Getting ready

Counting down the days ... my latest information is that I’ll be flying to Denver Sept. 30 for a couple of days of orientation, leaving Oct. 2 for Los Angeles and on to Auckland and finally Christchurch, New Zealand, arriving there Oct. 4 (an overnight flight and jumping forward a day crossing the International Date Line). Of course, I’ll also be jumping forward ... or backward ... a couple of seasons as they will be coming out of winter into spring. We will spend a couple of days in Christchurch, primarily to be issued our ECW (extreme cold weather) gear and to reset our bodies’ clocks. My group is scheduled to fly to McMurdo on the Ice on Oct. 6. However, the word is that we should expect to be pushed back a day or two. If so, the entire schedule is likely to slide with it.

I spent a week in Denver the end of August, meeting the rest of the team and planning what we’re going to do once we’re down there. One of the stories I’m supposed to do is about the 50th anniversary of the first plane that landed and took off again from the South Pole. We’re hoping to be able to wrangle a flight for me to the Pole for it. Going to Pole is the only thing at the top of my wish list; it would seem a shame to get to 77 degrees south and not make it the rest of the way!

We have a good team, I believe. Of course, I am the old man, but the other two have a year’s experience at the job. Peter, a long-time friend, is the boss, what they call the lead journalist. The other fellow, Steven, is just over a year out of college, a year younger than my daughter, but a fine guy. We seemed to hit it off well. I’m looking forward to working with them both. Additionally, the administrative team in Denver is a fun pair.

I’m starting work now on final packing plans. Packing is something I’ve never done well in advance, but this is one I cannot put off until just before I leave.