In December Antarctic residents can enjoy a summer morning that will have a temperature as high as minus 25 degrees. This is compounded by the fact that the miles of glacier are home to gale force winds that can make your eyelids frozen in a second. By far, the South Pole is the harshest place on the planet, and possible on this side of outer space.
One of the most isolated and important scientific outposts is a permanent U.S. station located in this climate. There was a time when only specified workers and analysts were permitted at the Pole. Now, tourists with enough money can take a charter flight out to see the harsh but wonderful wastelands of the South Pole.
There is likely to be nothing but white to see. You won't see so much as a penguin the whole time you're there. However, there are people who long to visit the Pole just to have this rare experience and be able to say that they were that and that they did that.
A lot of the scientists and officials shiver knowing the outpost is a tourist attraction, especially when diesel bulldozers and other heavy equipment help develop the site further. And this causes untold challenges when tourists try to visit during the limited research time of year. It can't really be helped, as no one can prevent them from doing so.
There are no nations that lay claim to ownership of Antarctica. However, there are 43 nations that have signed treaties to protect and study this mysterious landmass that covers an area as large as that covered by Mexico and the United States together. Even during the eight, pitch black, months of winter, the U.S. has three big stations that are staffed year round. No matter how unwanted visitors are, the unwritten code of the Pole encourages residents and scientists to welcome anyone who makes it as far as 90 degrees south of latitude, even if they are not invited.
Many travelers to this area arrive ignorant of what The Pole has in store for them, and the fact that they are at an altitude of 10,000 feet, and this type of travel is discouraged. Typically, when someone does visit that is not educated they will be cold, dehydrated, and have altitude sickness.
Back in 1975, when the dome originally opened, it was able to accommodate 33 men. Now, beds have doubled and tripled in number, now allowing hundreds of people to stay there. Summer Camp, as it is called, consists of manufactured plywood, plastic, and canvas bunkhouses that sprawl across the glacier.
There is no limit to the supply of fresh water at Summer Camp. Unfortunately, you have to melt ice using $12 per gallon fuel. This means that showers, laundry, and flush toilet are only occasionally enjoyed. Despite the early morning sun, it can often be hazardous - or at least uncomfortable - to travel to the communal bathroom.
Military escorts were needed when the first woman visited Antarctica. Now, one-third of the summer work force are women. With their number rising, they are gladly treated as equals to the men. The Pole takes its toll on the work and the work force.
Research shows that workers who work in that type of bitter cold environment will take up to 3 times as long to get their work done. This phenomenon is the result of the brain promoting the production of hormones that the body needs to remain physically active at the expense of those required to solve problems. In the winter months, conditions get even worse.
Once February hits, most of the people have been evacuated. Those few, 28 men and women, will stay on the frozen land through the next six months of harsh winter. It will be completely dark until the spring hits in October. Then, the sun will shine and those willing to work in the Antarctic return by plane again.
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