The South Pole

Greetings from 78 degree Denver. Reinhart has been gone 2 weeks and it feels like 2 months…oh boy, am I in trouble. He says it feels like a long time for him as well, but that is because he has experienced so many new things.

Reinhart flew from McMurdo to the South Pole station on Saturday 11/15. The flight was 1000 miles, a 3.5-4 hour flight on a cargo prop plane, the LC130. Reinhart was shocked by the temperature difference. He was hiking in just regular boots and jeans in balmy McMurdo at 10 to 20 °F; however, the South Pole, due to its location and altitude, is much colder at -35 to -40 °F (and that does not include the wicked wind chill). Did I mention it was 78 °F here in Denver today? Reinhart went from our mile high elevation in Denver to sea level at McMurdo to the relatively high altitude of South Pole. The Pole is at an altitude of 9500 feet, but due to lower pressures than other areas of the world, the pressure altitude varies between 11,000-14,000 feet. In addition, increased activity levels and cold may aggravate symptoms of altitude sickness. He didn’t end up having any problems and made sure he got a lot of rest and a lot of fluids those first couple of days.

He said the folks are much friendlier at Pole compared to McMurdo, but it also feels more remote due to the smaller size and the fact that they stay inside all the time. He is enjoying using the exercise facilities and their make-shift bouldering cave. Life at Pole is just a little more like living on a boat; water is scarce and they are limited to 2 brief showers a week. They have individual narrow ship-like rooms, so he feels cozy and at home. Not that he sees much of that room. They have a 5am meeting, 6 days a week, and they put in 10-12 hours of work a day. It has been nice for me since he has gotten there, because I get to call him every day at 4:15 am his time to help wake him up. It appears their work day is centered on the 11 hours the station has satellite communications, which is approximately 4am-3pm these days (10am-9pm Eastern). Luckily, he also their (extremely slow) internet service 24/7. He’s having a good time though and says the work is quite rewarding and his free time is a blast.

As for me, I’m enjoying my unseasonably warm weather and packing up for a little trip east. As usual, check for additional pictures on our picasa page (link at upper right); Reinhart uploads pictures as often as his (extremely slow) internet connection allows.