It's Really White

I finally made it. I'm in Antarctica. I guess I should start from the beginning. I arrived in Christchurch, New Zealand on Oct 1 (New Zealand time), which is Sep 30 for most people reading this. We didn't do too much on Monday, just relaxed and got some rest. I walked around the park next to the hotel and did some birding. You know, in the cities at least, New Zealand doesn't look to different from the states, except that people drive on the left and talk a little different. Tuesday morning we all went to the Antarctic Center and tried on all of our clothes. What surprises me most is that most of it is pretty standard stuff you could get just about anywhere - long underwear, fleece, bibs, and a down coat. We have several types of gloves and a couple of hats, but it's really not a lot of clothes.

We took off this morning at about 9 after arriving to check our bags and get dressed at 6. We had to wear or have in our carry-on a knit hat, goggles, bibs, boots, and parka. The flight was on a C-17 and took about 5 1/2 hours. The cargo plane was actually pretty comfortable though a bit loud. There were only 4 tiny windows so we couldn't watch as we flew, so when we landed the first step out of the plane was something to see. We landed on the sea ice and were surrounded by mountains with McMurdo nearby. And surprisingly, it's not too cold. Well, at least today. I don't know the temperature, but without the wind, it's like a winter day in the states. But sunglasses are a must. I'm off to dinner right now, but I'll report back in a few days after Happy Camper School.