November 17, 2025 • 60 mins
Special Bonus episode of Something about the Ice we teased last month. We suspended all Patreon billing in the month of October so we could bring everybody an interview with Ms. Amy Brummit. Not only has she lived at Amundsen-Scott; she's also worked at Palmer, McMurdo and has visited over 100 countries as a part of her on-going life's work! Please join us as she shares some of her experiences !
Ms. Brummit's Social Pages
https://amybrummit.com
Instagram @brummitroams
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:27):
Hello and welcome to episode 7 of Something About the Ice.
We have a very special episode to share with all of you today,
and we couldn't be more excited.I'm your host, Aaron McCann, and
I'd like to welcome you to our very own behind the scenes
podcast. Joining me as always today are
podcast Trent Shumway and Brian.Now normally at the start of our
(00:48):
episodes, we kick things off with a little chit chat and
banter about what's going on in our lives before we introduce
you to our mystery guest and then dive into an episode recap.
Today, we want to make the most of our limited and valuable time
that we have with our guest, andit is my pleasure to introduce
all of you to her now. Explorer, scholar, artist,
(01:10):
educator, conservationist, mariner, adventurer, our guest
has journeyed to more than 100 countries across the globe and
worked in some of the most challenging and beautiful places
on Earth. She's collaborated with renowned
organizations including NationalGeographic, Habitat for
Humanity, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
(01:31):
And that just scratches the surface.
What truly captured our attention, though, was her time
on the ice. She spent multiple seasons
living and working at every US Antarctic Research Station,
McMurdo, Palmer, and of course, a Monson Scott South Pole
Station. Friends, it is my absolute honor
and pleasure to welcome to the show Miss Amy J Brummett.
(01:54):
Amy we. Are so.
Happy you're here. Thank you so much for agreeing
to share your experiences with us.
Well, hello everyone. It is quite a pleasure to be
here and I really appreciate that introduction.
Aaron, I have to now live up to everything that you just said in
the next hour, right? No doubt that you will.
No doubt that that resume is pretty impressive and very
(02:18):
varied. It is, it is.
Yes, I've heard that before. It is definitely, it is
definitely varied. It's funny though, at this stage
of life, when I look back on it now, I do see a common thread
with all of it. So it is a lot of it has to do
with connecting and connections,right?
(02:40):
Whether I'm, whether I'm workingto connect with nature or other
people around the world, other cultures, other countries,
different sorts of science, obviously in Antarctica,
connecting with yourself, right?When you, when you break out of
that comfort zone and go into situations that are a little
scary, you find that you connectwith yourself in ways that maybe
(03:03):
you that maybe you wouldn't otherwise.
So there there is a little bit of a threat that goes through
all of that. I love it.
One journey leads to another. Now, before we started, Brian
mentioned that you're in anothervery exciting and very exotic
part of the world. So before we really dive into to
your time in Antarctica, tell usa little bit about where you are
and what you're working on rightnow.
(03:24):
Yes, I am currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
smack dab, smack dab in the middle of Africa.
Some of you, if you're readers, you maybe know the famous novel
called The Heart of Darkness, which was about the DRC.
I'm in the capital city called Kinshasa, and I'm currently
(03:46):
working a contract in education.I'm doing a teaching contract.
So you will also know with all of that, all of that list that
Aaron stated on my resume is that I do a lot of work that's
contract work. So very different than maybe
what a traditional job or careerlooks like for people in the
(04:07):
United States where I bounce around all over the place and
work different contracts with different links.
They could be anywhere from weeks to several months to even
a few years. So it depends.
I just think that is the coolestadventure.
Like you're a true citizen of the world, and I'm now feeling
just this absolute compulsion tojust go somewhere and do
(04:30):
something wild. Do it, do it.
In fact, if that's the biggest take away today that's a little
bit outside of your podcast, then I then I feel like that
I've done a good job if I inspire some folks to get out
there and and go see something new.
Absolutely. Well, we definitely want to hear
(04:51):
about your time on the ice. So we have a ton of questions.
Some of them are from the peoplehere in this room.
We also have some listener questions.
We have a really dedicated listener base.
So if you don't mind, we're justgoing to jump into some of those
questions. Is that OK?
Yeah, that sounds great. Fantastic.
OK. So what was your job at the
three Antarctic stations and howlong were you at each one of
(05:12):
those postings? Oh, so let's see, it varies
quite a bit and each station I, I know we'll talk about this a
little bit, how how they are alike and how they're different.
So I have spent, I spent one summer season at Palmer Station
and that's a six month contract.Palmer is the one that's on the
(05:34):
peninsula of Antarctica. And then I spent the majority of
my time at McMurdo Station. I did 2 winters.
There. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Yeah, the old Mack down and I spent 2 winters there so we
could dive a little bit into what it's like to winter there
(05:54):
as well. And I also spent, what did I
spend there 2 summers? And then I spent a summer at
your famous location, the South Pole Station.
And I also was working for the United States Antarctic Program
this past winter in the Arctic. So I was up in the Arctic Circle
(06:18):
at Summit Station and that winter time darkness.
And that was a unique experiencebecause there were only five of
us there for the entire winter. So, yeah.
So there's a lot to say about that.
OK, kind of a silly question. I'm so I'm in Texas, which means
I'm fairly close to the equator.So we have fairly equal kind of
(06:40):
summer and winter seasons as faras the amount of light, how long
is a winter season or how long is a summer season?
Yeah, great question. Again, it depends on where you
are on the continent. So the the the longest and the
darkest is the South Pole. So you get you get a solid six
(07:01):
months of darkness and then obviously a solid six months of
light. There at the South Pole station
at McMurdo, we get four months of darkness, four months of
light. The coolest thing I like to
explain when I try to try to spell this out for people,
because it's obviously very hardto wrap your head around, is
(07:22):
that we are used to 1 sunset and1 sunrise every 24 hours,
whereas there we have 1 sunset and 1 sunrise every 365 days, so
once a year. So for example, I did 14 months
at McMurdo Station, which meant that basically you have four
(07:45):
months of light, then two monthsof a sunset, then you have four
months of complete darkness, andthen you have a 2 month long
sunrise. And it literally takes that long
for the sun to rise and for the sun to set.
(08:06):
That must. Be that is the closest thing we
can be to to you know, being on an alien planet.
It is is to see you know, just like you said, the the constant
sunrise or sunset for you know, never it just it must be a one.
I have to imagine you've got plenty of of photos of that
(08:26):
sunrise and sunset. You haven't someone.
It's OK. So he he can tell I'm on, he
sees that I'm on something. Sorry.
Listen, there was someone came into came into my space.
We're all good. All good, all good I feel.
Like that must be so disorienting.
But that was even my question, actually.
I was just like, how quickly does your body adapt to that?
(08:49):
Yeah, great question. Some people have a harder time
than others. So some people really struggle
more so in the darkness where either they get, you know what
we would call cabin fever. They start to they can start to
go a little cuckoo. Some just have the problem of
(09:10):
their sleep being so messed up, and they'll be going days
without sleep and they're, you know, sort of losing their mind
in a way because of that, obviously.
But everybody's different, and you don't know how you're going
to react to it until you do it. And so when I try to explain to
the general public, I actually preferred the winters.
(09:30):
I prefer the darkness, and that's really hard to explain.
The, the best way I've come up with is that picture yourself,
say, at a ski resort and you're in one of those big lodges and
it's that beautiful snow outsideand you're inside snuggled up in
front of the the fire and you'vegot a soft blanket and a hot
(09:53):
drink. And you feel so cozy is the best
way that I can describe the feeling that I have when I'm
wintering in either the Arctic or Antarctic.
Well, if I wasn't sold going down there before you.
Know you want to go during the winter is what you're saying?
Oh, absolute winner over. Sign me up.
Sign him up. Well, you have to get good
(10:15):
connectivity, Brian, because we need more seasons of this show.
So you can go, but you have to keep writing.
Yeah. And good luck with that because
yeah, you probably you Brian, I think, you know, I mean, I feel
like like, like you said, you know so much about that.
We only have Internet down therewhen it's certain satellites are
lasting above us. And so we now they do they do a
(10:38):
great job with tracking those times.
So we know and. The galley time, yeah.
You, yeah, you know the in the galley how we've got the, the,
the monitor that tells us. Telemetry and how long?
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
So you can, you know, you can make plans with that, but
sometimes it's the only time you've got connectivity is in
the middle of the night. And obviously we work really
(11:00):
hard there. So you want to sleep in the
middle of the night? Sure.
Absolutely and I know you there is time is very relegated down
there just because a lot of people like you were on a
contract or you have, you know, people trying to justify their
grants. So, you know, goofing around.
Shall we? Of course it's going to happen.
(11:21):
But they try to keep it to a minimum so they can justify
their budget, especially with, you know, any, any taxpayer
money, any university monies or any, any corporate monies.
I will say that was what, because I want this to be
realism. But the, the, the purpose or
the, the vehicle and the how thestory gets to the people is it's
all through the lens of a body camera of the deputy Marshall
(11:41):
who is down there. The Internet was going to be an
issue. So I had to come up with a way
that the the bogus government funded company like the Lockheed
Martin, we call them Beauregard Lowing, put satellites in orbit
called the Lifeline satellite sothat it would be more reliable,
(12:01):
but nowhere near, you know, fiber Internet or anything like
that. Just to, to, you know, keep that
realism. I'm sorry I'm I'm going to stop
keeping out. No, I love that.
I love that that you that you work that realism into there.
That is great. That is great.
I would, I will say that there was probably and obviously I
won't tell details, but there was more goofing off quote UN
(12:22):
quote back in the days before cell phones, right before people
were. Everyone became a journalist.
Right, right before the the evidence could be placed all
over the Internet. So I would say there was there
was more goofing off in that time and yeah, maybe a little
bit more discreet in today's world.
(12:44):
Just to bring our listeners along, when we were kind of
warming up and before we startedrecording, Amy was kind of
telling us about different aspects of the station.
And, and Brian already has done so much research, as you all
know from the detail of the show.
But Brian already knew everything that she had
mentioned. So Brian is our second expert on
(13:05):
the show today. Stop No.
Yes he is. Yes, he.
Is. Well, speaking, Speaking of
research, sorry, no. Please.
Speaking of research then, Amy, because I imagine you don't go
into this blindly. You, you, you clearly know as
you're going into this kind of sacrifices one has to make.
How do you prepare yourself for this?
Do you, do you even have any cohorts, any friends who are
(13:27):
going to be there? Or are you going in, it's just
you and you're just prepared to spend this 14 months of your
life literally, you know, on a, on an alien planet like Brian
was saying. Right, right, Trent, that's a
great question too. I will have to say that my
personality is actually one thatI do dive in sometimes pretty
(13:51):
blind into situation. I will.
I will take those. Yeah, dive every.
Yeah, I will take those lists. But I kind like Brian actually,
when I look back before I finally got hired there 'cause
it took me a while to to actually get a contract there.
And I was like Brian, I was scouring the web, YouTube,
(14:13):
reading every possible book out there, trying to gain as much
information as possible. And in, in my circumstances, I
knew about it from the perspective of people who are
seasonal workers. So people who, for example, I, I
would, I've worked at ski resorts.
(14:34):
So you work in the winter seasonand then in the summer season
you might do a job like I used to be a a white water rafting
guide and a sea kayaking guide and work jobs of that nature
seasonally for the benefit of not only the jobs are really
great, but for the benefit of having big chunks of time off to
travel. So I learned about it through
(14:55):
that lens, which is a different lens than say, for example,
researchers that are that are employed at a university.
