On the Ice


Citation
Legler, Gretchen. On the ice : An intimate portrait of life at Mcmurdo Station, Antartica. 
2005.

Annotation


Antartica is physically and psychologically, the most far flung place on earth. A place few will ever visit.
Legler traveled to Antartica under the National Science Foundation's Artist and Writers Program.
She ventured far beyond Mcmurdo station, from Scott and  Shackelton's original huts to Sile Dome, where scientists collect ice cores to study climate change. The books strengths are the attention to detail and Legler's ability to explain the history and science of Antarctica in a lyrical - poetic style.
Gretchens descriptions of the past are fascinating as she explores Scott's Cape Evans hut, the Antarctica's blue ice, penguins, and the requisite bulky clothing, as well as covering the people employed in all facets of the stations operations and their coping with isolation in their own ways. 
The result is a vivid sensuous travelogue book and a love story.
Legler begins a relationship with Ruth, an electrician and her thoughts on their romance provide insight into her motivations to make the journey, illuminating her Antarctic discoveries, resulting in a perfect combination of nature writing and memoir.

Mcmurdo Station -  Antartica