Travels in Antarctica: Epilogue--Even the stars aren't safe from humanity

By Frosty Wooldridge         

            “The Pole. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected…companions laboring on with cold feet and hands…Evans had such cold hands, we camped at lunch…the wind is blowing hard, temperature at –21, and there is that curious damp, cold feeling in the air which chills one to the bone in no time.  We have reached the Pole but not with priority.  Great God! This is an awful place.”

                                                                    Robert Falcon Scott, 1912

                           EVEN THE STARS AREN’T SAFE FROM MAN

            That place called “Mac Town” remains in my mind months and years later.  It’s there at the edge of the pack ice.  It’s a tiny dot of buildings that may spread one day into the conquest and destruction of Antarctica.  Although it’s there for scientific reasons at the present, if oil is discovered, I have no doubt that humanity will pillage its treasures.  We are a much too clever species.  We have the ability to alter our world in ways that may well destroy millions of species of life on this planet in the coming years. 

            As intelligent as we are and as much as we’ve discovered about the ozone hole that allows deadly radiation to pass through the atmosphere, global warming caused by fossil fuel burning, chemical poisoning of the water, land and air, and species extinction brought about by our own hand—we still keep overpopulating, adding chemicals and burning oil.  We keep encroaching on the remainder of the wilderness that is home to our fellow creatures.  As our numbers become more extreme, nature’s response, in time, will become more extreme.

            If these things concern you in your community, I urge you to contact the addresses that follow this epilogue.  Together, we might forge a viable future for all humanity.  The worst decision is to think that you can do so little that you do nothing at all. 

            During my last couple of weeks, I vacuumed the carpet in one of the offices when I noticed a poster by William Schimmel.  The painting depicted penguins, icebergs and whales as they played on the ice continent.  What captivated me were the words at the bottom:

            “Antarctica has come to symbolize the last of the wild places.  But no place is sacred in Man’s eyes. In this pristine wilderness, greed would still find a haven for devastating industry.  For God’s sake, with a planet full of beings such as ourselves, even the stars aren’t safe.”  Schimmel

That quote distressed me.  We are not immune in America.  Our country explodes with more than three million new humans annually.  The world adds 80 million annually on its way to over nine billion people by mid-century.

People fleeing beehive conditions in California and the East Coast are stampeding into Middle America.  The State of Colorado receives 100,000 new arrivals annually.   Currently, developers plow 100,000 acres of wilderness into housing, roads and malls each year in Colorado.  California will add 20 million in the next 30 years.   Huge numbers invade Phoenix, Arizona and they suffer limited water.  Air pollution over the city grows thicker by the day.  News reports talk about it, but no one takes action to solve the dilemma.  Leadership without action is worthless.

            Does anyone understand that growth becomes abnormal when it outstrips the ability of a finite area to sustain any given population?  Governors from the various states call it ‘smart growth’ (oxymoron).   There is nothing smart about it.  We’ve got deadly gridlock rampaging along city Interstates where anyone of us could die from the dozens of accidents daily.  With more growth, collisions will increase.  Try getting back from a ski or camping weekend in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Detroit or Denver.  The Brown Cloud over our cities poisons our lungs and worsens with each new development.

            Does anyone with higher education and in power understand how great civilizations of the past collapsed?  Water and food supply diminished to an unsustainable level.  We can’t keep this ‘growth’ thing up as a state or nation.  If you look at global birth rates, humans swarm over the planet at a growing rate of 10,000 new babies net gain every hour—adding a quarter of a million each day—that comes to 80 million more humans each year added to the six billion already here.

            Each American uses 10 times more raw resources than a Third World person. When you multiply 10 X 296 million of us, it’s we who suffer the worst overpopulation problems in the world.  On a global scale, we burn over 82 million barrels of oil each day in cars, homes and airplanes. Consequences mount daily in greenhouse gasses and global warming effects. 

            Distressing signals find their way into the Antarctic.  Air pollution levels stain the snow layers.  The ozone degenerates daily and has tripled in size, which opens the way for millions of skin cancers and eye damage worldwide for humans and animals.   Instead of developing alternative fuel sources for powering our societies, we look for more oil.  If it’s found in Antarctica, we’ll devastate the continent to get to it.

            Instead of a world population stabilization policy, the US and other countries live in denial and encourage soaring human numbers.  We’re like a collective nation of ostriches with our heads stuck in the sand between the railroad tracks of an oncoming train.  We hope it won’t hit us.  But the fact is, this population train has no brakes and it’s going to slam into our children at full throttle.