And so I knew knew from that sort of lifestyle and knew from
people who had done it and were working other seasonal jobs.
I had a, you know, a pretty goodidea of what it most likely
(15:16):
looked like. Now of course with anything in
life, there's there's things that you don't know until you
get there. Sure, sure, But that's that's
part of the adventure, I imagine, yes, the uncertainty
and it's like, but now, of course, as as you're revealing
additional jobs you had, it's like, God, I need to have more
adventure in my life. I'm.
(15:38):
Just a desk jockey for God's sake.
I think you're probably selling yourself short.
You all probably have more adventure in your life than what
you realize. Like raising kids, that is.
Quite the adventure. Oh yeah, it certainly can be.
That's. True, yeah.
Amy, tell us about your first impression when you stepped off
(15:59):
the plane at the Pax terminal and saw the Munson Scott station
for the first time. Well, I love that question when
I saw that previously, because so to give you a little
background into our world there for for a, for decades, it was
almost impossible to get to either Palmer Station or
(16:20):
Edmondson South Pole Station if you were working at McMurdo.
It was the the, the top dogs like it was a position of
prestige. It was one that you had put in
enough time and proven yourself at McMurdo Station to get to
these, to get to those other stations.
(16:40):
And so when I first started at McMurdo Station, I basically
learned that it was probably going to be impossible to, to
get to either one of those otherstations.
And you really, you start to, well, some of us that it's
important to you start to try tokind of figure out the insurance
and outs and who to talk to, whoare the people that might be
(17:03):
able to help you get there? Even to get there as what we
call a boondock, where we do a, you get like a little special
treat for being an exemplary employee where you get to go to
places like you might get to go to the Dry Valleys.
If you know about the Dry Valleys, you might get to go for
(17:23):
like literally a 12 hour stint to, to the South Pole station.
So you, you start to sort of figure out, OK, who do I need to
connect with? What do I need to do to get
there? So I had a very laser focus
drive to get to those other two stations and get contracts
(17:45):
there. And I was really fortunate.
And when I, when I do try to explain this to some people,
like when I work on the NationalGeographic ships and we give
talks about where we are and when I'm in Antarctica, I
explain to them that, hey, it's unusual.
Most people are not, are not able to work at all three of the
(18:05):
US Antarctic stations. So I had been dreaming of that
moment for a long time. And when it finally had like
right now, Brian, what you said earlier, I'm getting goosebumps,
goosebumps, goosebumps. When I when I stepped off that
plane, I mean, I was speechless.I was.
So I mean, you know how life is when you when you finally reach
(18:30):
something, a goal, a summit, something, when you finally
reach it, that. You.
You. You're not even sure how to to
be in that moment. And I think that's that's also a
reminder like you always try so hard to be present in that
moment. So I was just elated.
And of course, the the cold, it's much colder there than it
(18:53):
is at Roberto. And so that sort of knocks you
off your feet a little bit. But I was just like a little kid
on Christmas morning. Bryan Bradley 90° SI Have a
follow up question. So what what hit you hardest
upon stepping off the plane? Was it the cold or the altitude
(19:15):
or both? Oh, oh, great question.
Immediately it was the cold. Immediately the, the, the
altitude hit me within probably,oh, maybe a couple hours where I
started to feel a little bit light headed, started to feel
that almost it's kind of strangebecause you feel light headed,
(19:36):
but at the same time your body sort of feels really heavy.
So, so it is a strange feeling Iwas taking is it Diamox?
I hope I'm saying the right medication.
It's, it's Diamox that we take for and I've taken that with,
with other altitude situations like summiting high mountains,
(19:57):
Kilimanjaro. So going.
Going. High in altitude.
I've used Diamox one other time because I do I do mountain
climbing but I just like. I mean casually throws that in,
like in my spare time I also climb mountain.
Cool. It's it's actually.
Make mountains too. I mean, I read books, but some
(20:18):
people go in the. Right, guys.
All right, guys. We got to cut the shirt.
I'm going to be going to the Mariana.
Transfer in about 30 minutes. So yeah, Brian's off on an
adventure now. I, I love climbing mountains,
but so, yeah, so I had taken Diomox when, when I was in the
Himalayas and I-1 time and I didnot like the side effects.
(20:38):
It's really strange side effects.
You get like all these tingles in your fingers and your toes
and you have to go to the bathroom constantly.
What is that? A diuretic, diuretic, diuretic.
And so I was hesitant to take it.
But people who had been to the South Pole station, they, they
advised us to take it. So I thought, well, I'll start
(20:59):
out taking it and see how I do. And I am really glad I did.
So we take it for about four days and that helps you
acclimate and then you just sortof wean yourself off of that.
And and then some of us again, same thing where some people
adjust to it, they, they acclimate to it and other people
do not. So we have to get people out
(21:21):
sometimes where they, they can'tacclimate to it.
And there's nothing you can do ahead of time.
It has nothing to do with what kind of shape you're in.
There's nothing you can do to prepare.
Your body could actually acclimate one time really well
and then another time not at all.
There's like no pattern to it. And so, yeah, we've had to.
We've had to get people leave ortake people back to McMurdo who
(21:45):
just can't breathe, can't breathe.
Wow. Yeah.
I mean, we could have told a very different story, Brian, if
Bass couldn't have adjusted to the altitude.
I. Know very short season, Very
short season. Two episode run and we're
finished. Maybe.
Maybe you introduce a new character who can't act.
(22:06):
I'm not going to lie, I I will be up as you were talking.
I am, I am logging ideas that I should, I should incorporate
that I didn't, I didn't know, you know, the the having to, you
know, evac people, you know, whowould just have problems act
with me. Oh, wow.
OK. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I'll submit my suggestions to you in writing after this
episode. There we go.
(22:27):
Erin's going the formal route. All right, Erin.
That's right. That's right.
OK. So kind of in the vein of that
with some people having so much trouble adjusting you, it sounds
like you did OK. What was actually your hardest
adjustment from all of your timeon the ice at the at the three
stations? Oh, what was my hardest
adjustment? I would say this sounds so
(22:52):
unglamorous. I would say at at some point I
was starting to get sick of the communal living.
So you are, you are, you know, sharing bathroom space.
Like at Palmer Station, we had one bathroom, kind of an average
(23:13):
size bathroom that you might have at home.
And there were six or seven of us women where every morning
someone was on the toilet, someone was at the sink, someone
was in the shower, someone was trying to get in there.
And so you reach a point after, after weeks and months, where
(23:33):
you think, yeah, I'm really ready to be in my own bed.
And. Have, yeah.
That's a hard no for me. Be in my own space and food too.
Food, food is can be a struggle as well, especially in the
winter. So in the winter we get, you
know, no fresh food. It's just frozen and canned
food. And so I'd say that I'm not even
(23:54):
a foodie and I don't even typically, I'm not even
typically guided by food necessarily.
But boy, you really start to crave certain foods and you just
want, you want a fresh salad, you want some fresh fruits and,
and you think, am I going to go crazy just because I want a
salad? And sometimes it feels that way.
(24:15):
I'm so glad you brought this up because this is one of the
questions I had was in our show,we have like, you know, these
these chefs are are doing their share and then some.
And then food is is quite good. So that was in the question was
how you know, how bearable is it?
How, how, how you know? After a while, I imagine those
creature comforts, you know, aresomething that you're going to
(24:35):
be craving constant. Like if I would murder someone
for a Twinkie right now, right? Right.
Is that? Yeah, it kind of went with
Twinkie. He went with Twinkie.
Yeah. He's going old school there.
There were so many choices. Available and he went I'm just.
Saying, you know, you get to thepoint where it's limited and
it's like, I can't do sardines anymore.
I'm bringing you a Twinkie the next time I see you trying.
(24:56):
I love. It that's great.
That's great. All the listeners will be
shipping you Twinkies. That's exactly right, you know,
Oh gosh. Well, I will say our chefs too.
We, we usually have some very creative, hard working chefs and
the whole team, the whole entireteam that could do magic can
(25:18):
really do magic. Obviously they can only do what
they can, but it it at times is extremely impressive.
And I myself am not much of A cook.
So I'm always amazed at what they're able to pull out there
in the in the middle of literally at the bottom of the
planet Earth, right. Like how did you?
Do this. At the the bottom of the planet
(25:39):
Earth. And like you said, without
without fresh ingredients, it's like, you know, you got to make
do so. OK.
Can you tell us, you were talking earlier about how there
was more goofing off before everybody had cell phones and
things were recorded. Can you share like a funny story
or something particularly memorable that happened to you
(25:59):
at at any of these three stations?
As long as you're able to share it, we don't spill any.
Tea. Or anything that's right.
I can't. I got to protect my people
'cause we do have secrets, secret gathering, secret parties
(26:21):
that we, we definitely have to keep on the down low.
And I'm not talking like anything, you know, R rated,
just that things that things that they started to really sort
of put the hammer down. Some things came out into in the
press that was happening specifically at McMurdo Station.
(26:44):
They had Twinkies. They had.
They had Twinkies shut them down.
I know that which you refer to, but I won't I Yeah, I know.
Yeah, we were, like I said, keeprespecting my people.
So, so yeah, so, so. But we, it's, I'm super
impressed with the creativity ofthe people that we have there
(27:09):
and, and thinking about something like super fun or
super memorable. I'm definitely thinking for, for
you all for the South Pole station that we have one of one
of our wonderful lead heavy equipment operators.
He would every year he would build these enormous mounds of
(27:32):
snow and he would work weeks on this.
So they're moving snow all summer long because we just get,
we get buried. Otherwise we get completely
buried, which I'm sure Brian probably knows too about our old
station literally being. Buried the Dome.
The Dome on the station in the station before that too, that's
under the ice. So, so he they move snow all
(27:57):
summer long. They're digging us out and they
have places way off site that they dump snow.
But he, because he's such community minded, generous human
being, he would make these mountains out of the snow.
So that on New Year, is it New Year's?
I think it's New Year's. I was trying to remember if it
was Christmas or New Year's. It's New Year's where we
(28:19):
basically spend anywhere from, say, 12 to 18 hours sledding and
money and like, just being totalkids.
That's so. Cool, that's.
Tough snow and we just have an absolute blast, right?
We just do. We get, we get silly, we get
(28:39):
crazy. We wear costumes.
That sounds so much fun. That sounds.
Incredible. It's it's a lot of fun.
There is like. Yeah, it's, as you're saying,
moving snow around like snow Fort.
Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly,
exactly. I mean, if the kid in you comes
out right, everyone. To kid me is always out.
That's. What you said, Trent, that's
what. I'm just imagining you all
(29:02):
throwing snowballs at each othernow.
Yep, Yep, all of that. That altitude, Brian, I would
throw about two or three and be like we're done right, that's.
Right. Yeah, you get very winded.
That ski lines environment again, please.
Get that warm beverage exactly so you Amy, you said that was
around New Year's. Is that wait you?
Just said I was trying to remember which celebration that
(29:24):
was. That's either, it's either our
we, it's a big deal where we get2 days off at Christmas and two
days off at New Year's, which ishuge because usually we get one
day off, if even that. So when I was just in the Arctic
at Summit Station this past winter, we no days off.
So seven days. Oh, really?
(29:45):
Yeah, really. Yeah.
So to get that time off and thento do it in such a fun way,
right, And be so playful and have such a good time.
So I'm just trying to remember. I can't remember if it's the New
Year's break or the Christmas break.
