I had thought that a week would be far too long to pack to go into the field. I was incorrect.

There are five of us, plus an occasional technician, and we’ll be gone for six weeks with minimal resupply via helicopter. That’s a lot of food. It’s also a lot of waste jugs, cooking supplies, fuel, and sleeping gear.

Jay inspecting his time-lapse photography gear

Kate, Jay, and Rachel on the way to test out our tent and radio.

We’ve been going through all of our equipment to double check that it works properly and that it’s all accounted for. We don’t really want to end up in a remote field camp and find out that our stove doesn’t work. We did fail laughably at getting our radio to send calls today, so double checking is definitely a good idea.

The view from town is much nicer than I expected, but I’ve seen a lot more of the inside of the Berg Field Center (BFC) than I have of the Antarctic scenery. I figure we’ll all get a good dose of chilly sightseeing soon enough, though, and as far as buildings go, the BFC is an easy favorite.

Admiring the kitchen area of the BFC.

It’s also incredibly instructive to listen to Kate and Jay direct our packing operations. They have tons of experience, both with the harsh environment and with the extreme weather polar gear. Setting up camp is a major operation, far more complex than the simple weeklong field camping I’ve done in the relative warmth of Greenland.

And we’re so close to actually getting to set up camp! Jay, a technician named Mari, and I are heading into the field on Friday (we hope!). Kate, Rachel, and Esther are hoping for a Saturday deployment. Pretty stoked.