it again or try the Castle Rock Loop that is about 8 miles and continues on from Castle Rock to Scott Base and back to McMurdo. 

Right after the trailhead…looks daunting, hugh?

The apple. It’s cute hugh?

Inside the apple is food and various other supplies for emergency use.

Still inside the apple…a sign in book if you want plus causal reading material.

An awesome view of Mt. Erebus (the southern most active volcano) while we were hiking.

Another awesome view of Mt. Erebus along the trail.

This is Castle Rock. We climbed up about halfway along the right side by all of the snow.

The view from half way up Castle Rock. It might not seem amazing, but you could see for miles. Look at how beautifully blue and clear the sky is.

Linda admiring the view from the top…Mt. Erebus is in the background.

Gossip and Greens

We have a very small, but efficient greenhouse down here.  It’s run by one of the Galley staff, Karen Harvey.  She’s this really cool women that has all green hands, not just a green thumb! 

Another way that I have been involving myself in the community is volunteering at the greenhouse about once a week.  I do a vareity of things while I am there; harvest, plant, etc. and one of the best parts is to get the chance to chat/gossip with Karen.  It’s not really gossip, it’s just being an informed community member.  This is her fourth year and she’s got great stories and advice.  We talk about work, friends, boys, life, love, the pursuit of happiness, and much, much more.  It’s almost a type of therapy for me (and I think for her too!) 

I have made it my routine to visit the greenhouse about once per week to catch up with Karen as well as play around with some greens.  While there, I have harvested and planted lettuces (arugala, butterhead, swiss chard), harvested and planted herbs like dill, cilantro, curly and flat leaf parsley, basil and lemon basil and generally helped Karen maintain the green house.  The greenhouse is hydroponic meaning that it uses water to grow plants rather than soil.  There are special lamps used to simulate the sun and special nutrients added to the water when it doesn’t have the proper balance for growth. 

The products of the greenhouse are used every week in the kitchen in a vareity of ways.  The lettuces are used for salad during dinner.  The herbs are used by all in the kitchen from the bakery using fresh edible flowers or mint for garnishing to the cooks using fresh sage or basil in an Italian dish.  It’s a nice touch to add these things.  The community really appreciates all the efforts that are put into the greenhouse.  It initially started as a project by an employee about 20 years back and slowly grew and developed into this amazing place that people will go to volunteer, relax on a hammock, or just take in some fake sun.

Karen, the greenhouse queen.

This is the before picture of what I harvested.

More lettuce we harvested.

Three bags of lettuce is what I harvested one afternoon. It was very back breaking, but worth it!

The incubation tray, the first step in preparing plants. The sees are planted in this stuff call rockwool and then given time and nutrients to sprout. These are arugala plants.

The nursery, the second stage in preparing plants for transport to the beds (the white rows of PVC piping that the plants grow in).

The herb room.

Isn’t this georgous? It’s basil. It just makes my mouth water!

Karen also grows flowers…just for fun!

Edible flowers like these violets are great for adding color to desserts.

More flowers, but I can’t recall what they are.

Imagine the cold weather of the Colorado mountains in the dead of winter and then going into this warm, sunny, moist little hut.  It’s a pleasure to visit the greenhouse and a great opportunity to learn about gardening down here.  It’s inspired me to do more gardening when I return to Colorado.  Maybe I can create my own little hydroponic garden?