16 November 2011 Happy Camping at Happy Camper Day 1

What is Happy Camper?

Happy Camper is the familiar term for "Snow Craft Training". Anyone in the United States Antarctic Program (USAP(abbreviation) United States Antarctic Program) who will be leaving McMurdo base at some point is required to go through the training. It is a two day event that includes a night out on the ice. Campers leave the training knowing what to do if they get stuck out on the ice.

The Pisten Bully

To get out of McMurdo we all climbed into a Pisten Bully. It is one of the more interesting ways to move around on the ice. We all crammed into the back cab in our ECW(abbreviation) Extreme Cold Weather clothing gear, which made the cab quite toasty by the time we arrived.

Trekking Out On the Ice

The Pisten Bully took us away from McMurdo onto the ice. It was a beautiful day for hiking, which was fortunate for us but perhaps not the best situation to test our survival skills. About 20 of us trekked (or as New Zealanders say, tramped) out towards Mt. Erebus. We walked along red and green flags which clearly marked a safe trail.

Class in the I-Hut

The happy camper class trekked out to a warm hut. There we had lessons in many of the major skills we would need for the next two days. This included how to use a stove, what to do if someone got hypothermia, and a review of what was to come once we were outside.

Whisper Light Stoves

We learned how to use camping stoves called Whisper Lights. They are a little tricky to get used to, but once we learned how to prime and light them, they became a precious resource. Without them we would not be able to boil water, which would mean no dinner, hot cocoa or breakfast! We also boiled water to pour into our water bottles and help warm us as we slept in our tents.

Securing a Tent

The first task was learning how to put up Scott and mountain tents. Scott tents are big, yellow canvas tents. They are named after famous Antarctic explorer Robert Falcon Scott, who used a similar tent during his discovery expedition from 1901 to 1904. It is a pyramid shape, with four aluminum poles that hinge together and are covered by canvas. Snow blocks or rocks should cover the bottom of the tent to help secure it, and the stakes can extend into the snow as well. We secured the Scott tent by staking it down with trucker hitch knots.

Snow Wall and Dinner

Once the Scott and mountain tents were set up and secured, we built a snow wall. This was done by shoveling a trench in the snow, and then literally sawing out bricks that were laid down to form a 4-brick-high wall. The wall was built to protect our tents from wind and allowed us to build a "kitchen" where we could use stoves with wind protection as well. It was amazing how all of us pitched in and made the wall come together in little time. I helped lift and haul the bricks while others dug trenches and cut out bricks. One happy camper, Eric, was a master at sculpting and smoothing the wall to make a beautiful snow masterpiece! Once the wall was set up, we boiled water which was poured into dehydrated food packets. We all sat along the perimeter of our trench and ate a warm meal.

Trenches and Mt. Erebus

After dinner was over some happy campers started digging trenches to sleep in for the night. Since snow is a good insulator it is safe to dig down into the snow and sleep in the trench for the night, as long as you have lots of layers and a warm sleeping bag. Campers had to cover their trenches with snow bricks to be protected from wind. The camp came together to help build the trenches. I had hoped to sleep in a trench, but was too tired to make it happen. Hopefully I can try this when I am out at the AGO site on my upcoming expedition.

I had a chance to take in the beauty of Mt. Erebus before climbing into my tent for the night. Mt. Erebus is the southernmost active volcano in the Earth, and the second highest volcano in Antarctica. It is rare because it has a lava lake, which makes scientists interested in studying it. A team from New Mexico Technology studies Mt. Erebus every summer. While looking at Mt. Erebus, a strange cloud formed over it. It was a flat, low cloud that sat over the volcano. I later discovered that this was a lenticular cloud which forms at high latitudes over mountains.

To Sleep Perchance to Dream

It was difficult to settle in for the night, since the sun never set. I did notice that the sun had moved to the other side of our camp. After a few fun pictures in front of McMurdo it was time to settle in for the night.