r/antarctica • u/sky_girl919 🐧 • 5d ago

US Antarctic Program pre-deployment nervousness

I am leaving in a few days for my very first season on ice in McMurdo and while I am mostly very excited, I’m also starting to get a bit nervous. I have never even left the US before and I don’t know anyone who has deployed, so I’m going into this experience pretty blind. What would be some good advice for someone going into their first season who’s a bit nervous?

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u/A_the_Buttercup Winter/Summer, both are good 5d ago

Finding somebody in the airport who looks like they're also headed to Antarctica, especially somebody who has deployed before, can be a game-changer. They can help guide you through all the steps to get there, and prepare you for your first few days on the ice, plus, you'll know at least one person when you get there!

When are you leaving? Maybe we'll cross paths.

Edit: Pro tip - Antarcticans usually carry big Nalgene water bottles, it's a dead giveaway.

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u/Accomplished-Suit559 5d ago

This is what I did! I overheard three people at JFK talking about going to Palmer. Pretty sure at least two of them were carrying Nalgene bottles. Hilarious! 😹

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u/sky_girl919 🐧 5d ago

I have an LAX layover on the third and my on-ice date is the 8th! Thank you for the advice, I’m planning on finding some people on my flight and sticking with them so I don’t get lost. Maybe I’ll see you down there!

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u/A_the_Buttercup Winter/Summer, both are good 5d ago

Alas, I'm not going through LAX, but I'll probably see you somewhere!

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u/jyguy Traverse/Field Ops 5d ago

I was going to suggest the same thing. Many people who come here have been friends since a shared layover. A lot of my friend group all came down for our first season the same year, we were all fng’s together.