So that was actually one of my questions was to kind of hear
how maybe holidays were acknowledged or not acknowledged
(30:05):
and kind of how you handled things that traditionally here
would be like moments of family and gathering and festivities.
And, you know, I would imagine some people probably got quite
homesick. Yes, yes, definitely.
And again, you know, more, some people more than others.
But we do honor those holidays. And so it's funny too, because
(30:26):
I've had a lot of people ask me over the years, they've said,
oh, you must not celebrate the holidays because Antarcticans
don't celebrate the holidays. And I think they're thinking.
The native Antarcticans, Yeah. And and.
So your listeners know there's no native, no native
Antarcticans and but I think we're thinking of maybe like the
(30:46):
Inuits up in up in the Arctic. Is probably what they're.
Thinking of so because we are a,because our stations are US
stations that yes, we, we very much celebrate the holidays at
all three of the stations. And so we celebrate Halloween,
we dress up, we have a big Halloween party, we celebrate
(31:08):
Thanksgiving. We're again, those chefs and the
and their team just make an incredible meal for us and we
gorge ourselves just like at home.
And then we have same thing havea big Christmas meal.
We put up Christmas decorations and then we celebrate New Year.
So that does help for people whoare really missing their family
(31:29):
and really having a hard time being away from from their
family that that definitely helps quite a bit.
Now working seven days a week too, and and and as hard as I
imagine that helps, maybe because there's a focus and you
have a purpose, maybe that helpsalso the time go by faster as
well. Yeah, it's, you know, time is
really strange there. It, it has that whole feeling of
(31:54):
simultaneously moving really slowly and yet going super fast
and the next thing you know, theseason's over.
So it's really strange because there's definitely a monotony to
your days. And and I know, and you know,
probably a lot of listeners can,can relate to that.
I mean, I think with a lot of careers, there's, there's a, a
(32:15):
sense of monotony to them. But because we have that, that
end insight, you know, because we know, OK, my contract ends at
this time or at the during this month or whatever the case is
that then you, you have that endinsight.
And I think maybe that partiallythat's what makes it also go
fast. It's just a strange feeling.
(32:37):
Well, there's a finality, right?Yeah, yeah.
Because there's an end date, youknow, there's there's a
deadline. And so you're, yeah, that makes
sense. And so because of that deadline,
well, especially in the summer seasons, we are, oh boy, we are
going full speed. We are, that's when all the
research is taking place and we are just going 100 mph in the
summer months. And, and definitely with that,
(32:59):
that deadline, we feel it, I would say probably feel at the
strongest at the South Pole station because the cut off is
really, really severe there where it's like it's just
literally one day it's summer and the next day done, it's
over. It's it's winter.
We are we are racing the clock to get everything completed to
(33:22):
get people out in time. Because if we don't get, if you
don't get that summer crew out, guess what?
They're staying another nine months.
They're not leaving. It's just so wild to me that
it's that it's that final or strict or I don't even know what
I'm trying to say here. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I mean, you feel that. You definitely feel that.
(33:43):
What is something that you wish people understood about living
and working in? In Antarctica, oh gosh.
Oh, I'd say there's several things.
So for me to get a little bit more on the serious side is the
science that takes place there. A lot of it is so unknown.
(34:05):
And I think some of the misconceptions when people know
that just generally speaking, that there's research that takes
place there, that it's research that's important to our entire
planet, that it, it is not, it'snot a vacuum where it's just
about researching that, that certain place just to research
(34:26):
that place that everything that happens at the poles, both
poles, North Pole and South Pole, everything that happens at
the poles effects our entire planet.
It's all, it's all connected. So I think with that, I really
wish more people were familiar with that.
And we talked about that a lot in science where, you know,
(34:47):
unfortunately we, we do not often talk about science in just
the common language or common person language, right, where we
use all this jargon and, and, and Trent.
Familiar. Yeah.
Trent, as I'm doing my research,I I have tried to be as real as
and Amy, I apologize for cuttingyou off.
(35:08):
Oh, no problem. I just, I, I do want to you
know, for the cast that are here, both cast members that are
here, I just, you know, Trent week, week after week, month
after month, had to learn, you know, all about ARO terms, you
know, he had to learn about. Doms.
Yeah, and for the ice cube lab, and he can recite, but he'll be
the first to tell you. I have no clue what I just said,
(35:30):
but it sounds good. Yeah, I don't memorize any of
it. Yeah, I'm cramming for a test.
I got to read it once. Regurgitate it, yeah.
The difference from being a stage actor, huh?
Trent, where you? Wouldn't well, it's like, look,
I, you know, I can fake it for as long as we need to have that
taken. Then after that, do not count on
me to give you any scientific knowledge.
(35:52):
I it it did not stick. I apologize, Amy, for cutting.
You off No, no, no problem at all.
No, that's a valid point. Yeah.
And so it's sometimes it's hard to to break that down in a
simpler way for, for the generalpublic to understand that it
does impact them right there, that that it's not this.
(36:13):
I mean, it is far away, obviously, but it is not this
far away thing in the sense thatit doesn't have some sort of of
impact on their lives because ithas an impact on our planet and
weather systems and climate and all, all of those things that,
you know, we could go deeper into.
And then I think the other thing, well, no, there's
(36:34):
probably a couple more. I would love for people to know
that it's not just researchers down there, that there is the,
the people behind the scenes, soto speak, who, who run it, who
do the logistics, who, who run the place, that if, if those
people were not there, it wouldn't happen.
It, it, it couldn't happen. They, they have to have that
(36:56):
support staff in order for thoseresearchers to come down for
often very short periods. I mean, they may come just for a
few weeks to do their research and then they're gone and that's
it. And, and we, the ones that are
behind the scenes, have to have everything in place and
everything ready for them. And when it comes to that, in
terms of logistics, it's extremely complicated and
(37:17):
there's a lot of planning ahead of time and, and trying to
foresee every possible scenario that could take place.
And then probably, probably my, my other thing would be I would
love for people to know what a remarkably special place it is.
(37:39):
I in fact, I, I get a little choked up even even saying this,
that there's no place on the planet like it.
And you go there and to have to see a place that has not been
impacted by humans and to have aa silence, a silence that you
(38:05):
never even knew was possible, where there's literally no sound
at all that you cannot even imagine in our our very noisy,
busy lives. You know, obviously I'm thinking
of in the United States is just something that is hard to put
into words, right. And so how, how can we through
(38:27):
visual representation, through pictures, through through video,
through movies and just through our words, how can we convey
that? Is is really hard, but boy I
wish I could bottle it up and share it with everybody.
Well, I imagine too, forgive my ignorance on this, but you know,
with the limited amount of resources, no creature comforts,
the days could be nights for months or or days could be
(38:50):
sunrise for I imagine there's got to be more harmonious kind
of interaction between like a village.
It has to put this together because everyone understands and
and respects each other's time there.
And there's on the sacrifice that everyone has to make.
And at the same time, it's like,look, we don't get this done.
We've got a problem tonight. You know, like this has to
happen now. Like there's no excuses, right?
(39:10):
Like is, is, do you find that everyone kind of has that same
common goal as opposed to those of us who maybe are kind of, I
don't know, taking for granted our creature comforts And we
just kind of, you know, you can't half ass anything, I
imagine. There, right, right.
Definitely, 100%. I mean, that's part of why I
love the community so much is because we're, we're, I call it
(39:31):
an insta community where boom, right then I mean, you get off
that plane or even before that. If we're, if we're, we go
through New Zealand, if we're meeting each other first in New
Zealand, where you're an instantcommunity to get to Palmer
Station, we go through, through South America, through Chile.
And so, yeah, you, you have to depend on each other, not only
(39:55):
for your, for that sort of emotional support.
And like we're saying, like being there during the holidays
and you're away from your loved ones.
But also being there for each other safety wise as well,
right? We're, we're in some pretty
dangerous situations. And if somebody doesn't have
your back where it is life or death, right?
(40:16):
It's literally life or death. And so I, I personally, I've
lived a lot of my life in those insta communities that, that,
that I call that I refer to themthat way and I prefer that way
of living. I have a hard time when I go
back to the United States and, you know, I think I'm meeting
someone for the first time and we're going to be friends and
(40:37):
it's like, OK, let's go. Let's dive in.
We're friends or even romantic relationships.
It's like, OK, right, boom, let's go.
We don't have much time. All right, let's do.
A second date are we? Doing this right, Let's do it.
Let's go. And I realize that, you know,
people are kind of a little a little shocked at that, right,
(40:58):
That that is not how how most people live their lives.
You know, you're playing, you'replaying more of the long game.
So that's always where when I realize, oh, right, OK, I'm not
on the ice. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not in one
of my other instant, instant communities.
So yeah, I have to remember thatwhen I go back to the United
(41:18):
States. I like that expression.
Instant community. Sorry, I'm just writing that
down. I might use that for future
research. OK, Yeah.
Yeah, why don't we, why don't wego ahead and move into listener
questions. OK, We've got a handful of them.
And our first one is from one ofour Patreon subscribers, Elle
(41:41):
Link. A big fan of the show, very
frequent listener. Hi, Elle.
Elle wants to know, is there a historical expedition that you
find most interesting? OK.
That's a good question. Great question.
Well, since I am a female, I would say that obviously those
early explorers that we all knowabout, we all know Shackleton
(42:04):
and everybody that we're all menthat the the women that were not
known, right. So in those days, obviously
women were not on those expeditions.
But I also, I like to point out,well, those women were at home
taking care of home and childrenand everything else that has to
(42:27):
be taken care of while their husbands or their partners were
out on these big expeditions andexploring the the far reaches of
the planet Earth. Later, later on in the 1900s,
there are women who who were able to get there.
There were. Let's see.
(42:47):
I'm trying to remember looking up some of those names.
Caroline Mickelson, Jackie Roan,you can read about her.
She was the first American womanto overwent her in Antarctica in
1947. Ingrid Christensen was the first
woman to land on the mainland. So there are sort of these, you
(43:12):
know, forgotten, not celebrated people who certainly had a big
impact in that, in that world, so to speak.
And we just don't hear about them as much, right.
So I would I would encourage your listeners to Google some of
those, the females that came along a little bit later in in
(43:33):
that century and we're able to also explore this remarkable
place. Very cool.
Very cool. OK, Next question is from
another one of our Patreon subscribers.
This is from James Buck. Thank you for the question.
James. James.
In the podcast, characters seem to be more comfortable with life
on the ice rather than back home.
(43:55):
Some people even find new abilities while they're there.
Do you think that the ice helps people either due to the
isolation or the sense of community from working in a
station with limited team members?
So kind of that instant community you were just talking
about. Yes, James Buck, that's a great
question. And I think I kind of have a a
suspicion that Brian probably knew this with the readings and
(44:19):
everything that he had done creating the podcast that yes,
definitely 100%. So they're well on 2 levels.
So to answer one question, yes, we are given opportunities there
that we wouldn't often times have.
So for example, operating heavy equipment, you know, in the
(44:40):
United States where you have to go through and whether it's
getting your CDL or other training that that you need to
have to operate heavy equipment,we just get trained on the spot
and boom, we're, we're operatingthese huge machines that, I
mean, I didn't even know I was going to be doing that.
I just, I got the contract and went there and next thing I know
(45:02):
I'm, I'm, I'm a heavy equipment operator.
So yes, we get, we certainly getmany opportunities that we would
not otherwise have. And a part of that is kind of
what you were alluding to is that, hey, we've got X number of
people and we need to get this enormous amount of work done.
