The C-17 military cargo jet was just the last leg of a several day journey from Maryland to Antarctica. Getting off the plane we rode into town on “Ivan the Terra Bus”, usually shortened to just “Ivan.”
Like a bus back home, Ivan seats over 50 passengers. Unlike those buses, Ivan’s wide, 5′ diameter wheels enable it to go through the slushy and muddy roads frequently found around McMurdo Station during the local summer.
McMurdo Station is frequently referred to as “Mac Town” and town it truly is. The main US base in Antarctica, and the largest base on the continent, McMurdo Station houses over 1000 people in the summer, from October to February. In the dark of winter it is maintained by fewer than 200.
Settling in
Arriving from the Ice runway, we lugged our baggage to a quick “in-brief.” After a summary of procedures, we received our dorm keys, maps of town, and a booklet describing the facilities.
Lugging our bags again we headed to our new home for the coming weeks. Accommodations at McMurdo Station are not as inviting as a Westin or even a Motel 6 back home. Showers, baths, and laundry facilities are shared by an entire floor.
As “grantees” planned to stay in town for many weeks to carry out grant-funded research, we rated 2-person rooms. Two to a room is luxurious in McMurdo Station. Transients leaving after a night or two often share larger rooms with 10 or more people. Here too everything is relative.
A unique environment
Antarctica. The name brings to mind endless stretches of ice and snow, with blizzards blowing over a trackless waste. This is not too far from reality much of the time. McMurdo Station in the summer however breaks that stereotype.
Much of the summer McMurdo Station is bare of snow and ice. The ground is mostly volcanic soil and rocks, which makes sense given the geological neighborhood. Although the temperature could drop to -30F, it can also be above freezing.
McMurdo Station sits near the end of a peninsula at one end of Ross Island. Less than 25 miles away is the southernmost active volcano in the world – 12,450′ Mt. Erebus, with the dormant Mt. Terror another 35 miles away.
What does not surprise here is the complete lack of vegetation. If you want to see green plants in McMurdo Station outside your salad plate, you’ll need to visit the greenhouse.
The strangest American town
Established as a naval station in Operation Deep Freeze I back in 1955 – 1956, the naval origin of McMurdo Station is hinted at by various terms one runs across in town. The dormitory-style lodging facilities are known as “berthings” and communal meals are served in the “galley.”
Walking from the galley to the dorm with any obvious food in hand will likely get you dive-bombed by a skua. These ultimate scavengers have adapted well to human presence and are said to easily recognize the blue galley trays from afar. With a 4′ wing-span, skuas have been described by McMurdo residents as “gulls on steroids with an attitude.”
McMurdo Station is a town with no paved roads, no traffic lights, no pets, no vegetation or parks, and no children. One store serves the local population, and even then only for a few hours a day around meal breaks.
The station manager is as close to a mayor as one finds here. The local police force consists of an employee of Raytheon who as a secondary responsibility has been appointed deputy US Marshal. With crime very rare, even this is fairly new.
McMurdo General Hospital is an urgent care clinic rather than a real hospital. Serious cases often require an airlift off the Ice. The difficulty of flying in and out in severe weather is the main reason all personnel go through medical and dental screening before being allowed to deploy here.
With such a small population and lacking private transportation, having two vehicles drive through at the same time seems like a traffic jam. Besides the occasional passing vehicle, the noise of the massive diesel generators providing power for everything is the main background sound.
Besides the large vans, most vehicles have either enormous wheels (such as Ivan) or tracks. Some light trucks first appear to be wheeled until you notice that each wheel is replaced by a “Matt-track.” These 4 mini-tracks are mounted where the truck’s wheels would normally go and improve its ice-worthiness.
A combination of the everyday and the unique
Multiple lounges house TV’s, pool tables, ping pong tables, and quiet places to read. If athletically inclined, you’ll find a gym, weight room, rock-climbing room, basketball court, and even a bowling alley with equipment circa the 1960’s.
The great outdoors provides several hiking trails, cross-country skiing, and even (limited) downhill skiing. With the constant sunlight, these can be done any time of day or night.
A limited selection of organized outings is also available. By foot to Scott’s hut, by van to the impressive pressure ridges near New Zealand’s Scott Base, or by Delta Shuttle to Cape Evans. Each brings you to sights seen by very few.
Led by the Recreation staff, the people who live and work in town get together for a wide variety of activities. Members of the community volunteer their time and skills to teach and guide their colleagues in after-work activities.
Whether your thing is ceramics, sketching, painting, yoga, ballroom dancing, aerobics, science lectures, you name it – you’ll likely find it available at one point or another at McMurdo. All these activities are provided free of charge, as are meals and lodging.
In general, there is little need for money in Antarctica. If you insist however, you will find some things to spend it on. The annual McMurdo craft fair is an opportunity to buy some unique artwork – be it jewelry, hats, paintings, or photography.
The Coffee House serves coffee, naturally, alongside wine and a limited selection of harder beverages. Southern Exposure and Gallagher’s are more conventional bars, with the latter providing a burger bar a couple of nights each week. After eating at the galley for weeks and months, the change of scenery in itself makes that attractive.
An expensive proposition justified by unique research opportunities
Everything in McMurdo Station is brought in by air or by the one cargo ship and one fuel ship that visit each year. Maintaining the station is expensive, and given the environment, can be dangerous. The unique environment however allows for research that can be carried out nowhere else in the world.
The Antarctic Treaty requires minimizing human impact on the environment. To accommodate this requirement, McMurdo Station recycles over 70% of its trash. Near the end of each season, all trash and recyclables are shipped to the US.
McMurdo Station is an American town outside the borders of the United States. Located in an inhospitable environment, with limited access to anyplace else, the community here is mostly left to its own devices for leisure activities. With an entire population busy carrying out research or supporting said research, this is without a doubt the strangest American town.
