Happy Camper (or not)

I just got back from a camping trip in Antarctica. That's right--20 of us were "out there" for 24 hours, including overnight, in just tents and snow shelters that we built. You bet it was cold--somewhere below zero.

This isn't something I would ever choose to do. It was a job requirement for anyone whose job might take them "out of town." Yikes. Fortunately, I had only 24 hours notice that I was going, so there wasn't much time to get (ahem) cold feet. Actually, my feet did get quite cold eventually.

We had to pitch tents in the wind (not easy), dig up blocks of snow to build a wind wall, and melt snow into drinking water.
Some guys dug snow caves to sleep in. There were 18 men and 2 women. I slept in a little nylon tent just like we use for summer camping at home, a couple of foam pads, and a very good sleeping bag. It was very strange to have the sun fully up in the sky at 3 a.m. Having to "get up in the night" as a colosal pain, especially for us women.

Here is what the view was like all around the campsite. Wide open distant spaces! No civilization anywhere. The black flags mean danger--a cravass or something. Yikes again.