bevonice: Happy Camper

Anyone here who is going out to a field camp has to go to snow survival school before they leave McMurdo. It is referred to as "Happy Camper School" and I went my first year down here. There is a short classroom portion and then you head out to the open snow to learn how to operate the stoves, set up a tent, build a snow wall, and set up communications. It is very difficult to set up a tent on the ice and snow, especially in the wind, so learning things such as this are valuable to working here. Once all of the campers head out to the snow field, they begin setting up their tents and building the snow wall to stop the wind with the snow wall. They teach you how to build a snow hut by piling up the bags and piling snow on top. They camp out over night and have a bit of fun with building other snow sculptures. The next day the campers put a bucket on their heads to simulate a white out condition and you have only a rope and must find a "lost" teammate. The weather here can change quickly and harsh conditions can make it really dangerous. Many scientists and field crews live out in tents for several months at a time.