And so we pull from that community and it's like, OK,
(45:24):
boom, let's we, we train this person on this machinery or
whatever, whatever other thing it might be and we just have to
do it. And then your other point, yes,
very much so how much we struggle going back to what, you
(45:45):
know, I'm I'm saying in quotes the real world.
So I would say truthfully, the majority of us really sort of
lose that ability to do that. It's, it is people will, people
will, will often try to do it while they're say, you know,
(46:07):
maybe they've spent three or four or five seasons on the ice
and they say, oh, I'm sick of this and that.
And so I'm, I'm going back to the US and I'm getting a quote
UN quote real job. And they go and do that and
they're absolutely miserable. And then we see them the next
season down on the ice and we'renot surprised at all.
We're like, Yep, of course, of course you're coming back here.
So yes, with just that, you know, like we said my term
(46:30):
instead community, that community, that way of living,
not only when we're there of having people in your court and
having, having such a tight community, but also having the
time off. So working contract like that.
We have enormous chunks of time off and, and different people
(46:51):
spend it differently. Some, you know, definitely go
home and spend time with loved ones, Other people travel the
world. There's, there's all you hear
endless stories of how people spend that time.
And so then to go back, especially the way the United
States is built with, you know, being such a capitalistic
society that wow, you get 2 weeks off a year.
I mean, we can't, we can't survive that.
(47:13):
You can make fun of us all you want.
We can't, we just think, well, what's the point?
Like, why, why are we, why are we living to work and have two
weeks off it? Just once you're sort of spoiled
with, with living that way. It's it's pretty impossible to
go back. Yeah, that makes total sense to
me. Some of us that are living in
that ask those same questions. OK.
(47:37):
Next question is from Chelsea Kinder Ives over on our Facebook
page. Chelsea.
Chelsea. Thank you for the question.
I watch you all like, shout out the people, Chelsea.
We've got. Yeah, we've got to.
We've got to respect the listeners we got, yeah.
That's right, all five of them. On one hand, right?
So Chelsea wants to know if there's generally any spooky
(48:00):
stories or folklore at any of the stations, or if there are
any kind of shared like folklorebetween the stations.
With all those indigenous tales.That's right, Right, Exactly
right. Chelsea, that's that is another
great question while you're listening.
It is wonderful, wonderful questions.
Yeah, there are some. There's some tall tales.
(48:21):
There's some folklores, so there's, gosh, I've got to sort
of scan my brain here. So for example, I'm thinking of
one at McMurdo Station where there was this guy that didn't
want to go back. He didn't want to leave and so
he hid in. We have lots of containers, some
we call them mill vans. I think that's a kickback from
(48:43):
the military calls them mill vans, but the shipping
containers. And so he made a little home, so
to speak, in one of the distant containers that was pretty far
off Asian and was not discoveredfor quite some time.
But but these stories though, too, you know, you have to
understand that them getting passed down over the years and
(49:06):
over the decades, you're not sure what all is.
Embellished. Right.
When you say discovered, was this alive?
He was a lot, Yeah, he was alive.
And then? And he was alive and they, they
took him off station kicking andscreaming, I think.
But I'd say with, with the SouthPole station, as you probably
know, we've got the tunnels. Yeah.
(49:29):
So you've got the tunnels and there's all kinds of fun tales
about the tunnels there. Then they're super fun to go
down into also. So I don't know if you bring it
into your podcast about the different artifacts and the
different, oh, what would you call?
(49:50):
Go ahead, bro. I would say if you see there is
a puppet that is in the back from the one of the alcoves that
have been carved out by the winter overs where they had
apparently everybody in the craft room made puppets one
time. Yeah.
And I, I love that story. So there was a detective puppet,
and the puppet is now part of our show.
(50:11):
That's great. From the ice hose.
And I I have to make one just sothat I could say that I did it.
But yeah, I know. I'm sorry.
I I no one came here to listen to Brian Bradley.
They're here. Because Brian knows Brian so.
So please use the the ice tunnels and the stories and and.
Please. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
So there's definitely stories down there of different things
happening. And I think that I, I really do
(50:36):
think that they're just kind of added to, to make it more
mysterious and intriguing of, you know, different sounds or
different things that people seeand, and different reasons for
some of the, what would you callit?
Some of the exhibits that are down there.
So like one of them is, is what's the astronaut's name?
(50:58):
Is it Buzz Aldrin? Buzz, right?
Is it? Buzz.
Yeah. Buzzz.
Buzz Aldrin, he came to the station and he could not.
This is so crazy. The guy's an astronaut and the
altitude really got to him and he felt really ill.
He was super I'll there. We had to get him out pretty
quickly and he. Were you there?
No, I was not there for Bud. OK, OK.
(51:20):
I wish. I wish no, I was there.
We had Will Smith there of all, all people.
Will Smith was there when I was there.
Just. Slapping people.
Warm. Yeah, exactly.
I think it was before. I can't remember.
Was it before the slapper? After the slap?
We could go down a rag. And I'm good, Bill.
I'm good. We did.
(51:43):
I mean, we definitely get famouspeople there, but no.
So Buzz. Buzz blew his nose and somewhat
kept the tissue the cleanest. Disgusting that he his.
Nose in and it's one of the exhibits down in.
The wow. That is revolting.
(52:03):
We kind of, we got to preserve this because we're going to
clone Buzz from his. Right, right.
It's from his DNA. It is.
It is snot. Yeah, exactly.
So it's really goofy, silly things like that that that that
we do. That's our wheelhouse.
That's our White House. Goofy and silly.
OK. We we have one final listener
(52:24):
question and this comes from thedisreputable Brian Bradley in
North Carolina. Brian.
Hey, Brian. Thanks for.
Listening to the show. Thanks for listening, Brian,
that. Guy's a.
Jerk. So Brian wants to know, if you
could suggest one detail, quirk or piece of atmosphere for us to
(52:45):
include in future seasons which would make the show feel more
authentic, what would that be? Oh, well, we did talk a little
bit briefly before we started this episode, right, Brian,
about that, I wanted you to knowabout the arches, and I want you
to know make sure about the tunnels and the beer can.
And I wanted what do you includewhen you talk about the arches?
(53:11):
How is that approach? What do you talk about or how is
that presented? So we've been in all three of
the four, all four of the arches, we're predominantly in
the BMF. One of the main, the the best
friend of the main character, both played by Trent is is the
the chief engineer when the showstarts.
So we're in the BMF quite a bit.We have been in the LO arch
(53:33):
quite a bit. We have gone through the power
room, the power arch, because one of our strange creatures is
stuck there and they go and theyconsult with him all the time.
The ice tunnels are heavily usedas a vehicle for a secret
project that is going on in a secret tunnel in the Arches.
(53:55):
So we are literally under the ice quite a bit on the show.
I would say it's a it's a good 5050 on the L station and the
and the Arches itself, it's an even split.
Oh, I love that. I love that.
So the the arches are so fascinating with the way that I
mean they are they're getting covered up, they're getting
swallowed so and so if you work that into it, I think that would
(54:19):
be that that would be super special.
I mean, we, they work tirelesslyto plow the snow off of them on
the outside because it is they are sinking and sinking and
sinking and there's all kinds ofevidence of them sinking.
I mean, the walls are are crushing down.
(54:40):
It's it. I mean, if there's an element of
of danger, certainly being working in those arches.
And like you said, I was in the LO arch kind of a fun thing in
the when you were saying the power, the power part where you
have a a creature in there is wehave a special place in there
where we can access what we callJesus water.
And so that is water that is so old, right?
(55:03):
Is so directly from deep, deep, deep within the ice that it's
never been tainted by anything. Right?
Wow, hundreds of thousands of years old.
And so we that's a little insight.
That's that we just, we just those of us that are there, call
it Jesus water. I love that.
(55:23):
Is that where you make the the poppy?
The no the the. The the the we had, I think it
was on like the first or the second episode where he Bass had
a glass of bourbon and he used the ice from the ice and it
apparently the locals, you guys call it poppy because of the pop
that it makes. When Oh because of pop?
(55:44):
O2200 or 400, you know 1000 yearold ice that you're putting in
your drink. Right.
And it does. It makes these crazy sounds,
these super cool. Sounds, Yeah.
Well, no. That is, that is.
Well, I expect to see Jesus water referenced in the future
script. Yeah, yes, absolutely.
I do have one request before we do sign off for the gentleman
(56:05):
who is not able to be here today.
Mr. Brown, I saw in your resume not only were you part of the LO
arch, but you had a nut and Trent, you're going to have to
back me up here real quick. You had another function,
another job responsibility whileyou were on in a months.
Scott. What?
What was that? Were you part of a a specific
brew or a brigade? Or are you trying to give me
(56:29):
hints? Or is it?
Or is it that you can't remember?
No, it's, it's I, I, I'm, I'm definitely going somewhere.
Were you part of the emergency response team?
Maybe someone to do it? Yes, yes, but that was actually
a Palmer station. So at Palmer, OK, that was at
Palmer, at Palmer station. We I was on the fire brigade.
(56:52):
So they. Trained fire crew.
Fire crew. Whoa, whoa.
Hey, fire crew, we. Had to change it up there B
come. On daddy fire brigade, no, Amy,
that was a that was a set up. The gentleman who couldn't be
the one of the characters that he plays is the head of the fire
crew for a month since Scott andin the in the tail of the
narrative, I had to make them, you know, a whole bunch of, you
(57:13):
know, tough dude Bros. I mean, there are ladies on the
on the on the team as well, but just part of the comedy.
So anytime anyone says anything about the fire crew, everyone on
the fire crew is like fire crew.That's hilarious.
That, you know, that that's their little clique that they
have. Right, right.
Well, it it actually. Is in the fire crew.
Yes, it actually is a clique, totell you the truth.
(57:33):
It actually is. So especially at McMurdo Station
in the summer when we do have actual firefighters that that
come down from the US But yeah, so at Palmer Station, we are our
own, our own EMTs, our own everything.
So I was, yeah, I were, I was ocean search and rescue part of
that team there and then also part of the fire brigade.
(57:56):
And again, they do, they do all that training for us before we
leave the US. Yeah.
So Aaron, I'm sorry, go ahead and.
Take no. All good.
Get that in for Kyle. There you go, Kyle.
I'm just thinking here, I'm going to tell Kevin when we're
finished recording that he now has an opportunity to go down,
be a firefighter and so cool. There you go.
Yeah. Definitely.
(58:19):
All right, well, you know the old expression that time flies
when you're having fun and looking back.
I'm sorry, can I ask one more question?
Do you see how I try to be so professional and I just don't?
This we go on. Tread.
Go on, tread. I I in your credits we also
listed as artists. What is your favorite medium in?
(58:40):
Theatre, theatre, theatre, yeah,that's where that that's where
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts comes in.
Fascinating. That's awesome.
It's theatre. Theatre is my #1 Yep.
Excellent. Thank you.
Yeah, thanks for asking. Sorry, Aaron, please, I'm just.
(59:01):
Going to wait? No, we had a little low there.
I should specify, it's not musical theatre, it's drama.
OK, Yeah, I should probably specify that.
I Can't Sing either, so. Yeah, exactly same, same.
You feel the pain. Yeah.
Well, Amy, this has been absolutely wonderful.
We are unfortunately running outof time and just want to thank
(59:24):
you so much for your time and for sharing your stories.
This has been incredibly eye opening and inspiring and
exciting. And I know Brian, I can see the
little wheels turning in Brian'shead as he's like thinking of
new ideas to continue our story.So to our listeners, on behalf
of myself Podcast, Trent Shumway, Brian and our very
extraordinary guest, Amy Brummett, we want to thank you
(59:47):
all so much for listening today and we hope that you enjoyed
this conversation as much as we did.
