McMurdo Station, my new temporary home.

As a landscape sculptor, I look first at the environs, and only then at what man has wrought. This is a volcanic landscape, and the volcanoes are far from dormant. Ross Island -- about 45 by 45 miles -- is dominated by three peaks: Mt Erebus (12,500 feet), Mt Terror (10,800 feet) and the smaller Mt. Bird (6000 feet). The first two were named after the ships of the first expedition to see them, commanded by the Englishman James Ross in the 1840s.

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Mt Erebus has been venting continuously since its discovery, and on occasion indulging in full-scale eruptions. The station is at the end of a spur of land that juts out to the southwest from this peak: Hut Point. There are no trees here, indeed no plants or soil at all. Underfoot is only volcanic cinders; as in most deserts, the geology is completely naked. (Antarctica is technically a desert, despite its massive ice cap, because so little precipitation falls here. The difference between this and more normal deserts is that almost all of it stays around and builds up.)

The station as we know it was started in 1956 as part of a larger program called Deep Freeze. (Editor's note: Dozens of watercolor illustrations by Providence artist Robert Charles Haun document its construction, largely by Seabees from Quonset-Davisville.) Not many of the original structures are left -- several that were here on my first visit are now gone-- but there are still some reminders. There is also an ‘historical’ hut left by the Scott expedition in 1901-04 during the first credible attempt at the Pole, which was not finally achieved until 1911 by Amundsen. It is a settlement of about 1,000 summer residents, a quarter of that in winter. Nobody lives here permanently. A back-to-back "summer and winterover" is considered hard time. Everybody lives in large dormitories, and we eat communally in the ‘galley’-- a term left over from the quite recent past when this was an all-male military base.

At first glance, this looks like any forward logistics base, which of course it is. There are piles of materiel scattered about, equipment of all sorts mingling with the structures, not all of it operational, crates and supplies in the open, the well-used helicopter pad, numerous oil and fuel tanks all about. But on examination, it is more than that. First, the climate dictates that all ‘plumbing’ be above ground, so as one walks about one is constantly climbing over stiles built over heavily insulated pipes of all kinds, usually water and sewer. Second, almost all the structures are elevated, so that wind can whistle under them in winter storms, reducing the drifting that would otherwise be a serious threat to their integrity.

Another aspect that jumps out at the casual observer is that there are no ‘normal’ vehicles here. Tracked vehicles of varying sizes and applications are about half of what is parked about. There are no cars, and anything with just wheels is elevated onto huge balloon tires. In some ways, it is like being on the set of some very strange movie.

The Antarctic treaty of 1959 completely demilitarized the continent, and also prohibited commercial exploitation. Aside from a few well-heeled tourists, it is now devoted solely to science. Because of the unique conditions, there are many experiments that can only be run here, including some astronomy that benefits from the convergence of the magnetic field lines at Pole, the extraordinary climate record preserved in the ancient ice, and much more. The Mars landers were tested nearby, since the conditions are the closest to Mars’ that we have on earth.

Recent years have also brought a very strong environmental consciousness, in contrast to early bases where detritus was just left about. Much of that has been gathered up and shipped off the continent. Scattered all about this base are containers for all sorts of different categories of refuse, a dozen at least, and every little trash receptacle inside has posted above it a list of do’s and don’ts. Almost 60 percent is recycled after being retrograded -- among the highest rates in the world. In the past, there were dogs here for pulling sleds, but no more: It was remotely possible that they could have introduced canine distemper to the seal population, so they had to go.

The ‘heart’ of the base is the large science building called the Crary Lab after one of the earliest scientists to investigate these parts. It includes a library, numerous computer functions, an experimental aquarium, labs, and offices. I am fortunate to have not only a spacious office, but one with what I think is the best view: From my window I can gaze 50 miles across the ice of the sound to the Royal Society range and its leader Mt Discovery, named after the ship of Scott’s first expedition. Despite that, the real benefit to me is being surrounded by a very insightful and accomplished group of scientists in many disciplines. Their knowledge and energy can only help me in my future work.

Monday: Snow Survival School