CreSIS, West Antarctica

My tent at CreSIS

Going to the "Deep Field" is one of the highlights of my job. Helicopter trips to the Dry Valleys and other helo supported camps are undoubtedly more beautiful, and generally preferred by most carpenters in our shop, than the stark flat white that encompasses the vastness of this continent. Yet something appeals to my very curious nature about going completely feral in one of the only truly inhospitable places on earth.

As far removed as possible from the human community I always experience a profound sense of isolation and playfulness, a child again, hiding in a homemade fort with your friends away from the watchful eye of the adult world. Setting up a small camp starts with a tent and a group of carpenters and camp staff. We run generators for electricity and burn fuel in Kuma Stoves to heat common areas like the galley tent and our "Chief." The Chief is our tent; where the carpenters go to unwind and tomfoolery is as certain as sunshine. No showers, some sleep, lots of work.

Situated about halfway between McMurdo and the South Pole, the spine of the Trans-Antarctic mountains can be seen on the horizon from CreSIS, making it unique among Deep Field camps in Western Antarctica.CreSIS (Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets) is a joint operation between NASA and the NSF (National Science Foundation). So, yeah, I'm basically the ninja combination of carpenter, scientist, astronaut. The project measures ice thickness with sensors in place at location and overhead radar. Last year the WISSARD (The Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling) project operated about 6 miles form the location for CreSIS camp this year. A quick side note for those that give a shit about awesome science, check out this link:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/reader-favorites-2013?mode=magazine&context=187763

The first article in the list of ten describes the finding of the WISSARD project from last year. Discovering life in a subglacial lake 800 meters (2,624 feet) below the surface, completely isolated for 100,000 years is a pretty fucking big deal. Most of my readers will be more interested in number 6 on the list, "Heavy Drinkers Get Extra Brain Fuel From Alcohol." POW! SCIENCE!

C-130 Hercules, our ride to CreSIS, and the Royal Society mountains near McMurdo

Combat offloading our gear. Open the hatch and let things fly out the back

Temporary tents at CreSIS until we erect the, semi-permanent tents for the season. Galley in yellow, comms in blue

Inside the galley

These packages will become Town.

The Chief

Putting up Rac-Tents

A Twin-Otter plane, a Tucker and Town

Town, a week after we arrived

Our tents and the Trans-Antarctic mountains on the horizon, about 90 miles away

This year we needed some equipment left at the WISSARD site for the winter. We hopped on snow mobiles and a Tucker and drove the six miles out to WISSARD winter berms to retro some parts for the CreSIS camp. Driving snow mobiles towards the horizon across the endless white with some friends is a damn good day of work and keeps me coming back down to this strange place.

Our caravan to WISSARD

WISSARD camp coming into view, packed away for the winter. Those packages are on average 15-20 feet high and include drilling equipment and Rac-Tents, the massive snow drifts behind them make for excellent sled hills

Couple of buddies taking a break on top of some Rac-Tent boxes at WISSARD

We always dig freezer caves for food storage. A friend and I dug this one with a chain saw and shovels. Eight feet deep with stairs and shelves.My nephews and I are going to dig one of these in my parents back yard.

Our crew. One plumber, Andy on the far left and 6 carpenters. From left: Jeremy, Rachael, Shannon, Sean, Sparky, and me