So until next time, this is Aaron McCann signing off.
This has been a B MB production.
Hello and welcome to episode 7 of Something About the Ice.
We have a very special episode to share with all of you today,
and we couldn't be more excited.I'm your host, Aaron McCann, and
I'd like to welcome you to our very own behind the scenes
podcast. Joining me as always today are
podcast Trent Shumway and Brian.Now normally at the start of our
(00:48):
episodes, we kick things off with a little chit chat and
banter about what's going on in our lives before we introduce
you to our mystery guest and then dive into an episode recap.
Today, we want to make the most of our limited and valuable time
that we have with our guest, andit is my pleasure to introduce
all of you to her now. Explorer, scholar, artist,
(01:10):
educator, conservationist, mariner, adventurer, our guest
has journeyed to more than 100 countries across the globe and
worked in some of the most challenging and beautiful places
on Earth. She's collaborated with renowned
organizations including NationalGeographic, Habitat for
Humanity, and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
(01:31):
And that just scratches the surface.
What truly captured our attention, though, was her time
on the ice. She spent multiple seasons
living and working at every US Antarctic Research Station,
McMurdo, Palmer, and of course, a Monson Scott South Pole
Station. Friends, it is my absolute honor
and pleasure to welcome to the show Miss Amy J Brummett.
(01:54):
Amy we. Are so.
Happy you're here. Thank you so much for agreeing
to share your experiences with us.
Well, hello everyone. It is quite a pleasure to be
here and I really appreciate that introduction.
Aaron, I have to now live up to everything that you just said in
the next hour, right? No doubt that you will.
No doubt that that resume is pretty impressive and very
(02:18):
varied. It is, it is.
Yes, I've heard that before. It is definitely, it is
definitely varied. It's funny though, at this stage
of life, when I look back on it now, I do see a common thread
with all of it. So it is a lot of it has to do
with connecting and connections,right?
(02:40):
Whether I'm, whether I'm workingto connect with nature or other
people around the world, other cultures, other countries,
different sorts of science, obviously in Antarctica,
connecting with yourself, right?When you, when you break out of
that comfort zone and go into situations that are a little
scary, you find that you connectwith yourself in ways that maybe
(03:03):
you that maybe you wouldn't otherwise.
So there there is a little bit of a threat that goes through
all of that. I love it.
One journey leads to another. Now, before we started, Brian
mentioned that you're in anothervery exciting and very exotic
part of the world. So before we really dive into to
your time in Antarctica, tell usa little bit about where you are
and what you're working on rightnow.
(03:24):
Yes, I am currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo,
smack dab, smack dab in the middle of Africa.
Some of you, if you're readers, you maybe know the famous novel
called The Heart of Darkness, which was about the DRC.
I'm in the capital city called Kinshasa, and I'm currently
(03:46):
working a contract in education.I'm doing a teaching contract.
So you will also know with all of that, all of that list that
Aaron stated on my resume is that I do a lot of work that's
contract work. So very different than maybe
what a traditional job or careerlooks like for people in the
(04:07):
United States where I bounce around all over the place and
work different contracts with different links.
They could be anywhere from weeks to several months to even
a few years. So it depends.
I just think that is the coolestadventure.
Like you're a true citizen of the world, and I'm now feeling
just this absolute compulsion tojust go somewhere and do
(04:30):
something wild. Do it, do it.
In fact, if that's the biggest take away today that's a little
bit outside of your podcast, then I then I feel like that
I've done a good job if I inspire some folks to get out
there and and go see something new.
Absolutely. Well, we definitely want to hear
(04:51):
about your time on the ice. So we have a ton of questions.
Some of them are from the peoplehere in this room.
We also have some listener questions.
We have a really dedicated listener base.
So if you don't mind, we're justgoing to jump into some of those
questions. Is that OK?
Yeah, that sounds great. Fantastic.
OK. So what was your job at the
three Antarctic stations and howlong were you at each one of
(05:12):
those postings? Oh, so let's see, it varies
quite a bit and each station I, I know we'll talk about this a
little bit, how how they are alike and how they're different.
So I have spent, I spent one summer season at Palmer Station
and that's a six month contract.Palmer is the one that's on the
(05:34):
peninsula of Antarctica. And then I spent the majority of
my time at McMurdo Station. I did 2 winters.
There. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Yeah, the old Mack down and I spent 2 winters there so we
could dive a little bit into what it's like to winter there
(05:54):
as well. And I also spent, what did I
spend there 2 summers? And then I spent a summer at
your famous location, the South Pole Station.
And I also was working for the United States Antarctic Program
this past winter in the Arctic. So I was up in the Arctic Circle
(06:18):
at Summit Station and that winter time darkness.
And that was a unique experiencebecause there were only five of
us there for the entire winter. So, yeah.
So there's a lot to say about that.
OK, kind of a silly question. I'm so I'm in Texas, which means
I'm fairly close to the equator.So we have fairly equal kind of
(06:40):
summer and winter seasons as faras the amount of light, how long
is a winter season or how long is a summer season?
Yeah, great question. Again, it depends on where you
are on the continent. So the the the longest and the
darkest is the South Pole. So you get you get a solid six
(07:01):
months of darkness and then obviously a solid six months of
light. There at the South Pole station
at McMurdo, we get four months of darkness, four months of
light. The coolest thing I like to
explain when I try to try to spell this out for people,
because it's obviously very hardto wrap your head around, is
(07:22):
that we are used to 1 sunset and1 sunrise every 24 hours,
whereas there we have 1 sunset and 1 sunrise every 365 days, so
once a year. So for example, I did 14 months
at McMurdo Station, which meant that basically you have four
(07:45):
months of light, then two monthsof a sunset, then you have four
months of complete darkness, andthen you have a 2 month long
sunrise. And it literally takes that long
for the sun to rise and for the sun to set.
(08:06):
That must. Be that is the closest thing we
can be to to you know, being on an alien planet.
It is is to see you know, just like you said, the the constant
sunrise or sunset for you know, never it just it must be a one.
I have to imagine you've got plenty of of photos of that
(08:26):
sunrise and sunset. You haven't someone.
It's OK. So he he can tell I'm on, he
sees that I'm on something. Sorry.
Listen, there was someone came into came into my space.
We're all good. All good, all good I feel.
Like that must be so disorienting.
But that was even my question, actually.
I was just like, how quickly does your body adapt to that?
(08:49):
Yeah, great question. Some people have a harder time
than others. So some people really struggle
more so in the darkness where either they get, you know what
we would call cabin fever. They start to they can start to
go a little cuckoo. Some just have the problem of
(09:10):
their sleep being so messed up, and they'll be going days
without sleep and they're, you know, sort of losing their mind
in a way because of that, obviously.
But everybody's different, and you don't know how you're going
to react to it until you do it. And so when I try to explain to
the general public, I actually preferred the winters.
(09:30):
I prefer the darkness, and that's really hard to explain.
The, the best way I've come up with is that picture yourself,
say, at a ski resort and you're in one of those big lodges and
it's that beautiful snow outsideand you're inside snuggled up in
front of the the fire and you'vegot a soft blanket and a hot
(09:53):
drink. And you feel so cozy is the best
way that I can describe the feeling that I have when I'm
wintering in either the Arctic or Antarctic.
Well, if I wasn't sold going down there before you.
Know you want to go during the winter is what you're saying?
Oh, absolute winner over. Sign me up.
Sign him up. Well, you have to get good
(10:15):
connectivity, Brian, because we need more seasons of this show.
So you can go, but you have to keep writing.
Yeah. And good luck with that because
yeah, you probably you Brian, I think, you know, I mean, I feel
like like, like you said, you know so much about that.
We only have Internet down therewhen it's certain satellites are
lasting above us. And so we now they do they do a
(10:38):
great job with tracking those times.
So we know and. The galley time, yeah.
You, yeah, you know the in the galley how we've got the, the,
the monitor that tells us. Telemetry and how long?
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
So you can, you know, you can make plans with that, but
sometimes it's the only time you've got connectivity is in
the middle of the night. And obviously we work really
(11:00):
hard there. So you want to sleep in the
middle of the night? Sure.
Absolutely and I know you there is time is very relegated down
there just because a lot of people like you were on a
contract or you have, you know, people trying to justify their
grants. So, you know, goofing around.
Shall we? Of course it's going to happen.
(11:21):
But they try to keep it to a minimum so they can justify
their budget, especially with, you know, any, any taxpayer
money, any university monies or any, any corporate monies.
I will say that was what, because I want this to be
realism. But the, the, the purpose or
the, the vehicle and the how thestory gets to the people is it's
all through the lens of a body camera of the deputy Marshall
(11:41):
who is down there. The Internet was going to be an
issue. So I had to come up with a way
that the the bogus government funded company like the Lockheed
Martin, we call them Beauregard Lowing, put satellites in orbit
called the Lifeline satellite sothat it would be more reliable,
(12:01):
but nowhere near, you know, fiber Internet or anything like
that. Just to, to, you know, keep that
realism. I'm sorry I'm I'm going to stop
keeping out. No, I love that.
I love that that you that you work that realism into there.
That is great. That is great.
I would, I will say that there was probably and obviously I
won't tell details, but there was more goofing off quote UN
(12:22):
quote back in the days before cell phones, right before people
were. Everyone became a journalist.
Right, right before the the evidence could be placed all
over the Internet. So I would say there was there
was more goofing off in that time and yeah, maybe a little
bit more discreet in today's world.
(12:44):
Just to bring our listeners along, when we were kind of
warming up and before we startedrecording, Amy was kind of
telling us about different aspects of the station.
And, and Brian already has done so much research, as you all
know from the detail of the show.
But Brian already knew everything that she had
mentioned. So Brian is our second expert on
(13:05):
the show today. Stop No.
Yes he is. Yes, he.
Is. Well, speaking, Speaking of
research, sorry, no. Please.
Speaking of research then, Amy, because I imagine you don't go
into this blindly. You, you, you clearly know as
you're going into this kind of sacrifices one has to make.
How do you prepare yourself for this?
Do you, do you even have any cohorts, any friends who are
(13:27):
going to be there? Or are you going in, it's just
you and you're just prepared to spend this 14 months of your
life literally, you know, on a, on an alien planet like Brian
was saying. Right, right, Trent, that's a
great question too. I will have to say that my
personality is actually one thatI do dive in sometimes pretty
(13:51):
blind into situation. I will.
I will take those. Yeah, dive every.
Yeah, I will take those lists. But I kind like Brian actually,
when I look back before I finally got hired there 'cause
it took me a while to to actually get a contract there.
And I was like Brian, I was scouring the web, YouTube,
(14:13):
reading every possible book out there, trying to gain as much
information as possible. And in, in my circumstances, I
knew about it from the perspective of people who are
seasonal workers. So people who, for example, I, I
would, I've worked at ski resorts.
(14:34):
So you work in the winter seasonand then in the summer season
you might do a job like I used to be a a white water rafting
guide and a sea kayaking guide and work jobs of that nature
seasonally for the benefit of not only the jobs are really
great, but for the benefit of having big chunks of time off to
travel. So I learned about it through
(14:55):
that lens, which is a different lens than say, for example,
researchers that are that are employed at a university.
And so I knew knew from that sort of lifestyle and knew from
people who had done it and were working other seasonal jobs.
