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Published: April 23rd 2005
The Scott Base Swimming Hole
The water temperature is cold! I feel a new respect for the people who floated in the water after the Titanic went down!It is Sunday, April 24, 2005. The sunset is happening today at 1:26 pm and the next sunrise will not occur until August 19th. The fiery golden orb that sustains life on this planet is finally moving north, below our horizon, suspending us in darkness and kicking off the cold, dark Antarctic winter. To celebrate, Scott Base hosted a large barbeque and the first of three Polar Plunges. The Polar Plunge is just what it sounds like - A large hole is opened through the sea ice, a ladder is installed and everyone takes turns jumping into the frozen ocean. There is a heating shack, which is about 30 paces from the hole, where everyone undresses and stashes their warm clothes and waits for their turn to jump. When your turn comes you find a photographer (if you want pictures) and run down to the hole, wearing only your shoes and a blanket. At the hole you drop the blanket, put on an icy belt that is tied to a leash, which is there just in case you pass out or a leopard seal grabs you, and you jump in the slushy, black hole in the ice. You can’t hesitate at
Frozen Hair-cycles!
A picture taken inside the warming shack after the Polar Plunge - Yes, my hair is frozen solid. the hole because you will freeze - I had a problem getting the belt on, but I didn’t think twice about jumping in the water. Once in the ocean, I treaded water (or slushy) and tried to hold a smile just long enough to see the flash on my camera go off and then attempted to set a ladder climbing world record as I sprinted my way back to the now cold heating shack, the blanket grasped in one hand and all modesty left in the ocean - I was too cold to care! Back in the shack, my hair was frozen solid (like tree branches after an ice storm) and I couldn’t feel my fingers or toes. I dried off as best as I could and got dressed as everyone else cheered for the next plunger as he or she sprinted out of the hole and back to the hut - it was a lot of fun! The ocean water was very salty and cold at 28° F. I was told that the air temperature was around -25° F with a wind-chill of -71° F. Some of you reading this are probably wondering who in their right mind would
The Scott Base Sign
A brief stop was made, as I froze in the cold snow, to take this picture. Scott Base is the New Zealand Antarctic research station on Ross Island. jump, naked, into a freezing, slush filled hole through the ice into the ocean below from even colder air, but that is how we do things down here! I promise that we all passed the psychological exam, but passing may mean we are crazy - Who knows? The rest of the evening was spent at Scott Base eating a great meal and discussing the night’s festivities with all of our friends. It took nearly a half hour before I felt my toes again, but they are fine today. The next plunge is during mid-winter celebrations - I can’t wait!
Earlier in the week I went on another full moon trip out to Castle Rock. The sky was not as clear and the moon stayed hidden behind the mountains, but we had a wonderful time. We climbed to the ridge at the base of the rock and sat enjoying temperatures approaching -50° F with a wind chill of really, really COLD. After a short time looking at the stars that could be seen straight above us, we headed down the hill and sledded for a while until we were all exhausted. On the way back to town, we stopped at
The Apple Hut and Castle Rock
This is a picture from the full moon trip out to Castle Rock. It was a long exposure and it took me three tries to get the picture, because people kept walking out of the hut! one of the apple huts for pictures and then stopped at the giant golf ball above town to take some pictures of towns. A few faded auroras presented themselves for our enjoyment, but the moonlight made them hard to see and then they were gone. It was a great night and a much needed trip out of town.
Today I had planned to watch the last sunset from Castle Rock, but we are in the midst of a Condition 2 storm and all off station travel is prohibited. Instead, I will have a relaxing day and tonight we will be celebrating another friend’s birthday over burgers. There are some potentially fun activities coming up, so I will let you know how they go.
-Keith
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anonymous
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You can't really call that a smile, Son.
That is a serious look of exclamation. When you smile, your mouth is elongated - not a perfect circle as in this picture! Even though I saw you the moment you were born, I still can't figure out where you came from! Yet, we live vicariously through you! Carry on! Love, Mom - Kathy Leipman