            Why aren’t we doing something to stop it?  It’s rooted in our religious/cultural past where there were no perceived limits 2000 years ago. We still don’t believe those limits exist.  Today, we KNOW limits exist.  We need to change our thinking or our continued paradigm of growth will collapse our society in this century.  Who among us thinks we can handle 600 million and up to 1.2 billion in the United States by the end of this century at this level of consumption and pollution?   Nature will not tolerate us much longer.

            “The problems in the world today are so enormous they cannot be solved with the level of thinking that created them.”  Einstein

            You must take action in your own way, or in any way you can in your life, community and country. The number one driving force of our growth problems in America is immigration.  We need to reduce the immigration of three to four million  people into this country each year to less than 100,000.   We need to promote population stabilization to ensure viability and quality of life for the generations to come.  We need to help Third World countries with birth control and family planning so they can stabilize their own populations.  We need to give them economic and educational help so they can deal with their populations in their countries.  To help, contact:  www.numbersusa.com or www.thesocialcontract.com or www.fairus.org or www.carryingcapacity.org or [email protected] or www.balance.org or www.thewakeupamericafoundation.com or www.frostywooldridge.com

We could dismiss the facts, but what if Thomas Jefferson blew it off, or Edison, Susan B. Anthony, Eisenhower or Martin Luther King?  If Jefferson had quit, we wouldn’t have our Republic.  If Edison had given up, we wouldn’t have lights.  If not for Anthony, women wouldn’t be voting. If not for Eisenhower and his men, we’d be under Nazi rule.  Without King, we’d still have separate but equal toilets. 

            If you don’t do something soon, your children won’t have a planet left to sustain them.

            In the end, it won’t be governments who take action, it will be you.  In 1975, the politicians didn’t suddenly think the Viet Nam war was wrong. They had to be dragged, kicking and screaming, to pull our troops out– by millions of little people like you and me.

            If you don’t take action, the quality of life in our nation will diminish until the American Dream becomes the American Nightmare.

            I stood in front of that poster and it impacted me.  I hope it compels you to action.

                             AN EXTREME ENCOUNTER: ANTARCTICA

                                                        GLOSSARY

Acclimatization—the process of becoming accustomed to living in different climates or a different elevation.

ACA—Antarctic Division Act.

ACL—Allowable Cabin Load; Payload of aircraft. Calculations based upon take off, landing restrictions, range, weather, load, fuel requirements.

Airdrop—Method of delivering supplies by parachute from aircraft in flights.

Apple/Tomato—Structure or shelter made of fiberglass, helicopter transportable, segmented and expandable.

Arrival Heights—Named by Robert F. Scott—the area above Mac Town.

Beakers—slang term used for ‘scientists’ on the ice.

Beset—Locked up in the ice pack so ship cannot move.

Buddy System—Working, playing, hiking in pairs for safety.

Bunny Boots—Big fat, white boots that look like Bugs Bunny’s feet and part of the Extreme Cold Weather gear.  Warm to 30 below zero and more.

C-141 Star Lifter—Cargo Jet Plane with wheels.

C-130 Hercules—Cargo Jet Prop plane with skis and wheels.

Cape Roberts—Located on Victoria Land about 125 K NW of Mac Town.

Castle Rock—The large rock out cropping located 2 ½ hours from Mac Town on Hut Point Peninsula.

Crack—A fissure or fracture in the sea ice produced by the action of wind, wave, and tidal or thermal forces.

Crevasse—Cracks and fissures in the ice, glacier, and shelf ice. May drop hundreds of feet.  May be hidden by snow.

Disturbed ice—Ice broken by pressure into a chaotic pattern of elevations and depressions.

Dry Valleys—Polar desert having not had moisture fall for millions of years.

E-mail—Electronic mail.

ECW—Extreme cold weather.

Erebus, Mount—Tallest point on Ross Island at 13,400 feet and only active volcano in Antarctica.

ETA—Estimated time of arrival.

Fast ice—Areas of sea ice that are fixed into position.

Field Camps—A fixed location used as a base camp for the pursuit of various scientific endeavors.

FNG—Means f**king new guys.

Flag route—A marked route that has been determined safe for vehicle or hiking travel by qualified personnel.

Freshies—Fresh fruits and veggies brought in on cargo planes on the ice.

GA—General assistant worker who does many odd jobs.

GPS—Global positioning system.

Greenwave ship—Ship that arrives once a year to supply Mac Town and take away waste.

Hoosh—Term used by early explorers to describe their food in a kind of soupy broth mixed with meat and ‘other’ ingredients. Usually served hot from a primus stove.

