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After listening to a briefing and watching a safety video, we were ready to go. We crowded onto the buses that brought us to the plane that would take us to the ice, a U.S. Air Force C141. The trip would take around 5 ½ hours.

Karen by the C141 entrance	Robin (left) and Claire (right) by the C141 entrance
Click on the photos to see a larger view

Following much photo taking, we got into the cargo hold of the plane. On this flight, in addition to fresh fruit, the main cargo was us! Our seats consisted of four long benches with canvas meshing for the back. We were packed in like the proverbial sardines, side by side, facing one another.

Because of bathroom logistics men sat near the rear of the plane where a 30-gallon bucket inside a shower curtain was the urinal. Women got to sit together near the front of the plane where we could easily access the pilot's bathroom, complete with toilet and seat cover, the closest we could get to First Class.

"The Girls" (Claire, Robin, Karen, Jen, and Maria) waiting for the guys to get on board. Check out the red "monster" parkas, the black windproof bib overalls, and the white bunny boots.

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