Antarctica is both treacherous and beautiful in it's vastness. During a typical winter morning the temp will raise to negative 25. However, the gale-forced winds that blow across this two-mile thick glacier bring a wind chill that could freeze any exposed flesh. The South Pole is arguably the most severe environment short of outer space.
Maintaining the United State's permanent station here is no doubt the world's most isolated and yet significant scientific outpost. There was a time when only specified workers and analysts were permitted at the Pole. Now, tourists with enough money can take a charter flight out to see the harsh but wonderful wastelands of the South Pole.
Sure, all they can see is mountains, valleys and oceans of white. There are no penguins closer than a thousand miles in any direction. However, being able to say that one has stood at the South Pole is something that few can claim.
A lot of the scientists and officials shiver knowing the outpost is a tourist attraction, especially when diesel bulldozers and other heavy equipment help develop the site further. And this causes untold challenges when tourists try to visit during the limited research time of year. No one can keep them from coming.
No one nation possesses Antarctica, though forty-three nations have executed treaties to protect and examine the icebound landmass which is the size of the U.S. and Mexico together. There is not a day that goes by that the three large U.S. stations are not staffed. This include the eight months of winter where the Pole is completely pitch-dark. The crew working at The Pole is bound by the understood laws of the Ice, to assist any visitor, wanted or unwanted, who manages to cross the 90 degree south latitude line.
It is important to understand that visits to this land are not promoted due to the fact that most visitors have very little knowledge about the region and fail to realize they are at an altitude of 10,000 feet. They'll just get altitude sickness, and get ill from dehydration and frostbite.
Back in 1975, when the dome originally opened, it was able to accommodate 33 men. Since then, this has grown ten fold to accommodate up to 200 men and women. At Summer Camp, manufactured homes made out of plywood, canvas and plastic adorn and dot down a portion of the glacier.
As in many camps, Summer Camp has access to an unlimited supply of fresh water. It costs twelve dollars for each gallon of fuel used to melt enough ice to wash laundry, flush toilets, and take showers, so these activities are considered infrequent luxuries. The long trek to a communal bathroom can be a perilous and bone-chilling experience even underneath the blazing sun at 3:00 AM.
Antarctica's first female visitors had to be escorted by the military. Thankfully, women are given more equal footing nowadays, as they take up a third of the work force now. And in return, the Pole extracts its due from all equally.
It has been scientifically proven that extreme cold temperatures make it take three times longer to preform a simple task then it does in warmer temperatures. This is because the brain's chemistry reduces the hormones you need for problem solving and increases those needed for physical activity. This deteriorates further during the harsh winters.
Starting in mid February each year, no aircraft flies to the South Pole. For the next half year, the station is manned by 28 brave souls. It will not be until October that the sun will once again make an appearance and the planes will return.
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