WINTER-OVERS - thurday 25 october

Hopefully this works. It's a video I shot the other day of a c-17 taking off, taking the winter-over crew back to warmer climates! Fingers crossed. I found out I have happy camper over the next two days. Yeah. This is snow craft training where you get to learn all about the elements of Antarctica and sleep in a snow cave for the night. Double Yeah. I'm so stoked.

RED ONE - wednesday 24 october

Out at the runway station today. 24hrs on the ice.

Station 2 is set out on the runway. It has a little lounge, a little bunk room, a little office, and a little kitchen. 6 of us are squeezed into what looks like a container, like the ones carried on ships. It's little but it has mighty big character, and i love it. It's my favourite shift whenever i'm out there. You feel like you're really in the elements, and over 24 hours i can capture some great shots with the ever changing conditions.

We drove the big rig today, she took about half an hour to start up, but we were cruising once underway. Red 1 is what she's called. It's massive and carries 1200 gallons of agent. We also pulled the lines (hose) from the back of R5. It's a 100 foot line of hose which we'd take interior to an airforce c-17.

Over in the cargo depo we helped assist in moving some fire extinguisers. This is Antarctic style (photo above). Only on the ice can you move extinguishers the cool way!

Evening struck and the 6 of us watched an american series called Firefly. It's all the rage down here. Crashed early, time to catch up on some sleep.

KITE SKIING- tuesday 23rd october

It snowed again.

yeah.

Another day off, I’m loving this.

I hit the gym this morning then helped out the D.A's with the dishes again in the galley. The weather is chilly, windy and cloudy today, so it's a good chance to catch up on the likes of laundry. Wonderful laundry days, 5 machines 1200 people, and the biggest box of detergent I’ve seen in my life. Apparently our Antarctic fire service tees are in great demand down here, and seem to amazingly vanish from your laundry pile. A great souvenir from the ice I bet. You have to watch them like a hawk.

I sorted out my photos today and backed them up onto cd's. I've only taken a few during the two weeks I’ve been here.

I've taken 800.

Time to get outdoors. During the afternoon I hiked out to discovery hut for some photography. This is where I met Nick.
Nick works with the helicopters, and this is his 6th summer out here. He's an avid kite boarder back in the states and once he's on the ice the skies come out. Kite skiing. Wicked. "yeah, you can travel some pretty awesome landscapes and cover some miles fast here with a 4m kite" Nick says as I listen attentively. I'm hooked.

I snapped away taking photos of Nick during his "practise fly" of his kite. I really wish I had brought my fisheye and wide-angle lens out on this hike. I could have got some unreal shots. Lesson learnt. Take everything.

I run back to mactown for dinner thinking, "now, how can I get jeremy to send me one of these kites”?

I laughed out loud as I thought of a conversation with my Dad just before I came down here. I remember I was super excited telling him about an awesome surfing day I’d had and that I really wanted to buy longboard now, he chuckled and replied "now Liz, when are you going to sit still, and maybe learn to knit"

I love it. For those that don't know, my Dad is one of my biggest supporters, a real fan. He's always encouraging me and forever proud. He's a true legend.

Evening came around fast and I was off to the gym to get certified to use the climbing wall. Straight from climbing I was into a few games of volleyball, from volleyball it was onto the basketball court, then rounded it all off with a quick beer in the pub.

Phew.