When Abigail Adams '06 and Amber Morse '97 signed up to work at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, they had no idea that the experience would feel so much like something they both thought they had left behind: college life. In many ways, however, McMurdo is much like a small rural college -- complete with its own newspaper, sports leagues and weekly viewings of "Sex and the City" in a dormitory lounge.
"McMurdo is something like a cross between a college campus and a mining town," Adams described.
The station, which is located on Antarctica's Ross Island, was once used as a naval base and now serves as home to scientists conducting fieldwork in the area and an extensive staff -- a group of people who, until late February, included the two Dartmouth alums.
Adams, who traveled to the region as a research assistant to Environmental Studies Professor Ross Virginia, spent about six weeks studying the soil in the McMurdo dry valleys.
"It was the highest, driest, coldest place on the planet," Adams explained.Morse lived in the region for about six months, working in the environmental, health and safety department for Raytheon Polar Services Company.
"Our days aren't simulated; they're very chance dependent," Morse said. "One day you're teaching a class, and the next day there's a vehicle accident fuel spill."
Though their day-to-day activity didn't include schoolwork, Adams and Morse agreed that the parallels between their time in Antarctica and their college years were undeniable.
While at McMurdo, both Morse and Adams lived in dormitories with roommates and ate their meals in the station's galley three times a day.
And, just like a college, McMurdo station has its own distinctive social scene, complete with clubs, classes and several bars, which many of the residents frequent after work.
"We would be in the lab until 9 or 10 and still go out for a drink afterwards," Adams described. "Alcohol is definitely part of the culture there."
Adams noted that the community even included a special "day bar" that was available to people who had worked the night shift, a schedule made possible by the constant sunlight in the area during several weeks of the year.
For her part, Morse participated in the station's running club and silversmith classes, and worked part-time jobs at the local video store and as a bartender.
Adams said her long days in the lab left her little time to enjoy the station's activities, though she went to bars with friends and watched movies on occasion.
"The love scene [at McMurdo] is interesting," Adams added in reference to the predominantly male population of the station. "If any girls need a self-esteem boost, go to Antarctica."
Despite the collegiate atmosphere, both Morse and Adams noted that the station attracted an older crowd. Morse put the mean age of the residents at 37.
"It's a mature group," Morse said. "The people you meet there and connect with are a huge part of what makes it so special and so beautiful."
Much of the station's staff is made up of highly educated individuals who sign on to work at McMurdo in order to get the chance to see Antarctica.
"You have Ph.Ds working as janitors, and lawyers working as dishwashers -- just because they want to be there," Morse said.
Both women, however, noted that the true beauty of Antarctica lies away from McMurdo's brown army-colored buildings.
"A lot of people come to McMurdo to see Antarctica, but McMurdo is hardly Antarctica," Morse said.
Morse was able to travel to the South Pole during her stay in order to get a real feel for the continent.
"It was breathtaking," Morse said. "Maybe it's just the whole mental thing: Oh my gosh, I'm at the bottom of the world."
Adams spent approximately two weeks away from the station on field studies.
In order to reach the dry valleys where she conducted research, Adams had to take a twenty minute helicopter ride, an excursion that provided for some spectacular sightseeing, as the helicopter pilots flew low to let the researchers see the whales and penguins in the sea below.
"I was pretty stoked to see them," Adams said of the penguins. "They are just the cutest little balls of wonder."
Now that they have returned, both Morse and Adams say they will likely remain in the United States for the next few years. Morse plans to pursue her MALS degree at Dartmouth, while Adams has signed on with Teach for America in Hawaii.
Each of the women, however, admitted to a strong desire to revisit the icy continent in the future.
"It's hard to experience this community and think I'll never see it again," Adams said. "I can see why it draws people back."
