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Richard W. Frank |
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Antarctica! |
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From October 1996 to October 1997 I lived in Antarctica. I spent four months living at the Admundsen-Scott South Pole Station and eight months (including the winter) at McMurdo Station. It sounded like a good idea when I sent the application from a Baja California post office! This year on the ice as part of the Frozen Chosen is kind of one of those things you have to experience to really grasp both why and how. In an attempt to provide a bit of the flavor of life on the ice I include several of my emails I sent to friends and families from the ice as well as several YouTube videos which provide a more visceral look at the ice. |
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Below are some links to emails and pictures from my time at the bottom of the world Summer at the South Pole
Winter at McMurdo Station
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© Richard Frank 2007-2008. All rights reserved. |
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The South Pole While I was lying on a Baja beach one sunny and warm winter day in 1996, a fellow cruise ship minion mentioned that she was going to apply to be a dishwasher in Antarctica. “Antarctica?” I said blankly. I knew that Antarctica was the seventh continent but little else. Heck, I couldn’t even spell the word (I always forgot the c). I didn’t know that there were people living down there let alone that it was possible to wash dishes in Antarctica. Of course, it sounded so bizarre that I instantly knew that I had to apply as well. Several weeks after I had submitted my application I had not heard back from Antarctica Support Associates, the private company that provided the support services to the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NSF financially supports three US Research Bases in Antarctica: Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, McMurdo Station on Ross Island, and Palmer Station on the peninsula. |
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Several videos of the old and new South Pole stations. Man, the polees sure have it easy now! |
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The video below is a time-lapse video of a year at McMurdo. It is surprisingly well-done, and gave me chills reliving the long winter night. |