Editor’s note: Roselie Rasmussen left for the South Pole in late October. The Darrington woman, 23, spent nearly four months at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, where she is worked with the National Science Foundation.
Rasmussen sent The Herald e-mails about her life in Antarctica. She has since returned to Darrington. Here is the final installment on her adventures.
DARRINGTON – I left the Antarctic Feb. 11. Since then, I have traveled in New Zealand, western New York and in the backcountry around my hometown in Washington.
I will never forget the night I arrived back in Christchurch, New Zealand. It had just rained, and there were little puddles on the wet concrete. All that moisture washed over my skin and lungs like a wave. After 31/2 months in the world’s highest, driest, coldest desert, it was a shock and a pleasure to feel humidity again.
We filed into the baggage claim and waited for our neon orange duffel bags, backpacks and suitcases. We loaded them onto carts and passed quickly through customs. What could we have had with us? No fruits, vegetables, or dirty camping gear, nothing to sell.
There was so much excitement that the walk to the Antarctic Center, about a half-mile away, turned into a footrace with baggage carts. It felt so good to move without all the gear on and to be able to run without gasping for breath – our reward after several months at 10,000 feet. I had been running for several minutes before I even noticed that I was doing so.
At the clothing distribution center, we returned all our gear in great heaps on the floor. I quickly sorted all my backpacking stuff to be ready to start a four-day hike the next day with one of my fellow Polies. We took a shuttle into town to our assorted hostels or bed-and-breakfast accommodations.
I had intended to go to a restaurant, to go on a walk through the botanical gardens, to look at the stars, to get some good beer, to take a really long shower. Instead, I took a turn around the block in the warm evening air, then went to sleep in my clean, comfortable bed at the YMCA.
Waking up, sunlight and birdsong came in through the open window, and I was back in another world. I might never have been gone. These places are so different from each other. There was no period of transition, just a feeling like waking from a dream, and the residue of a profound appreciation for everything we have that in everyday life is too mundane to notice.
There were times at the pole that I was sure I would never come back. There are things to dislike if you’re willing to. The physical challenges of minus 65 degrees combined with the elevation were the most intense that I have encountered. But the most lasting impression is that by some happy accident the National Science Foundation and Raytheon Polar Service Co. have become the unlikely hosts to one of the most enthusiastic, energetic and interesting communities on the planet.
While I was there, we shared holidays, had a Scrabble tournament and a race around the world. We shared our talents at open-mic night, took all our meals together, and witnessed a wedding and the injury of one of our members. We worked together, played together and all felt in common the cold and the distance from our loved ones. In a frozen world, we shared each other’s warmth.
I’ve decided to go back next season. I’ll be learning some carpentry skills and working on a crew putting siding on the new station. I’ll see many of the same people who I shared last season with, one of whom has become especially significant to me. Though it will be another season at the pole, I don’t expect it to be the same. I’m sure I would be disappointed if I did.
Travel to the South Pole
Darrington resident Roselie Rasmussen will talk about her experience living and working at the South Pole this fall at the Darrington Library, 1005 Cascade St.
A slide show and discussion are planned at 7 p.m. Sept. 27, and a documentary by Tom Pi, “South Pole Summer 2004-05,” will be shown at 8 p.m.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
