Most jobs have their own fun acronyms and slang. Let me break down some North Slope speak for you.
These are spikes. They are literally tire chains for your boots. They go on said boots like so. There is a fun little dance you do when trying to get them on and off with a backpack on but I will spare you. Their only purpose is to be a pain in the butt, or rather, to keep you from having one falling on the snow. The trick to walking in the snow, even with chains on, is to walk like a penguin– small quick steps at an angle. That will get you there upright and dignified, as opposed to the rambling long stride that suddenly leaves you flat.
Chains on my boot!
I started with spikes for a reason, because the next one is the called the spike room. This is not the changing room or the room where we keep the spikes (this is not a medieval castle of torture). The spike room is traditionally the farthest into a camp you can go with your chains on. Just like on roads, chains tear things up when there is no snow. So camps make you take off boots or put on covers to keep the place clean and dry. So if you are stopping for lunch and want to run in and grab a quick bite, forget about it! Boots off! And that is where the spike room comes in. Normally it’s a room right next to the door where you can pop in quick and grab a bottle of water or a bag of chips and keep those spikes on. This room is where the leftovers go to be packed in lunches. This is where every snack you could ever want is, and the popcorn is fresh all day long. The ice cream machine is around the corner. In short, it’s like a really well stocked gas station. Some think it is the best place in the camp.
Another great term, as most are, is weather related. A blow. Almost always a big blow. Very rarely do we have a little blow. A blow is when the weather warms up and it can start snowing. When it’s extremely cold it’s too cold to snow. So when things warm up like today it is only -4 with the possibility of highs on the plus side of zero it is only a matter of time before the snow comes. And snow around here rarely comes in gentle like a Hallmark movie. Oh no, it comes roaring in with the full force of the wind behind it. Thus a blow. Lots of strong, strong winds and blowing snow = a blow. Some say it doesn’t snow more than a few inches here every winter, it just gets blown from one side of the state to the other.
When there is a blow or really any bad weather things get very interesting. If the weather is bad, flights get cancelled and we start to conserve water. First it’s the laundry and the real dishes to go. Trying to cut meat on a paper plate with a plastic knife is never easy. We save water because we don’t know how long the blow will last or what might break in the meantime. If you can’t get a repairman to fix the water plant we would all be in trouble. Like the trouble we had last week when one of the wings of the camp was so cold the pies started to freeze inside! This is why you never ever wait to the very last day to do laundry. You never know when the water will be restricted.
My personal favorite is Casablanca Day. We have one flight a day. So the day you get to be on it is a great day. Some call it go home day or going south or getting the heck out of Dodge. But getting a seat on the flight out will always be Casablanca Day to me!