I wasn’t going to really start this ode to my time on the 7th continent ‘til I was actually there, but today I realized my trip pretty much starts now. This is like the slow part of the roller coaster, the part at the beginning where you’re just listening to the clicks as you head towards the top. That is pretty much the feeling I have right now…it inspires nausea…but in a good way…I think. The PQ portion wasn’t exactly a cake walk, it was more red tape than I thought I could handle, but now that I am cleared to go this is all real and I am left to pack and envision the long haul southward. Most scenarios involve me being jet lagged, confused, and lost in Christchurch but that’s pretty much worst case. Mostly I am overwhelmed with all the things I need to remember, get done, or keep track of. First I am going to Denver for orientation, I’ll be there for a week watching safety videos and choosing an insurance provider before I take off for Auckland, New Zealand where I will go through customs before getting on a domestic flight to Christchurch (or ChCh) where I will get issued my extreme cold weather gear and ship out to McMurdo (or Mactown). My ECW gear (get used to the acronyms, they pretty much get applied to everything where I am going) will weigh about 30lbs total, 20 of which I have to wear on the plane ride there…and by plane I mean cargo/troop transport. Sounding insane yet? That doesn’t even cover the treaty laws, baggage weight and content restrictions, and paperwork that is covered in my 100 page Antarctic guide. Yeah I am starting to feel it; all I can say is: at least it’s more a mania than a panic.
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