This is where we live on the North Pole.
The three red tents are our expedition member quarters.
The black tent in the background is the communications, and hospitality
tent. This is where the Russian pilots hang out between flights.
They are treated with food and refreshments and a place to catch a quick
nap between their many flights. All of these tents are well
insulated and heated. In fact, much of the time, the tent was just
too warm and we welcomed people to be walking in and out, allowing the
cool air to come in. A tent like this takes about three hours to
set up and that is if you are experienced and energetic. The first
step is to excavate the snow area slightly larger than the tent.
Then the bottom is covered with large sheets of Styrofoam to provide the
initial layer of insulation and allow an even heating throughout the tent.
Next, the tent is set up over the Styrofoam. This tent is about twenty
three feet long, twelve feet wide and seven feet high allowing a lot of
room for comfort. The tent is a made of a medium fabric which is
double thick allowing a good airspace between the layers for insulation.
Inside the tent is a white gas stove with four burners
on top and a pipe going through the roof of the tent. The tent also
has two additional vents for, very vital, fresh air circulation.
The door of the tent is a flip up door with horizontal wooden slats that
are lashed to a thick material. The slats are like wooden broom handles
and are placed as close together as they can be placed over the entire
surface of the door. This gives the door the proper flexibility while
providing a lot of weight to keep it from flapping in the breeze.
As you walk into the tent, the first thing you see
is the stove, then behind the stove are two eight foot folding tables for
food. All around the sides of the tent are cots so everyone can sit
or sleep. Overall, the tents are very comfortable and the arrangement
is very well thought out by people who have had a lot of experience in
arctic exploration.
In the foreground you will see a pile of junk.
That's exactly what it is, a pile of junk. Even on the pristine North
Pole, if people are present, there is trash. It's surprising how much
trash can be generated. We have cans of food, fruit, waste paper,
and about anything you can think of.
The other, sort of square, tent on the far left, in
the foreground, is the restroom. I'm not going to tell you a lot
about that but there is no smell and there is a lot of yellow snow around
the outside of the tent.
|