Herbie—Term used to describe a storm with fierce, blowing winds and snow up to 190 miles per hour.

Herbie Alley—Space between Black and White Islands through which Minna Saddle is normally visible.  When Minna saddle is obscured, a Herbie is on the way.

Hammock—An elevated ice ridge due to pressure.

Hut Point—Northern most point of Mac Town named for Scott’s Discovery Hut and topped by Vince’s Cross.

Ice cliff—A cliff-like front of a glacier where it meets the sea.

Ice edge—The boundary between the sea ice and open sea.

Ice Runway—The runway used by main flights coming into McMurdo at the beginning of the season when the ice is thick enough to hold the weight of the planes.  It’s built on temporary sea ice and accommodates wheeled planes.

IGY—International Geographic Year 1957-1958.

Jamesway—A portable, rigid frame, insulated tent similar to a small Quonset hut.

JP-8—Aircraft fuel.

Kiwi—Nickname given for someone from New Zealand.

Lifelines/Blizzard lines—Lines running between objects or buildings and fastened on the outboard side of life rafts or buildings for personnel to grab when over board or traveling between buildings during a whiteout when the snow is so thick, it is impossible to see 20 feet.

MACOPS—Field Operations Communication Center.

Mac Town—Nickname for McMurdo Station; McMudhole; or Dirt Town due to volcanic soil.

McMurdo Station—Largest U.S. base in Antarctica.

Nacreous clouds—“Mother Of Pearl” clouds that have a milky opalescent glow.

Observation Hill—Cone shaped hill near McMurdo Station with a cross at the summit commemorating the death of Scott and his party.

Pack ice—Main belt of ice that surrounds Antarctica. It is jumbled, broken, blown, cracked, squared, coned, tubular, wedged and irregular.

Pancake ice—sea ice that is flat and up to six feet in diameter.

Pegasus—A prepared runway near McMurdo that operates in January and February.

Pressure ridge—Ice broken by pressures and thrust up in chaotic patterns.

Primus Stove—Light one-burner stove.

Rotten ice—Old ice in advanced stage of disintegration from melting.

Sastrugi—Ridges of wind carved snow in wildly creative shapes.

Scott Base—New Zealand base two miles from McMurdo Station.

Scott’s Hut—Site of house Scott built and used from 1904 through 1913. Contains historic artifacts from Discovery period.

Sea ice—Ice that forms on the surface of the oceans.

Siple Dome—Field camp near the East Side of the Ross Ice Shelf.

Skua gull—Large brown and white seagull that flies the farthermost south to McMurdo.

Smitch Eye—When the early explorers sat in their tents or Scott’s hut, they burned seal blubber for heat.  The smoke irritated their eyes but it was either that or freeze to death.

Snow School—Happy Camper School wilderness survival training class.

SOS—Distress signal.

Southern Exposure—Drinking bar, non-smoking at Mac Town.

Tidal Crack—Cracks occur when tidal action lifts the sea ice above or below the level at which it is shore bound.

Tran Antarctic Range—The mountain range across the middle of the continent from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. The portion visible from McMurdo is the Royal Society Range named for the Royal Geographic Society, which sponsored some early expeditions.

Vince’s Cross—The large wood cross at Hut Point that marks where the man died near that spot in 1902.

Whiteout—A weather term used to describe so much snow blowing that a person can’t see 20 feet away.

Winfly—Winter fly in to McMurdo Station. Early season operations commence in mid August to bring in support personnel to Antarctica in preparation for the coming season.

Winter Over—To stay on the ice from February through August in total isolation.

Handbookfor Touring Bicyclists–Bicycling touring is growing in popularity each year. Men and women around the world are taking to the highways and the “open air” is their kitchen.  On the pages of this book, you’ll discover how to buy, carry, prepare, and store food while on tour. Discover the ‘ins and outs’ with a “Bakers Dozen” of touring tips that are essential for successful bicycle adventuring. Whether you’re going on a weekend ride, a week-long tour, or two years around the world, this handbook will help you learn the artistry of bicycling and cooking.

Strike Three! Take Your Base–The Brookfield Reader, Sterling, VA; 2001. ISBN 1-930093-01-2. To order this hardcover book, send $19.95 to Frosty Wooldridge, POB 207, Louisville, CO 80027. This poignant story is important reading for every teen that has ever experienced the loss of a parent from either death or divorce.  This is the story of a boy losing his father and growing through his sense of pain and loss. It is the story of baseball – a game that was shared by both the boy and his father – and how baseball is much like life.

