Free Colder Than Ice by Helen MacPherson Page A

times.
Hypothermia and frostbite are a real threat in Antarctica, especially if you’re
not prepared. We’ll cover layering and what you need to wear over the next few
days.
    “It’s
not only the temperature that’ll cause you to freeze. There are Katabatic winds
and they whip down from the inland, bombarding the coastal regions. The speeds
have been registered as high as one hundred and ten miles per hour, but they
normally blow at a constant nine miles an hour, with wind gusts greater than
that.
    “You’ll
be exposed to infrequent blizzards or white outs but hopefully not many during
the time you’ll be there. All the same, you need to be prepared for them as
they can hit with very little notice and then rage for hours, even days. Once
you’ve set up your base camp you’ll need to ensure you establish blizzard ropes
or guidelines around the camp. In a blizzard if you haven’t done this, you can
be within six paces of a building and not be able to see it.
    “You’ll
sleep in small fiberglass huts, known as googies and apples, depending upon
their size. They’re comfortable enough to house two to three people and their
belongings. Having said that, the living arrangements will be tighter than what
you’re used to. During the trip from Wills Station to your base camp, you’ll be
living in tents, so we’ll also spend time teaching you how to erect those.
    “Spread
over the continent are long term field huts and remote refuges. They’re plotted
on all maps and should you find yourself stranded, they’re fully equipped to
cater for emergency accommodations. In an emergency the huts can be located
using GPS.
    “Some
people think Antarctica is no more than a big block of sea ice. Wrong. The ice
is actually fresh water and under the ice are mountains, valleys and lakes.
It’s an amazing place and, once you’ve been there, you’ll never forget it. It’s
the largest repository of fresh water in the world and yet it’s the driest
continent on earth.” John took a drink from a steaming mug. “Are
there any questions at this stage?”
    Dianne
raised her hand. “If it’s so cold there and all, how do you, well, you
know, go to the toilet?”
    John
allowed the inexperienced group members to finish chuckling. “A reasonable
question. There are portable toilets in Antarctica, however during expeditions
away from an established base, all human waste is bagged in plastic and brought
back to the station for destruction. For times when you don’t feel like getting
dressed in multiple layers to walk out to the portable toilet for a quick pee,
women are given a funnel.”
    “A
funnel? My God, you mean I have to pee down a funnel?”
    Sarah
joined in the polite laughter of the others. “It’s not as bad as it
sounds, Di. It doesn’t mean you can’t get up and use the toilet. But it takes
about fifteen minutes to get dressed, ten minutes to get your clothes into a
position where you can pee, ten minutes to re-robe, and then fifteen minutes to
get undressed again. Give me a funnel any day. Trust me, after the first few
days you’ll think you’ve been doing it all your life.”
    “I
doubt it,” Dianne muttered.
    “Are
there any more questions? If not, I’ll hand you over to my crew who’ll teach
you about the clothing you’ll be wearing while in Antarctica.”
    The
group spent the afternoon learning how to dress and undress, Antarctica style.
The many layers of clothes made them look like a group of overweight tourists
rather than doctors, scientists, and tradesmen.
    Michela
watched the group’s interaction through the afternoon activities, and did her
best to avoid getting into a situation where she and Allison worked together.
The few times when she couldn’t avoid the inevitable resulted in derisive and
condescending comments from Allison. It’s obvious she’s still got a problem
with the team leadership issue.
    I
think I’m going to have to speak with her before this comes to a head.
    Sarah
lightly