Longren Antarctic Newsletter #05 - 23.01.2023 ------------------------------------------------- Dearest people, In my eyes, SPoT is one of the coolest operations run in Antarctica, if not anywhere. It's a simple  idea: flying is expensive, so why not drive?  From and to where, you might ask. Well, from the  edge of the Antarctic continent right to the  center of it: McMurdo Station to the South Pole. I want to highlight Antarctica's highway, the  South Pole overland Traverse (SPoT). An aerial view of the traverse (J. MacGregor). Measuring 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in length over  compacted snow, the flagged route has existed  since 2007. Originating from the north side of  the Ross Ice Shelf at McMurdo Station, a majority  of the highway runs along the ice shelf until it  crosses the Transantarctic Mountains to arrive at  the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The SPoT route from McMurdo to Pole (Wikipedia). The main reason for SPoT to exist is to deliver  fuel to the South Pole. Previously, all fuel to  Pole was delivered through LC-130 tanker flights,  where the planes carry excess fuel that is then offloaded upon arrival, leaving only just enough  onboard for them to get back to McMurdo. Each  austral summer, SPoT delivers 300,000 gallons  (1,100,000 liters) of fuel to the Pole. On the  return trip to McMurdo, the traverse brings back  Pole's waste to then be sent to California, USA  for processing. The outbound traverse takes  approximately three weeks due to the slow speed  in carrying soft-sided fuel bladders, a snail's  pace of seven miles (eleven km) per hour for 12  hours a day. On the return journey, a quicker  pace is made without fuel. The caravan arriving to the Pole (S. Allinger). While the route is well regulated and quite safe,  hazards still remain. Inherent to the continent  is its ever changing landscape. As the  snow and ice shift over time, crevasses pop up.  Early in the austral summer, these cracks in the  route are discovered, exposed, filled, and  compacted to ensure safe passage for the rest of  the season. Dangers also exist in regards to the  environment. On the positive side, SPoT is more  efficient than tanker flights, reducing both  emissions and costs. However, the traverse  brings with it an increased risk of hurting the  current environment. Just this year, one of the  teams had a fuel bladder break while enroute to  the Pole, spilling a great amount of fuel onto  the ice. While they cleaned up what they could  on their way back to McMurdo, the existence of  the highway does impact the purity of this beautiful white continent (though, the same  could be said about any human presence at all). A crevasse on the highway (T. Thomas). While I have not been on the traverse, nor have  I been to the South Pole (both of which I hope  to reach one day), I have met a few people who  have. One such person, a fellow Luke, recently  left on the 3rd and final traverse to Pole of  the season. He and I have largely interacted by playing a single game of cribbage, though he did  tell me this (to paraphrase): while SPoT is a  unique and enjoyable experience, it's really  just a lot of slowly driving straight. This season's SPoT 3 crew, with their Luke  pictured far left (S. Allinger). What I find to be so cool about SPoT is how  special it is. While it's not the only traverse  across Antarctica, and there are other very cool  research and operations that are happening here,  SPoT simply connects the two major sites of the  United States Antarctic Program: McMurdo Station  and Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. Without  these stations, much of the research performed  across Antarctica would not be feasible. The  South Pole Traverse is a physical bridge that  connects these two important and special places. Sleds loaded with traverse cargo (S. Allinger). Thanks for reading. Until next time, stay well. Kindest regards, Luke ------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------- If you think that someone would be interested in learning  about the Antarctic and what working there is like, please  do forward this letter to them.  If you would like to be removed from this newsletter, just  email me and I can do so. Lastly, if you have any questions about life, work, or  anything else regarding Antarctica, send me an email and  I can try to answer your question in the next letter.  Thank you!