An Extreme Encounter: Antarctica—“This booktransports readers into the bowels of million year old glaciers, katabatic winds, to the tops of smoking volcanoes, scuba diving under the ice, wacky people, death, outlaw activities and rare moments where he meets penguins, whales, seals and Skua birds. Hang on to your seat belts–you’re in for a wild ride where the bolt goes into the bottom of the world.” Sandy Colhoun, editor-in- chief, The Antarctic Sun

Bicycling Around the World: Tire Tracks for your Imagination–This book mesmerizes readers with animal stories that bring a smile to your face. It will pain your mind and heart seeing the Third World. It chills you with a once-in-a-lifetime ride in Antarctica where you’ll meet a family of Emperor penguins. Along the way, you’ll find out that you have to go without a mirror, sometimes, in order to see yourself. The greatest aspect of this book comes from–expectation! Not since ‘Miles from Nowhere’ has a writer captured the Zen and Art of Bicycle Adventure as well as Wooldridge. Not only that, you enjoy a final section-’Everything you need to know about long distance touring’. He shows you ‘How to live the dream’. You’ll have the right bike, equipment, money and tools to ride into your own long distance touring adventures. If you like bicycling, you’ll go wild reading this book. If you don’t like bicycling, you’ll still go wild reading this book.

Motorcycle Adventure to Alaska: Into the Wind—“Seldom does a book capture the fantasy and reality of an epic journey the magnitude of a ‘Motorcycle Adventure to Alaska’. Trevor and Dan resemble another duo rich in America’s history of youthful explorers who get into all kinds of trouble – Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. They plied the Mississippi River, but Dan and his brother push their machines into a wild and savage land—Alaska. My boys loved it.” John Mathews, father of two boys and a daughter.

Bicycling the Continental Divide: Slice of Heaven, Taste of Hell—“This bicycle dream ride carries a bit of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. The author mixes hope with adventure, pain with courage and bicycling with mountains. John Brown, a friend left behind to battle cancer, provides guts and heart for his two friends who ride into the teeth of nature’s fury. Along the way, you’ll laugh, cry and gain new appreciations while pondering the meaning of life.”

Losing Your Best Friend: Vacancies of the Heart—“This is one heck of a powerful book!  It’s a must read for anyone that has lost a friend or parent.  It will give you answers that you may not have thought about.  It will touch your heart and you will learn from their experiences.  It also shows you what you can do if you suffer conflict with your friend’s wife or girlfriend.”   Jonathan Runy

Rafting the Rolling Thunder—“Fasten your ‘raft-belts’ folks!  You’re in for the white water rafting ride of your life.  Wooldridge keeps readers on the edge of their seats on a wild excursion through the Grand Canyon.  Along the way, he offers you an ‘outlaw’ run by intrepid legend “Highwater Harry”, a man who makes a bet with the devil and nearly loses his life.  The raft bucks beneath you as Harry crashes through Class V rapids.  And the Grand Canyon Dish Fairies, well, they take you on separate rides of laughter and miles of smiles!  Enjoy this untamed excursion on a river through time.”  Jason Rogers

Misty’s Long Ride: Across America on Horseback—Misty’s Long Ride, by Smooth Georgia Mist (Howard Wooldridge – Frosty Wooldridge’s brother), AuthorHouse, 2005. ISBN 1-4208-5766-5 (sc).  “As good as Howard was, sometimes there was nothing he could do about our situation in the burning inferno of Utah. In that agonizing desert, a man’s mouth became so dry, he couldn’t spit. I felt the heat cook my hooves at ground level where it felt like walking alone in the middle of a farrier’s furnace. Above us, vultures soared in the skies searching for road-kill. Yet, Howard pulled down the brim of his hat and pushed forward. I followed this cowboy because he was a Long Rider and I was his horse….” For anyone who loves horses and high adventure – Howard’s horse Misty tells one of the great adventure tales in the 21^st century by galloping coast to coast across America. You’ll enjoy horse sense, horse humor, unique characters and ride the wild wind.

All books available at: 1 888 280 7715, www.amazon.com , www.barnesandnoble.com

Frosty Wooldridge has bicycled across six continents – from the Arctic to the South Pole – as well as seven times across the USA, coast to coast and border to border. In 2005, he bicycled from the Arctic Circle, Norway to Athens, Greece.  In 2010,

he bicycled coast to coast across America. He presents “How to Live a Life of Adventure: The Art of Exploring the World” to high schools, civic clubs, colleges, retirement communities around the USA.  You may enjoy his new book and website by clicking: http://www.HowToLiveALifeOfAdventure.com  Copies of his book: 1 888 280 7715 or Kindle.