(Season 2): Hikes... Skiing... and More Hikes!

It has been about a month since my last post so I have finally decided to sit down and make an entry. Over the last several weeks I have been passing the time with some great friends by going on hikes and learning how to cross country ski. Our group started out basic with the "Castle Rock Loop" (9.8 miles) which included a climb to the summit and a nice pit stop at the Mars hut (a bit of an inside joke). It was an absolute blast and my friends took a lot of great pictures. It's difficult to do it justice, but the view at the summit of Castle Rock is absolutely amazing. It is something that I feel privileged to have experienced, so much so that it even made my eyes a little weepy (or it could have been the wind... yeah... definitely the wind). The next week we entertained ourselves by learning how to cross country ski, which actually went much better than I anticipated. As a matter of fact, things went so well that our "quick out & back" turned into four hours of exhaustion and burning joints (but at least I didn't fall). I know this all sounds like a decent workout (and it was to be sure), but the thing to remember is that this was all simply preparation for what is affectionately known as the "Ross Island Traverse".

For the third week in a row(and what started as the day before Thanksgiving), we decided to take things to the next level... all recreational trails on the island in one trip. This sounds like a daunting task to be sure, but please keep in mind that we had a few factors in our favor: The confidence of youth, excitement over a two day weekend, and reassurance that our ranks had bolstered from the original four into a whopping seven people. With that we set out, starting things off with a hike to the top of Observation Hill (cross photo), followed by the "Ob Hill Loop" (red marker photo), and Hut Point Ridge (nondescript group photo). With the completion of the third leg, three people headed back due to prior engagements and the original four continued on with the Castle Rock Loop (summit picture), a pit stop at the Mars Hut again (missing heads), and on into the Cape Armitage Loop (sign picture), before finally reaching town again and heading straight to day bar. I can honestly say that a 24 mile hike does wonders for removing any guilt about stuffing your face with turkey and potatoes.

After all is said and done, those 24 miles provided some of the most fun I've had in a long time... it really comes down to the company you keep.

Note 1: We helped pass the time by practicing our sledding (videos below).
Note 2: All photos & videos were made possible by everyone not named "Grant."

(Season 2): Back Again

Well here I am, back for another summer season in McMurdo. It's kind of funny how different everything feels this time around... familiar... but different. Deployment was mostly the same (I got a picture of my ECW gear), the job is the same, the location is the same, the equipment is the same, but there are a lot of new faces mixed in with the old. There are people from last season that I wish were here, but new blood brings a sense of enthusiasm and wonder that you just can't get any other way. Explaining how/why things are done can be a test of one's patience, but it can also provide a strange sense of fulfillment and help to break up the monotony of the day.

Speaking of avoiding monotony, this summer has been off to a great start thus far. It is my goal to get some more photos from around town for my blog posts (as per request) and I feel that I'm kicking things off in the right direction. I did a hike up Observation Hill ("Ob Hill" for short) a couple of days ago and got some great shots of town, the ice runway, and the surrounding mountains. I also got a shot of the C-17 I arrived on (eerily similar to last season), a shot of town from the road to the Ice Runway, and a picture of the Helo pad. To top it off, I took a video while at the top of Ob Hill (the cross is hard to read), and one in the center of town during a small wind storm (the swirling snow was really great to watch).

Unfortunately, the station's population is particularly high this season (this is a busy season for science), so computer access will be sporadic at best. I will try to check my e-mail and update my blog whenever possible but it will take a while.

*Note: I also added a picture of the Oregon sunset I saw from the plane while returning home last season.

(Season 1): Last Chapter

Well, it's officially the end of the season and my last entry while on the ice. Quite a lot has happened since the last time I posted (I always say that), one of the landmarks being vessel week. The ship finally arrived at the beginning of February, carrying mil-vans of cargo for the station. Our job mainly consisted of receiving & storing all freight delivered to us, as well as building up pallets to send to South Pole. Fortunately, much of our stuff had been flown down throughout the season so, once we finished, the remainder of our time was spent helping out other departments (supply, waste, etc).

I was lucky enough to be sent on a boondoggle (moral trip) as a kind of "recharge" before the last couple weeks of the season. My trip was called "room with a view" due to the great visual(s) it provides of Mt. Erebus. It was a lot of fun and I'm glad I had the chance to go, especially since my first trip was cancelled due to a coming storm. Although the view was amazing (pictures don't do it justice), the ride there was also a blast. We were each given our own snowmobile and rode as a group to/from our destination. The one downside to the trip was the simple fact that I was freezing for most of the ride there ("meow"). For whatever reason, I failed to notice that my Ski-doo had no windshield until we were underway and it was too late to switch. To top things off, it was particularly cold that day (I promise).

