Daniel Leussler:

Today was my last day at Jefferson before I leave for the Ice. We were lucky enough to find someone qualified to replace me who could start before I left, which gave me a few days to help train him in, something which I probably could have prepared better for. This process also drove home both how much experience I’ve acquired at Jefferson during my time there, and how little I’ll have of how things are done at the Pole – there will be less quick and simple solutions, and more investigating and discussing, I think.

I first heard about the US Antarctic Program in early February, applied in March, proceeded through the HR approval in April, had my first and second job interviews in May, received an offer in June, began to lay out plans for post contract travel in July, passed the physical qualification gauntlet in August, left my apartment and studio in September, and went on leave in October. It seems unbelievable that I’m now less than a week away from leaving, and also appropriate that leaving here is really just another step towards the lengthy process needed to actually arrive at the Pole, with stops in Denver, LA, Sydney, Christchurch, and McMurdo ahead of me. It sometimes feels like this entire year has just been milestone after milestone, which is not a bad way to pass the time

I’ll try to update this blog more often now that I’ll have more news to write about, and I’m considering using a more two-tiered solution to deciding when and what to post; previously I’ve tried to be more conservative and avoid writing short, low-content posts, but I’m guessing that for a lot of people it’s the little details in Antarctica that are the most interesting. Watch for small updates possibly weekly or bi-weekly, with longer posts less frequently.