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.
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.