I had a, you know, a pretty goodidea of what it most likely
(15:16):
looked like. Now of course with anything in
life, there's there's things that you don't know until you
get there. Sure, sure, But that's that's
part of the adventure, I imagine, yes, the uncertainty
and it's like, but now, of course, as as you're revealing
additional jobs you had, it's like, God, I need to have more
adventure in my life. I'm.
(15:38):
Just a desk jockey for God's sake.
I think you're probably selling yourself short.
You all probably have more adventure in your life than what
you realize. Like raising kids, that is.
Quite the adventure. Oh yeah, it certainly can be.
That's. True, yeah.
Amy, tell us about your first impression when you stepped off
(15:59):
the plane at the Pax terminal and saw the Munson Scott station
for the first time. Well, I love that question when
I saw that previously, because so to give you a little
background into our world there for for a, for decades, it was
almost impossible to get to either Palmer Station or
(16:20):
Edmondson South Pole Station if you were working at McMurdo.
It was the the, the top dogs like it was a position of
prestige. It was one that you had put in
enough time and proven yourself at McMurdo Station to get to
these, to get to those other stations.
(16:40):
And so when I first started at McMurdo Station, I basically
learned that it was probably going to be impossible to, to
get to either one of those otherstations.
And you really, you start to, well, some of us that it's
important to you start to try tokind of figure out the insurance
and outs and who to talk to, whoare the people that might be
(17:03):
able to help you get there? Even to get there as what we
call a boondock, where we do a, you get like a little special
treat for being an exemplary employee where you get to go to
places like you might get to go to the Dry Valleys.
If you know about the Dry Valleys, you might get to go for
(17:23):
like literally a 12 hour stint to, to the South Pole station.
So you, you start to sort of figure out, OK, who do I need to
connect with? What do I need to do to get
there? So I had a very laser focus
drive to get to those other two stations and get contracts
(17:45):
there. And I was really fortunate.
And when I, when I do try to explain this to some people,
like when I work on the NationalGeographic ships and we give
talks about where we are and when I'm in Antarctica, I
explain to them that, hey, it's unusual.
Most people are not, are not able to work at all three of the
(18:05):
US Antarctic stations. So I had been dreaming of that
moment for a long time. And when it finally had like
right now, Brian, what you said earlier, I'm getting goosebumps,
goosebumps, goosebumps. When I when I stepped off that
plane, I mean, I was speechless.I was.
So I mean, you know how life is when you when you finally reach
(18:30):
something, a goal, a summit, something, when you finally
reach it, that. You.
You. You're not even sure how to to
be in that moment. And I think that's that's also a
reminder like you always try so hard to be present in that
moment. So I was just elated.
And of course, the the cold, it's much colder there than it
(18:53):
is at Roberto. And so that sort of knocks you
off your feet a little bit. But I was just like a little kid
on Christmas morning. Bryan Bradley 90° SI Have a
follow up question. So what what hit you hardest
upon stepping off the plane? Was it the cold or the altitude
(19:15):
or both? Oh, oh, great question.
Immediately it was the cold. Immediately the, the, the
altitude hit me within probably,oh, maybe a couple hours where I
started to feel a little bit light headed, started to feel
that almost it's kind of strangebecause you feel light headed,
(19:36):
but at the same time your body sort of feels really heavy.
So, so it is a strange feeling Iwas taking is it Diamox?
I hope I'm saying the right medication.
It's, it's Diamox that we take for and I've taken that with,
with other altitude situations like summiting high mountains,
(19:57):
Kilimanjaro. So going.
Going. High in altitude.
I've used Diamox one other time because I do I do mountain
climbing but I just like. I mean casually throws that in,
like in my spare time I also climb mountain.
Cool. It's it's actually.
Make mountains too. I mean, I read books, but some
(20:18):
people go in the. Right, guys.
All right, guys. We got to cut the shirt.
I'm going to be going to the Mariana.
Transfer in about 30 minutes. So yeah, Brian's off on an
adventure now. I, I love climbing mountains,
but so, yeah, so I had taken Diomox when, when I was in the
Himalayas and I-1 time and I didnot like the side effects.
(20:38):
It's really strange side effects.
You get like all these tingles in your fingers and your toes
and you have to go to the bathroom constantly.
What is that? A diuretic, diuretic, diuretic.
And so I was hesitant to take it.
But people who had been to the South Pole station, they, they
advised us to take it. So I thought, well, I'll start
(20:59):
out taking it and see how I do. And I am really glad I did.
So we take it for about four days and that helps you
acclimate and then you just sortof wean yourself off of that.
And and then some of us again, same thing where some people
adjust to it, they, they acclimate to it and other people
do not. So we have to get people out
(21:21):
sometimes where they, they can'tacclimate to it.
And there's nothing you can do ahead of time.
It has nothing to do with what kind of shape you're in.
There's nothing you can do to prepare.
Your body could actually acclimate one time really well
and then another time not at all.
There's like no pattern to it. And so, yeah, we've had to.
We've had to get people leave ortake people back to McMurdo who
(21:45):
just can't breathe, can't breathe.
Wow. Yeah.
I mean, we could have told a very different story, Brian, if
Bass couldn't have adjusted to the altitude.
I. Know very short season, Very
short season. Two episode run and we're
finished. Maybe.
Maybe you introduce a new character who can't act.
(22:06):
I'm not going to lie, I I will be up as you were talking.
I am, I am logging ideas that I should, I should incorporate
that I didn't, I didn't know, you know, the the having to, you
know, evac people, you know, whowould just have problems act
with me. Oh, wow.
OK. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I'll submit my suggestions to you in writing after this
episode. There we go.
(22:27):
Erin's going the formal route. All right, Erin.
That's right. That's right.
OK. So kind of in the vein of that
with some people having so much trouble adjusting you, it sounds
like you did OK. What was actually your hardest
adjustment from all of your timeon the ice at the at the three
stations? Oh, what was my hardest
adjustment? I would say this sounds so
(22:52):
unglamorous. I would say at at some point I
was starting to get sick of the communal living.
So you are, you are, you know, sharing bathroom space.
Like at Palmer Station, we had one bathroom, kind of an average
(23:13):
size bathroom that you might have at home.
And there were six or seven of us women where every morning
someone was on the toilet, someone was at the sink, someone
was in the shower, someone was trying to get in there.
And so you reach a point after, after weeks and months, where
(23:33):
you think, yeah, I'm really ready to be in my own bed.
And. Have, yeah.
That's a hard no for me. Be in my own space and food too.
Food, food is can be a struggle as well, especially in the
winter. So in the winter we get, you
know, no fresh food. It's just frozen and canned
food. And so I'd say that I'm not even
(23:54):
a foodie and I don't even typically, I'm not even
typically guided by food necessarily.
But boy, you really start to crave certain foods and you just
want, you want a fresh salad, you want some fresh fruits and,
and you think, am I going to go crazy just because I want a
salad? And sometimes it feels that way.
(24:15):
I'm so glad you brought this up because this is one of the
questions I had was in our show,we have like, you know, these
these chefs are are doing their share and then some.
And then food is is quite good. So that was in the question was
how you know, how bearable is it?
How, how, how you know? After a while, I imagine those
creature comforts, you know, aresomething that you're going to
(24:35):
be craving constant. Like if I would murder someone
for a Twinkie right now, right? Right.
Is that? Yeah, it kind of went with
Twinkie. He went with Twinkie.
Yeah. He's going old school there.
There were so many choices. Available and he went I'm just.
Saying, you know, you get to thepoint where it's limited and
it's like, I can't do sardines anymore.
I'm bringing you a Twinkie the next time I see you trying.
(24:56):
I love. It that's great.
That's great. All the listeners will be
shipping you Twinkies. That's exactly right, you know,
Oh gosh. Well, I will say our chefs too.
We, we usually have some very creative, hard working chefs and
the whole team, the whole entireteam that could do magic can
(25:18):
really do magic. Obviously they can only do what
they can, but it it at times is extremely impressive.
And I myself am not much of A cook.
So I'm always amazed at what they're able to pull out there
in the in the middle of literally at the bottom of the
planet Earth, right. Like how did you?
Do this. At the the bottom of the planet
(25:39):
Earth. And like you said, without
without fresh ingredients, it's like, you know, you got to make
do so. OK.
Can you tell us, you were talking earlier about how there
was more goofing off before everybody had cell phones and
things were recorded. Can you share like a funny story
or something particularly memorable that happened to you
(25:59):
at at any of these three stations?
As long as you're able to share it, we don't spill any.
Tea. Or anything that's right.
I can't. I got to protect my people
'cause we do have secrets, secret gathering, secret parties
(26:21):
that we, we definitely have to keep on the down low.
And I'm not talking like anything, you know, R rated,
just that things that things that they started to really sort
of put the hammer down. Some things came out into in the
press that was happening specifically at McMurdo Station.
(26:44):
They had Twinkies. They had.
They had Twinkies shut them down.
I know that which you refer to, but I won't I Yeah, I know.
Yeah, we were, like I said, keeprespecting my people.
So, so yeah, so, so. But we, it's, I'm super
impressed with the creativity ofthe people that we have there
(27:09):
and, and thinking about something like super fun or
super memorable. I'm definitely thinking for, for
you all for the South Pole station that we have one of one
of our wonderful lead heavy equipment operators.
He would every year he would build these enormous mounds of
(27:32):
snow and he would work weeks on this.
So they're moving snow all summer long because we just get,
we get buried. Otherwise we get completely
buried, which I'm sure Brian probably knows too about our old
station literally being. Buried the Dome.
The Dome on the station in the station before that too, that's
under the ice. So, so he they move snow all
(27:57):
summer long. They're digging us out and they
have places way off site that they dump snow.
But he, because he's such community minded, generous human
being, he would make these mountains out of the snow.
So that on New Year, is it New Year's?
I think it's New Year's. I was trying to remember if it
was Christmas or New Year's. It's New Year's where we
(28:19):
basically spend anywhere from, say, 12 to 18 hours sledding and
money and like, just being totalkids.
That's so. Cool, that's.
Tough snow and we just have an absolute blast, right?
We just do. We get, we get silly, we get
(28:39):
crazy. We wear costumes.
That sounds so much fun. That sounds.
Incredible. It's it's a lot of fun.
There is like. Yeah, it's, as you're saying,
moving snow around like snow Fort.
Come on. Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly,
exactly. I mean, if the kid in you comes
out right, everyone. To kid me is always out.
That's. What you said, Trent, that's
what. I'm just imagining you all
(29:02):
throwing snowballs at each othernow.
Yep, Yep, all of that. That altitude, Brian, I would
throw about two or three and be like we're done right, that's.
Right. Yeah, you get very winded.
That ski lines environment again, please.
Get that warm beverage exactly so you Amy, you said that was
around New Year's. Is that wait you?
Just said I was trying to remember which celebration that
(29:24):
was. That's either, it's either our
we, it's a big deal where we get2 days off at Christmas and two
days off at New Year's, which ishuge because usually we get one
day off, if even that. So when I was just in the Arctic
at Summit Station this past winter, we no days off.
So seven days. Oh, really?
(29:45):
Yeah, really. Yeah.
So to get that time off and thento do it in such a fun way,
right, And be so playful and have such a good time.
So I'm just trying to remember. I can't remember if it's the New
Year's break or the Christmas break.
So that was actually one of my questions was to kind of hear
how maybe holidays were acknowledged or not acknowledged
(30:05):
and kind of how you handled things that traditionally here
would be like moments of family and gathering and festivities.
And, you know, I would imagine some people probably got quite
homesick. Yes, yes, definitely.
And again, you know, more, some people more than others.