As of this posting, I have less than 24 hours left on the ice (knock on wood) and I can honestly say that I have mixed feelings. It's strange to watch all of the field camps close (Byrd, WAIS, AGAP, etc) and witness the population dwindle towards a winter populace of 210 or so. I miss my family & friends back home and can't wait to see them, but I am going to miss the people here as well. It's only natural to make good friends when you live in a town of 1,000 souls for five months with nowhere to go, and it's a strange feeling to know that it is all but over. I took a couple of pictures on one of my last trips to the Pegasus runway and I think that they are very telling: Although beautiful, Antarctica truly is desolate & unforgiving.

Fortunately, the men & women around you make all the difference. I have met a lot of great people during my time down here and, as they have left one-by-one, it has sunk in that there is a very real chance I may never see them again. Even while giving hugs and saying my goodbyes, I've joked about being jealous and have shaken my fist in "anger" multiple times for friends getting to leave before me (even just a day). However, that was all just for show. The truth is...

I am going to miss them and wish them all the best.

Note: The vessel pictures are not mine.

(Season 1): Another Sighting!

Okay, I confess, this time didn't have quite the same impact as my first penguin sighting (especially since they're the same ones) but I was able to get some much better pictures on my second attempt. Apparently it's the molting season and these four guys (or gals but who can tell... or cares for that matter) have been holed up at the same spot (mile marker 10) for a month now. When comparing my first set of photos to these, you can definitely tell that they have become the star attraction around here (look at all of the footprints).

I have also included a couple of random pictures that some friends down here sent me. One is from the famous "Happy Camper" incident of 2009 (I was smiling but I assure you that I was not happy), while the others are from a trip to the ice caves. As you can see, the weather for the ice caves was less than favorable (shocking) but I still refused to wear "big red" (our standard issue parkas) regardless. It's difficult for me to express my hate for these jackets in the form of words but I'll try... they're stupid! They're big, heavy, clumsy, uncomfortable, the zippers snag constantly, the hood falls back when you want it to stay up and falls over your face when you don't, and they smell (at least mine does... through no fault of my own mind you). I could go on and on but I'll spare all of you for now (truthfully I just ran out of negatives). Needless to say, the sight of me standing stubbornly in the wind and snow, shivering uncontrollably with fists clenched in defiance, was pretty amusing to some people on the trip (you know who you are).

As the season steadily comes to a close, the sun is dipping lower into the sky, resulting in some pretty spectacular scenery. This just serves as a reminder that, when the times comes, it will be nice to see stars again. Twenty four hours of sunlight is great and all, but a person can only take so much before they get sick of it (actually it makes you feel like an alcoholic when you leave the bar and it's broad daylight, but I digress).

Just in case you haven't noticed by my increased level of... ahem... "sassiness" (I promise never to use that word again), I'm geared up and ready to head home. Don't worry though, I haven't "lost it" as most would assume, whatever "it" I had was gone long before I came to Antarctica.

Note 1: I gave in and put on big red (eventually).
Note 2: What the documentaries don't tell you is that penguins shit... and they shit well.

(Season 1): A New Year

2010 has officially begun and all I can say is "It's off to a good start!" I would first like to thank friends & family (I miss all of you) for sending me boxes of junk food for x-mas... they didn't last long but they were much appreciated nonetheless. I may not have had a stocking this time but, as you can see, I managed.

As I said, this year is starting off fairly well so far. A small storm moved in for a couple of days, dumping a nice blanket of snow around town. This was great because it seemed to liven things up a little but, but bad because you had to spend the majority of your time at work dodging, ducking, dipping, diving, and uh... dodging (advice: 12 hour snowball fights make you sore). This was enjoyable enough but, to top it off, some little guys in tuxedos decided to pay a small visit to the airfield (or at least the snow road to it). That's right people, I finally had my chance to see some penguins around here (free-range ones too). I must say, emperors are quite a bit bigger in person than I expected... I even have a video of them surfing around but that will have to wait until I get home (technical difficulties).

I'd like to finish out this post with a little news, I was finally given my redeployment date and it looks like I should be out of here on the 20th of February (basically the last flight out). It should be pretty fun to see the population dwindle around here over the coming month.