BDN columnist to write about new adventure Friday, May 02, 2008 Meg is safely back from Antarctica and is in Maine, where she continues to enjoy sun, rain, green grass, and fresh fruit and vegetables. More good news is that beginning May 16, Meg will resume her regular weekly Friday column, writing it from wherever she happens to be, under the new title 'Being there.' |
 Explorer bound for home at lastFriday, April 26, 2008 On my last morning in Antarctica I put on my well-worn gear for the final time - the parka, insulated overalls, boots and other extreme cold weather gear all must be returned to the United States Antarctic Program center in Christchurch, New Zealand. |
 In near total darkness, a gift of lightsFriday, April 18, 2008 It’s almost noon and the sun is hardly 10 degrees off the horizon. As the weeks of sunset are coming to a close, we find ourselves in a near-constant twilight. Our days at Marble Point Air Facility are numbered. |
Telling Antarctica's stories Friday, April 11, 2008 The snowstorm rolled in, slowly but steadily. We watched the sky in the direction of McMurdo base go dark. That was when the radio clicked on, the announcement crackling across every channel: "McMurdo Station is now in Condition Two..." |
 Discoveries made during an Antarctic autumnFriday, April 04, 2008 For the first time since last October, I can watch the sun go down. Every day it is lower on the horizon and dipping out of view for longer periods of time, spending much of the day hovering at a late-afternoon height. |
 A new job, adventure on the coastFriday, February 29, 2008 "Dear Mom," the e-mail began. "I'm not coming home quite yet - I'm actually going to go be a cook at a helicopter truck stop on the Antarctic coast." |
 Adams eyes Antarctica's extended fallFriday, February 22, 2008 As the Antarctic summer season wraps up, we’re starting to slow down. The fatigue has settled in; the wear and tear of four months of intense work in this harsh climate has taken a toll. My fingers are cracking from working in the dry cold, and I’m holding the splits together with Super Glue. They will heal after I leave the South Pole. |
Exotic turns ordinary with time Friday, February 15, 2008 Midway through sorting the station mail, I made an interesting realization: I know everyone here. |
South Pole International Film Festival a huge hit Friday, February 8, 2008 'Are you ready to get your SPIFF on?' These words, directed at the packed-to-capacity galley at South Pole Station, opened up the fifth annual South Pole International Film Festival screened here at Amundsen-Scott on Jan. 26. |
 Women thrive at South PoleFriday, February 1, 2008 One of the first things people asked me when they heard that I was going to the South Pole was, "How many other women will be there?" |
 South Pole workers raise the flag over new home baseFriday, January 25, 2008 On Jan. 12, we officially dedicated the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The former station, the Dome, was officially decommissioned as a federal facility, and the United States flag was raised over the elevated station we now inhabit. |
Antarctica conveys true isolation Friday, January 18, 2008 Almost as exciting as Christmas and more anticipated than birthdays are freshies - fresh food delivered once every few weeks by plane to the South Pole. |
 Piece of UM arrives in South PoleFriday, January 11, 2008 Oddly enough, home came to me over the holidays this year when the University of Maine arrived in the form of the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition — after a 10-season, 1,250-kilometer overland journey. |
Antarctica is a harsh continent Friday, January 04, 2008 'What do you mean, the heater broke and the D-7 bulldozer froze solid?' I said, groaning upon hearing the bad news during our morning gathering at the vehicle maintenance facility. |
 Race around the world on ChristmasFriday, December 28, 2007 Perhaps the biggest South Pole holiday tradition is the famous "Race Around the World." |
 Christmas at South Pole a unique eventWednesday, December 26, 2007 No doubt about it: I am definitely having a white Christmas this year. That much was a given. |
Camping tests mettle, skills in Antarctica Friday, December 21, 2007 Last weekend I went camping. Outside, in Antarctica. It was minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit, with a minus-50 wind chill index. |
Discoveries afoot at the South Pole Friday, December 14, 2007 When you think of the South Pole, you definitely think of the cold. But what you probably wouldn't think about is just how high above sea level the South Pole actually is. |
Adapting to a world of frostbite Friday, December 07, 2007 I suffered frostbite on my nose in my first 24 hours at the South Pole. Wide-eyed and not yet in tune with just what the cold here is like, nor yet physically adjusted, I walked from my Jamesway shelter to the main station with my neck gaiter pulled down and my goggles up. |
Turkey crisis strengthens friendships Friday, November 30, 2007 Thanksgiving is a good time for remembering the things you’re grateful for. Often it’s the little things that make the most difference. I am thankful for the invention of the hand-warmer. I swear I get up in the morning because of those things. |
Just anotherday at the South Pole Friday, November 23, 2007 Some of you are probably wondering what, exactly, I do here at the South Pole. |
 Station, Sweet StationFriday, November 16, 2007 Many liberal arts students in their last semesters of college - particularly those of the more artistic disciplines - joke that their first post-grad residence will likely be a cardboard box on the street. It's my first year out of school and I find myself living in, of all things, a canvas Quonset hut. |
Arriving at the end of the earth Friday, November 09, 2007 "For those of you going to Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station," we were told, "that first walk from the plane to the base will be one of the most physically demanding experiences of your lives." |
It can only go south from here Friday, November 02, 2007 When a college classmate of mine first recommended that I apply for a job in Antarctica, I imagined excitedly the challenges of living at the bottom of the earth. What I did not imagine, though, were the many challenges involved in simply getting there. |
Mainer heads south to Antarctic Friday, October 26, 2007 I'm going south for the winter. Mainers are familiar with going south for the winter, but I'm going a bit farther than most. About as far south as you can go, actually - and I don't mess around. |
Meg's Biography Friday, October 26, 2007 For Margaret Adams, growing up in Holden, Maine just wasn’t cold or remote enough. Which is why this winter, she’s living at Amundsen-Scott Station at the geographic South Pole. Why? Well—why not? As Amelia Earhart said, "Adventure is worthwhile in itself." Read about this small-town Maine girl’s experiences working for the United States Antarctic Program at the bottom of the earth. |