But we do honor those holidays. And so it's funny too, because
(30:26):
I've had a lot of people ask me over the years, they've said,
oh, you must not celebrate the holidays because Antarcticans
don't celebrate the holidays. And I think they're thinking.
The native Antarcticans, Yeah. And and.
So your listeners know there's no native, no native
Antarcticans and but I think we're thinking of maybe like the
(30:46):
Inuits up in up in the Arctic. Is probably what they're.
Thinking of so because we are a,because our stations are US
stations that yes, we, we very much celebrate the holidays at
all three of the stations. And so we celebrate Halloween,
we dress up, we have a big Halloween party, we celebrate
(31:08):
Thanksgiving. We're again, those chefs and the
and their team just make an incredible meal for us and we
gorge ourselves just like at home.
And then we have same thing havea big Christmas meal.
We put up Christmas decorations and then we celebrate New Year.
So that does help for people whoare really missing their family
(31:29):
and really having a hard time being away from from their
family that that definitely helps quite a bit.
Now working seven days a week too, and and and as hard as I
imagine that helps, maybe because there's a focus and you
have a purpose, maybe that helpsalso the time go by faster as
well. Yeah, it's, you know, time is
really strange there. It, it has that whole feeling of
(31:54):
simultaneously moving really slowly and yet going super fast
and the next thing you know, theseason's over.
So it's really strange because there's definitely a monotony to
your days. And and I know, and you know,
probably a lot of listeners can,can relate to that.
I mean, I think with a lot of careers, there's, there's a, a
(32:15):
sense of monotony to them. But because we have that, that
end insight, you know, because we know, OK, my contract ends at
this time or at the during this month or whatever the case is
that then you, you have that endinsight.
And I think maybe that partiallythat's what makes it also go
fast. It's just a strange feeling.
(32:37):
Well, there's a finality, right?Yeah, yeah.
Because there's an end date, youknow, there's there's a
deadline. And so you're, yeah, that makes
sense. And so because of that deadline,
well, especially in the summer seasons, we are, oh boy, we are
going full speed. We are, that's when all the
research is taking place and we are just going 100 mph in the
summer months. And, and definitely with that,
(32:59):
that deadline, we feel it, I would say probably feel at the
strongest at the South Pole station because the cut off is
really, really severe there where it's like it's just
literally one day it's summer and the next day done, it's
over. It's it's winter.
We are we are racing the clock to get everything completed to
(33:22):
get people out in time. Because if we don't get, if you
don't get that summer crew out, guess what?
They're staying another nine months.
They're not leaving. It's just so wild to me that
it's that it's that final or strict or I don't even know what
I'm trying to say here. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
I mean, you feel that. You definitely feel that.
(33:43):
What is something that you wish people understood about living
and working in? In Antarctica, oh gosh.
Oh, I'd say there's several things.
So for me to get a little bit more on the serious side is the
science that takes place there. A lot of it is so unknown.
(34:05):
And I think some of the misconceptions when people know
that just generally speaking, that there's research that takes
place there, that it's research that's important to our entire
planet, that it, it is not, it'snot a vacuum where it's just
about researching that, that certain place just to research
(34:26):
that place that everything that happens at the poles, both
poles, North Pole and South Pole, everything that happens at
the poles effects our entire planet.
It's all, it's all connected. So I think with that, I really
wish more people were familiar with that.
And we talked about that a lot in science where, you know,
(34:47):
unfortunately we, we do not often talk about science in just
the common language or common person language, right, where we
use all this jargon and, and, and Trent.
Familiar. Yeah.
Trent, as I'm doing my research,I I have tried to be as real as
and Amy, I apologize for cuttingyou off.
(35:08):
Oh, no problem. I just, I, I do want to you
know, for the cast that are here, both cast members that are
here, I just, you know, Trent week, week after week, month
after month, had to learn, you know, all about ARO terms, you
know, he had to learn about. Doms.
Yeah, and for the ice cube lab, and he can recite, but he'll be
the first to tell you. I have no clue what I just said,
(35:30):
but it sounds good. Yeah, I don't memorize any of
it. Yeah, I'm cramming for a test.
I got to read it once. Regurgitate it, yeah.
The difference from being a stage actor, huh?
Trent, where you? Wouldn't well, it's like, look,
I, you know, I can fake it for as long as we need to have that
taken. Then after that, do not count on
me to give you any scientific knowledge.
(35:52):
I it it did not stick. I apologize, Amy, for cutting.
You off No, no, no problem at all.
No, that's a valid point. Yeah.
And so it's sometimes it's hard to to break that down in a
simpler way for, for the generalpublic to understand that it
does impact them right there, that that it's not this.
(36:13):
I mean, it is far away, obviously, but it is not this
far away thing in the sense thatit doesn't have some sort of of
impact on their lives because ithas an impact on our planet and
weather systems and climate and all, all of those things that,
you know, we could go deeper into.
And then I think the other thing, well, no, there's
(36:34):
probably a couple more. I would love for people to know
that it's not just researchers down there, that there is the,
the people behind the scenes, soto speak, who, who run it, who
do the logistics, who, who run the place, that if, if those
people were not there, it wouldn't happen.
It, it, it couldn't happen. They, they have to have that
(36:56):
support staff in order for thoseresearchers to come down for
often very short periods. I mean, they may come just for a
few weeks to do their research and then they're gone and that's
it. And, and we, the ones that are
behind the scenes, have to have everything in place and
everything ready for them. And when it comes to that, in
terms of logistics, it's extremely complicated and
(37:17):
there's a lot of planning ahead of time and, and trying to
foresee every possible scenario that could take place.
And then probably, probably my, my other thing would be I would
love for people to know what a remarkably special place it is.
(37:39):
I in fact, I, I get a little choked up even even saying this,
that there's no place on the planet like it.
And you go there and to have to see a place that has not been
impacted by humans and to have aa silence, a silence that you
(38:05):
never even knew was possible, where there's literally no sound
at all that you cannot even imagine in our our very noisy,
busy lives. You know, obviously I'm thinking
of in the United States is just something that is hard to put
into words, right. And so how, how can we through
(38:27):
visual representation, through pictures, through through video,
through movies and just through our words, how can we convey
that? Is is really hard, but boy I
wish I could bottle it up and share it with everybody.
Well, I imagine too, forgive my ignorance on this, but you know,
with the limited amount of resources, no creature comforts,
the days could be nights for months or or days could be
(38:50):
sunrise for I imagine there's got to be more harmonious kind
of interaction between like a village.
It has to put this together because everyone understands and
and respects each other's time there.
And there's on the sacrifice that everyone has to make.
And at the same time, it's like,look, we don't get this done.
We've got a problem tonight. You know, like this has to
happen now. Like there's no excuses, right?
(39:10):
Like is, is, do you find that everyone kind of has that same
common goal as opposed to those of us who maybe are kind of, I
don't know, taking for granted our creature comforts And we
just kind of, you know, you can't half ass anything, I
imagine. There, right, right.
Definitely, 100%. I mean, that's part of why I
love the community so much is because we're, we're, I call it
(39:31):
an insta community where boom, right then I mean, you get off
that plane or even before that. If we're, if we're, we go
through New Zealand, if we're meeting each other first in New
Zealand, where you're an instantcommunity to get to Palmer
Station, we go through, through South America, through Chile.
And so, yeah, you, you have to depend on each other, not only
(39:55):
for your, for that sort of emotional support.
And like we're saying, like being there during the holidays
and you're away from your loved ones.
But also being there for each other safety wise as well,
right? We're, we're in some pretty
dangerous situations. And if somebody doesn't have
your back where it is life or death, right?
(40:16):
It's literally life or death. And so I, I personally, I've
lived a lot of my life in those insta communities that, that,
that I call that I refer to themthat way and I prefer that way
of living. I have a hard time when I go
back to the United States and, you know, I think I'm meeting
someone for the first time and we're going to be friends and
(40:37):
it's like, OK, let's go. Let's dive in.
We're friends or even romantic relationships.
It's like, OK, right, boom, let's go.
We don't have much time. All right, let's do.
A second date are we? Doing this right, Let's do it.
Let's go. And I realize that, you know,
people are kind of a little a little shocked at that, right,
(40:58):
That that is not how how most people live their lives.
You know, you're playing, you'replaying more of the long game.
So that's always where when I realize, oh, right, OK, I'm not
on the ice. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not in one
of my other instant, instant communities.
So yeah, I have to remember thatwhen I go back to the United
(41:18):
States. I like that expression.
Instant community. Sorry, I'm just writing that
down. I might use that for future
research. OK, Yeah.
Yeah, why don't we, why don't wego ahead and move into listener
questions. OK, We've got a handful of them.
And our first one is from one ofour Patreon subscribers, Elle
(41:41):
Link. A big fan of the show, very
frequent listener. Hi, Elle.
Elle wants to know, is there a historical expedition that you
find most interesting? OK.
That's a good question. Great question.
Well, since I am a female, I would say that obviously those
early explorers that we all knowabout, we all know Shackleton
(42:04):
and everybody that we're all menthat the the women that were not
known, right. So in those days, obviously
women were not on those expeditions.
But I also, I like to point out,well, those women were at home
taking care of home and childrenand everything else that has to
(42:27):
be taken care of while their husbands or their partners were
out on these big expeditions andexploring the the far reaches of
the planet Earth. Later, later on in the 1900s,
there are women who who were able to get there.
There were. Let's see.
(42:47):
I'm trying to remember looking up some of those names.
Caroline Mickelson, Jackie Roan,you can read about her.
She was the first American womanto overwent her in Antarctica in
1947. Ingrid Christensen was the first
woman to land on the mainland. So there are sort of these, you
(43:12):
know, forgotten, not celebrated people who certainly had a big
impact in that, in that world, so to speak.
And we just don't hear about them as much, right.
So I would I would encourage your listeners to Google some of
those, the females that came along a little bit later in in
(43:33):
that century and we're able to also explore this remarkable
place. Very cool.
Very cool. OK, Next question is from
another one of our Patreon subscribers.
This is from James Buck. Thank you for the question.
James. James.
In the podcast, characters seem to be more comfortable with life
on the ice rather than back home.
(43:55):
Some people even find new abilities while they're there.
Do you think that the ice helps people either due to the
isolation or the sense of community from working in a
station with limited team members?
So kind of that instant community you were just talking
about. Yes, James Buck, that's a great
question. And I think I kind of have a a
suspicion that Brian probably knew this with the readings and
(44:19):
everything that he had done creating the podcast that yes,
definitely 100%. So they're well on 2 levels.
So to answer one question, yes, we are given opportunities there
that we wouldn't often times have.
So for example, operating heavy equipment, you know, in the
(44:40):
United States where you have to go through and whether it's
getting your CDL or other training that that you need to
have to operate heavy equipment,we just get trained on the spot
and boom, we're, we're operatingthese huge machines that, I
mean, I didn't even know I was going to be doing that.
I just, I got the contract and went there and next thing I know
(45:02):
I'm, I'm, I'm a heavy equipment operator.
So yes, we get, we certainly getmany opportunities that we would
not otherwise have. And a part of that is kind of
what you were alluding to is that, hey, we've got X number of
people and we need to get this enormous amount of work done.
And so we pull from that community and it's like, OK,
(45:24):
boom, let's we, we train this person on this machinery or
whatever, whatever other thing it might be and we just have to
do it. And then your other point, yes,
very much so how much we struggle going back to what, you
(45:45):
know, I'm I'm saying in quotes the real world.
