Weeks 2 – 5: Second week of December 2019 through first week of January 2020. Cape Shirreff, Antarctica.
When you return to open the same camp with 4 of the 6 people who closed it in March, the definitions of time change. Being back for a third stint that wasn’t originally expected takes the peculiarity to another level.
Some camp opening activities are the same, but others are different or completely new.
Since our ATV was removed from the island for servicing this off-season, we brought it back down with us in December. Unfortunately the servicing didn’t do much good, as the ATV refused to start when Adam tried turning it on in the skiff. The ramp for moving the ATV from the skiff onto the beach was in place, but the machine acted its age.
“Steph, will you steer?” Adam asked.
“Sure? …” I didn’t really know what was going on.
“Just keep the wheels pointed straight down the ramp,” he directed as I warily climbed aboard the ATV.
The next thing I knew, a line of about 10 volunteers were tug-of-war style pulling the rope we’d tied to the front axle of the ATV as 2 MTs (Marine Technicians) pushed the ATV from behind to get my steed up the wooden planks over the bow of the skiff and then rolling down the grate ramp to land on the cobble-boulder beach. It was kind of a maritime Antarctic-style sled dog haul.
Later I was told that I looked like a badass up there. Yeah, we’ll say that’s where my mindset had me. Sure.
That was a different experience from years past, but de-molding the milk crates, unpacking all of the fresh produce and frozen goods in the freshies room, and breaking down those empty cardboard boxes was all very familiar. Organizing the “fridge” has been my primary task during camp opening all 3 years. The difference this year was the parade of volunteers carrying boxes of produce from the landing beach to me in camp. When I noticed that 2 MTs were delivering goods to me, I knew our ATV really was being a piece of work; usually the MTs barely even set foot on the beach.
After the ship left and only our crew of Andy, Adam, Caitie, Laura, and I remained on shore, we settled into getting camp up and running. Andy, the NOAA Corps officer from last season, tackled jobs like installing the wind turbines and checking the electrical system. Adam, my fellow returning third year – but on the pinniped side, became transport man as he wooed the ATV into sometimes working for hauling gear from the beach to camp. Otherwise he loaded a sled and slowly slogged some gear up. Laura, the returning second year seabird tech, was a machine in slogging gear from the beach and de-molding shelves and items in camp. Being the acknowledged camp mom, I was tasked with making camp feel like home. That meant I de-molded the kitchen, unbagged the cookware, spices, oils, vinegars, and sauces, washed dishes, and organized cookware in the proper places.
To some extent that left Caitie – our one new family member/first year pinniped tech – looking around and wondering where she was. Instead of knowing what jobs she could or should tackle, she looked to us for guidance. Poor Caitie. The rest of us fell so easily into our one liners and old habits that I noticed the confusion on her face a number of times; I tried my best to cut in to translate what had just been said each time. We knew the practices for running the generator, emptying the kitchen and pee buckets, the cooking rotation, where to grab water for washing the dishes, etc. It was all second nature for four of us but brand new to Caitie. I admit it was easy to casually ask her to grab something – only to then recognize that she didn’t know where that item lived. Fortunately she was a good spirit about being the only newbie.
Speaking of newbies, having a seabird team of no newbies has made for smooth sailing from the get-go. Last year I needed to talk Laura through all of our studies, show her the colonies, teach her certain techniques, and answer questions. This year she and I both know how everything works, so we’re just a solid team that powers through research. I know all of her one liners, and we both frequently vocalize the thought that the other literally had on her mind mere seconds before. It’s incredible!
It’s last season’s connection with Andy, Adam, and Laura that made the first few weeks feel so familiar. While waiting for loads of gear to arrive on the beach, Laura and I agreed it already felt like we had never left the Cape. (Where did those 8 months in-between even go???) Adam soon began his usual way of disappearing to his bunk a good hour or more before the rest of us. Andy remained in his Cabela’s bibs through the dinner hour and then took to falling asleep during movies – only to claim he wasn’t sleeping and tackle a project at 23:00. Laura’s brand new journal quickly started filling in the evenings.
Even after 8 months away, life at the Cape went back to normal. Mostly. We just didn’t have Mike, the recently retired head pinniped researcher, around to start every sentence with “Hey, you guys…” or Andrea, last year’s first year pinniped tech, around to make sure the Bunn was full of hot water for tea.