Dear Mom and Dad,
Greetings from Lake Joyce, Antarctica! I hope this finds you well and are enjoying my journals.
I know you worry about me since Antarctica has a reputation for being a pretty hostile environment, so I thought I’d tell you about some of the emergency procedures in place to help us if something goes wrong.
First of all, we have the satellite phone, which we can use to make emergency phone calls if needed. I’ve already told you about how hard it is to get the thing to connect depending on weather and satellite conditions, so its a good thing that isn’t our only means of communication! If I’m not able to post my journals for a couple of days, you shouldn’t worry about us! I’ll use it to call you if I can, but DON’T WORRY if you don’t hear from me, it just means the phone is too sketchy.
We also have a radio that we can use to contact McMurdo Station. Every evening, the people at McMurdo do a radio check with us. If we don’t respond, they would immediately start to worry and send a helicopter back out here to check on us.
Additionally, we have Sasha on our team, and he’s trained as a Wilderness First Responder. That pretty much means what it sounds like; he’s gone through special training to handle medical issues that might be likely out in a wilderness setting like ours. We hope to not need his skills, but I was relieved when I learned that one of us would have this training. Sasha went through WFR training two years ago and recertified with Sierra Rescue in UC Davis shortly before the trip.
You should keep in mind that out of all the people needing medical attention down here, only 2% of them were due to the cold. I have a greater chance of tripping and hurting myself than I do of being too cold -- not with all of the gear I’ve got. It's so much gear!
Finally, and maybe most importantly, all of the members of G-063 are really wonderful about looking out for each other. We know we are relying on one another to keep safe and make good decisions. I really lucked out to be on the team with them. They are considerate, smart, and really fun to be around.
You guys can always call that USAP(abbreviation) United States Antarctic Program number in Denver that I gave you if you have an emergency that I need to know about. The USAP(abbreviation) United States Antarctic Program will know how to find me if needed. In the meantime, just know that I’m having a FABULOUS time!
Love, Lucy
ps- Mom- thanks for the super cozy, expedition weight socks you got me for Christmas! I’m wearing them nearly everyday as my outer pair of socks.
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