So I would say truthfully, the majority of us really sort of
lose that ability to do that. It's, it is people will, people
will, will often try to do it while they're say, you know,
(46:07):
maybe they've spent three or four or five seasons on the ice
and they say, oh, I'm sick of this and that.
And so I'm, I'm going back to the US and I'm getting a quote
UN quote real job. And they go and do that and
they're absolutely miserable. And then we see them the next
season down on the ice and we'renot surprised at all.
We're like, Yep, of course, of course you're coming back here.
So yes, with just that, you know, like we said my term
(46:30):
instead community, that community, that way of living,
not only when we're there of having people in your court and
having, having such a tight community, but also having the
time off. So working contract like that.
We have enormous chunks of time off and, and different people
(46:51):
spend it differently. Some, you know, definitely go
home and spend time with loved ones, Other people travel the
world. There's, there's all you hear
endless stories of how people spend that time.
And so then to go back, especially the way the United
States is built with, you know, being such a capitalistic
society that wow, you get 2 weeks off a year.
I mean, we can't, we can't survive that.
(47:13):
You can make fun of us all you want.
We can't, we just think, well, what's the point?
Like, why, why are we, why are we living to work and have two
weeks off it? Just once you're sort of spoiled
with, with living that way. It's it's pretty impossible to
go back. Yeah, that makes total sense to
me. Some of us that are living in
that ask those same questions. OK.
(47:37):
Next question is from Chelsea Kinder Ives over on our Facebook
page. Chelsea.
Chelsea. Thank you for the question.
I watch you all like, shout out the people, Chelsea.
We've got. Yeah, we've got to.
We've got to respect the listeners we got, yeah.
That's right, all five of them. On one hand, right?
So Chelsea wants to know if there's generally any spooky
(48:00):
stories or folklore at any of the stations, or if there are
any kind of shared like folklorebetween the stations.
With all those indigenous tales.That's right, Right, Exactly
right. Chelsea, that's that is another
great question while you're listening.
It is wonderful, wonderful questions.
Yeah, there are some. There's some tall tales.
(48:21):
There's some folklores, so there's, gosh, I've got to sort
of scan my brain here. So for example, I'm thinking of
one at McMurdo Station where there was this guy that didn't
want to go back. He didn't want to leave and so
he hid in. We have lots of containers, some
we call them mill vans. I think that's a kickback from
(48:43):
the military calls them mill vans, but the shipping
containers. And so he made a little home, so
to speak, in one of the distant containers that was pretty far
off Asian and was not discoveredfor quite some time.
But but these stories though, too, you know, you have to
understand that them getting passed down over the years and
(49:06):
over the decades, you're not sure what all is.
Embellished. Right.
When you say discovered, was this alive?
He was a lot, Yeah, he was alive.
And then? And he was alive and they, they
took him off station kicking andscreaming, I think.
But I'd say with, with the SouthPole station, as you probably
know, we've got the tunnels. Yeah.
(49:29):
So you've got the tunnels and there's all kinds of fun tales
about the tunnels there. Then they're super fun to go
down into also. So I don't know if you bring it
into your podcast about the different artifacts and the
different, oh, what would you call?
(49:50):
Go ahead, bro. I would say if you see there is
a puppet that is in the back from the one of the alcoves that
have been carved out by the winter overs where they had
apparently everybody in the craft room made puppets one
time. Yeah.
And I, I love that story. So there was a detective puppet,
and the puppet is now part of our show.
(50:11):
That's great. From the ice hose.
And I I have to make one just sothat I could say that I did it.
But yeah, I know. I'm sorry.
I I no one came here to listen to Brian Bradley.
They're here. Because Brian knows Brian so.
So please use the the ice tunnels and the stories and and.
Please. Yeah, yeah, definitely.
So there's definitely stories down there of different things
happening. And I think that I, I really do
(50:36):
think that they're just kind of added to, to make it more
mysterious and intriguing of, you know, different sounds or
different things that people seeand, and different reasons for
some of the, what would you callit?
Some of the exhibits that are down there.
So like one of them is, is what's the astronaut's name?
(50:58):
Is it Buzz Aldrin? Buzz, right?
Is it? Buzz.
Yeah. Buzzz.
Buzz Aldrin, he came to the station and he could not.
This is so crazy. The guy's an astronaut and the
altitude really got to him and he felt really ill.
He was super I'll there. We had to get him out pretty
quickly and he. Were you there?
No, I was not there for Bud. OK, OK.
(51:20):
I wish. I wish no, I was there.
We had Will Smith there of all, all people.
Will Smith was there when I was there.
Just. Slapping people.
Warm. Yeah, exactly.
I think it was before. I can't remember.
Was it before the slapper? After the slap?
We could go down a rag. And I'm good, Bill.
I'm good. We did.
(51:43):
I mean, we definitely get famouspeople there, but no.
So Buzz. Buzz blew his nose and somewhat
kept the tissue the cleanest. Disgusting that he his.
Nose in and it's one of the exhibits down in.
The wow. That is revolting.
(52:03):
We kind of, we got to preserve this because we're going to
clone Buzz from his. Right, right.
It's from his DNA. It is.
It is snot. Yeah, exactly.
So it's really goofy, silly things like that that that that
we do. That's our wheelhouse.
That's our White House. Goofy and silly.
OK. We we have one final listener
(52:24):
question and this comes from thedisreputable Brian Bradley in
North Carolina. Brian.
Hey, Brian. Thanks for.
Listening to the show. Thanks for listening, Brian,
that. Guy's a.
Jerk. So Brian wants to know, if you
could suggest one detail, quirk or piece of atmosphere for us to
(52:45):
include in future seasons which would make the show feel more
authentic, what would that be? Oh, well, we did talk a little
bit briefly before we started this episode, right, Brian,
about that, I wanted you to knowabout the arches, and I want you
to know make sure about the tunnels and the beer can.
And I wanted what do you includewhen you talk about the arches?
(53:11):
How is that approach? What do you talk about or how is
that presented? So we've been in all three of
the four, all four of the arches, we're predominantly in
the BMF. One of the main, the the best
friend of the main character, both played by Trent is is the
the chief engineer when the showstarts.
So we're in the BMF quite a bit.We have been in the LO arch
(53:33):
quite a bit. We have gone through the power
room, the power arch, because one of our strange creatures is
stuck there and they go and theyconsult with him all the time.
The ice tunnels are heavily usedas a vehicle for a secret
project that is going on in a secret tunnel in the Arches.
(53:55):
So we are literally under the ice quite a bit on the show.
I would say it's a it's a good 5050 on the L station and the
and the Arches itself, it's an even split.
Oh, I love that. I love that.
So the the arches are so fascinating with the way that I
mean they are they're getting covered up, they're getting
swallowed so and so if you work that into it, I think that would
(54:19):
be that that would be super special.
I mean, we, they work tirelesslyto plow the snow off of them on
the outside because it is they are sinking and sinking and
sinking and there's all kinds ofevidence of them sinking.
I mean, the walls are are crushing down.
(54:40):
It's it. I mean, if there's an element of
of danger, certainly being working in those arches.
And like you said, I was in the LO arch kind of a fun thing in
the when you were saying the power, the power part where you
have a a creature in there is wehave a special place in there
where we can access what we callJesus water.
And so that is water that is so old, right?
(55:03):
Is so directly from deep, deep, deep within the ice that it's
never been tainted by anything. Right?
Wow, hundreds of thousands of years old.
And so we that's a little insight.
That's that we just, we just those of us that are there, call
it Jesus water. I love that.
(55:23):
Is that where you make the the poppy?
The no the the. The the the we had, I think it
was on like the first or the second episode where he Bass had
a glass of bourbon and he used the ice from the ice and it
apparently the locals, you guys call it poppy because of the pop
that it makes. When Oh because of pop?
(55:44):
O2200 or 400, you know 1000 yearold ice that you're putting in
your drink. Right.
And it does. It makes these crazy sounds,
these super cool. Sounds, Yeah.
Well, no. That is, that is.
Well, I expect to see Jesus water referenced in the future
script. Yeah, yes, absolutely.
I do have one request before we do sign off for the gentleman
(56:05):
who is not able to be here today.
Mr. Brown, I saw in your resume not only were you part of the LO
arch, but you had a nut and Trent, you're going to have to
back me up here real quick. You had another function,
another job responsibility whileyou were on in a months.
Scott. What?
What was that? Were you part of a a specific
brew or a brigade? Or are you trying to give me
(56:29):
hints? Or is it?
Or is it that you can't remember?
No, it's, it's I, I, I'm, I'm definitely going somewhere.
Were you part of the emergency response team?
Maybe someone to do it? Yes, yes, but that was actually
a Palmer station. So at Palmer, OK, that was at
Palmer, at Palmer station. We I was on the fire brigade.
(56:52):
So they. Trained fire crew.
Fire crew. Whoa, whoa.
Hey, fire crew, we. Had to change it up there B
come. On daddy fire brigade, no, Amy,
that was a that was a set up. The gentleman who couldn't be
the one of the characters that he plays is the head of the fire
crew for a month since Scott andin the in the tail of the
narrative, I had to make them, you know, a whole bunch of, you
(57:13):
know, tough dude Bros. I mean, there are ladies on the
on the on the team as well, but just part of the comedy.
So anytime anyone says anything about the fire crew, everyone on
the fire crew is like fire crew.That's hilarious.
That, you know, that that's their little clique that they
have. Right, right.
Well, it it actually. Is in the fire crew.
Yes, it actually is a clique, totell you the truth.
(57:33):
It actually is. So especially at McMurdo Station
in the summer when we do have actual firefighters that that
come down from the US But yeah, so at Palmer Station, we are our
own, our own EMTs, our own everything.
So I was, yeah, I were, I was ocean search and rescue part of
that team there and then also part of the fire brigade.
(57:56):
And again, they do, they do all that training for us before we
leave the US. Yeah.
So Aaron, I'm sorry, go ahead and.
Take no. All good.
Get that in for Kyle. There you go, Kyle.
I'm just thinking here, I'm going to tell Kevin when we're
finished recording that he now has an opportunity to go down,
be a firefighter and so cool. There you go.
Yeah. Definitely.
(58:19):
All right, well, you know the old expression that time flies
when you're having fun and looking back.
I'm sorry, can I ask one more question?
Do you see how I try to be so professional and I just don't?
This we go on. Tread.
Go on, tread. I I in your credits we also
listed as artists. What is your favorite medium in?
(58:40):
Theatre, theatre, theatre, yeah,that's where that that's where
the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts comes in.
Fascinating. That's awesome.
It's theatre. Theatre is my #1 Yep.
Excellent. Thank you.
Yeah, thanks for asking. Sorry, Aaron, please, I'm just.
(59:01):
Going to wait? No, we had a little low there.
I should specify, it's not musical theatre, it's drama.
OK, Yeah, I should probably specify that.
I Can't Sing either, so. Yeah, exactly same, same.
You feel the pain. Yeah.
Well, Amy, this has been absolutely wonderful.
We are unfortunately running outof time and just want to thank
(59:24):
you so much for your time and for sharing your stories.
This has been incredibly eye opening and inspiring and
exciting. And I know Brian, I can see the
little wheels turning in Brian'shead as he's like thinking of
new ideas to continue our story.So to our listeners, on behalf
of myself Podcast, Trent Shumway, Brian and our very
extraordinary guest, Amy Brummett, we want to thank you
(59:47):
all so much for listening today and we hope that you enjoyed
this conversation as much as we did.
So until next time, this is Aaron McCann signing off.
This has been a B MB production.
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