A Little Bathroom Talk

WAIS Divide, Antarctica, Jan. 20, 2010 — Today the drill reached approximately 2400 meters! After work, I decided to go skiing across the ice sheet. The conditions for skiing, especially skate skiing, are excellent right now. One of my favorite things to do is to head off across the ice sheet, either walking or on skis. I like to place camp behind me with nothing human made in my view. There is no trail or footsteps to follow or anything to head towards. There are basically no restrictions as to where I go or what path I choose. It is a strange sense of freedom. I always know that anywhere I step outside of camp, I am possibly the first person to ever step there!

A lone set of ski tracks marks my path out across the ice sheet.
and over the sastrugi (long, wavelike ridges of hard snow, formed
perpendicular to the direction of the wind and common in polar regions).

Bathroom talk:

So lets get down to business. What do people really want to know about life in Antarctica? One of the most popular questions I get is “How do you go to the bathroom in Antarctica?” Well, there are actually several options which I will now describe in too much detail.

Unheated outhouses. Yes, they are outside, and yes, they are unheated. Actually, I have not used a flush toilet since my ride on a Herc to WAIS back in November of 2009! We have several in a row right outside the galley tent (very handy), one outside the arch (also very handy), and one in the middle of tent city (only handy if you didn’t set up your tent out on the periphery like I did!). They are very simple wooden structures with a wooden box–like structure and a foam “seat” positioned over a generous hole in the ice. The toilet paper is usually suspended by a rope to keep snow from getting on it (trust me, that’s not very nice) and there is a bottle of hand sanitizer. Over the holes are a variety of creative covers that help keep things like mittens and hats from accidentally being dropped where no one will ever want to recover them.

A line of conveniently placed outhouses just outside the galley tent
(far right side of photo). Notice the P flag (left side of image —
this one has both a green and yellow flag).

The most … shall we say interesting? … aspect of the outhouse is the large mass of frozen ”material” that collects at the bottom of the hole. It literally forms a rather impressive tower of … well, lets just say it’s a tower. Visualize an upside down icicle if you will, or if you are familiar with cave terminology, a stalagmite except not nearly as beautiful and with many more lumps. Around camp, we have many very creative and colorful words for our “towers,” but I am afraid they are not appropriate for a public blog (I will let you use your imagination). As one can imagine, with a stationary hole, the “inverted icicle” is able to grow and grow and grow, and will eventually reach the top of its hole. To solve this problem, we have a very long “stick” (we also have many very colorful names for the “stick”). Some unfortunate person is assigned the job of occasionally putting the “stick” down the hole in the outhouse and knocking over the “tower.” To make up for what they might lack in luxury, each outhouse has it’s own unique display of poems, sayings, artwork and general chatter (once again, I will let you use your imagination). This has proved to be rather entertaining (what can I say, we don’t have cable out here) and everyone is, of course, welcome to add their own individual input to the inside of the outhouse. Everyone seems to have their favorite outhouses and targets those to check for recent updates.

The outhouse is strapped down so it won’t fly away in the wind
(we wouldn’t want that to happen!). Outside this outhouse is the “stick”.
Notice that the end of the stick is kept wrapped in plastic. NOBODY wants to
accidentally touch that! Underneath the ventilation holes
are hooks on which you can hang your big red.

Outhouses are simple wooden structures that consist of a foam “seat”
positioned on a bench over a hole in the ice. Note the toilet paper suspended
by a rope to keep snow from getting on it. Also notice the hole cover
in the shape of Antarctica! Such covers help keep things like mittens
and hats from accidentally being dropped down the hole. This is a brand new
outhouse and thus the walls are not yet covered with writing and drawings.

The “P” bottle. If you can’t make it to the outhouse, there is another very popular option available, the “P” bottle. This is essentially a nalgene bottle with a big letter “P” printed on the top and side to make sure it is NEVER confused with a water bottle. These are very handy in one’s tent on those cold -20 degree nights. However, one must be careful not to let one’s “P” bottle freeze as then one must find creative ways to thaw it out in order to empty it for further use. (I’ll let you use your imagination for that one as well). These bottles are a brilliant idea and are actually part of the issued gear! Many conversations around camp have ventured into how much these bottles are missed once one leaves Antarctica and why society has not accepted a big “P” bottle on the nightstand as simply a necessary household item. Think about it, they’re very handy. However, it must be emphasized that extra special care must be taken with one’s “P” bottle. Mishaps are common, embarrassing, and not very fun especially in an environment with temperatures below freezing. Let’s just say that spilled liquid is much easier to clean up than thin layers of frozen liquid especially if one does not really want to touch the liquid in question. Just an important safety tip, be sure to carefully secure the lid of your “P” bottle TIGHTLY after use.

A “P” bottle posing in the snow

The “P” flag. For the gentlemen (or very adventurous ladies), there is yet another option— the “P” flag. Yes, we actually call them that. Better yet, they’re yellow! These flags mark spots where it is acceptable to relieve one’s self. Since we use the snow for our drinking water, it is highly desirable to contain this. What they say is really true, “Don’t eat (or drink) the yellow snow.” There is usually a “P” flag that accompanies each outhouse but there is even one right in the middle of town! Well, there aren’t any trees or bushes to hide behind anyway. They seem to be very popular with the guys, but with the cold temperatures and sometimes 20 knot winds, I can’t imagine the experience is terribly fun. I must admit, hanging out in an unheated outhouse with a nice “cool” breeze blowing up through the ice at your bottom is an experience I will not soon forget!