Weather Shift

Last week I stopped by the weather desk and asked for the weather at our field camp site for the coming week. He just shook his head. You see the weather in Antarctica shifts so quickly and dramatically that you can't really say more than a day or two in advance. So Saturday morning (yesterday) the snow/ice in the streets was melting and chocolate-milk-colored water was running down the hill. The ground is all volcanic rock here from Mt. Erebus. After lunch, the temperature dropped and a light snow dusting came in with a 10mph wind. All the chocolate milk had frozen. Although the sun came out again around midnight (recall it never sets), all flights were cancelled today. We'll try again Monday.

I spent the day in the lab working on our electronics, but took a couple pics to share. This one shows the inside of the Crary lab central ramp between buildings. Imagine 150mph icy winds blowing outside and the sun gone for the next 4 months....wintering over here must be intense. I've heard persons describe it here as a feeling of being trapped. You see in Winter it is often impossible to go outside, much less go home due to weather. Another shows the typical interior door...a freezer door mounted in a door frame. The outside has a dead-man push-lever...so that if you stumble on it in a snowstorm you only have to push to open the latch. The last pic is of the parking lot in front with a bit of snow starting to fall.


I learned there are no police or MP's here, just one person. There's no theft really and assault is rewarded with removal from the continent and "do not hire" on your permanent file, so I hear. Everyone is very well coordinated and there is no competition apparent.  I imagine there must be some competition for the interest of beautiful women, but all seems very civil. I've also barely used money here. All food and services I've seen are available. The only things I've found that require you to open your wallet are drinks at the coffee house and products at the store: tourist items, bath and clothing necessities, (free rental) videos and alcohol.

I'm planning to do a full ashtanga practice tomorrow morning in the basketball gym, and a person or two may join me. It's been 2 weeks so I'm very much looking forward to it. Someone put up a joke flier by the cafeteria advertising "battle of the 47 yoga teachers, only one will be called master". A joke because yoga is about yourself not competition and because this small community has three teachers of different styles...a high ratio (1 style for every 400 persons) for places other than Encinitas/CA where every other block seems to have a different style yoga studio.