Around McMurdo

For new folks on the ICE, navigation of the station is done via map or directions from seasoned program participants. However, for the brave, adventurous, or crazy: there is the "JR Death March," a walking tour of the station. It is so named because it is lead by JR (a longtime participant) and takes between 3-4 hours, depending on the weather. I survived about 2/3 of the march before breaking off from the group and heading inside to warm up. Despite the hand-warmers in my gloves, the toe-warmers in my boots and my Big Red parka, after two hours of marching I was really cold. Here are some pictures from the march and from around McMurdo Station:


Though I am still becoming familar with the landmarks here in Antarctica, I believe this is a picture of White Island (on the left) and Black Island (on the right).


View of McMurdo and the scenery from the top road of the station. Most of McMurdo Station is not very pretty: it's military base meets construction site, complete will the apropriate sounds of helicopters and heavy machinery and the smell of oil and gas. The far off scenery however, is quite majestic.


Also from the top road, a picture of a C-17 that has just landed on the Ice Runway.


Black Island with fog moving in toward the station.


An Antarctic "Sunset," of which there will only be one or two more of before we are in full summer sun 24/7.


Winter Quarters Bay, at the west end of the base.


During the winter of 1901/02 Robert Scott's ship Discovery was iced in here and they built Discovery Hut (now referred to as Scott's Hut) on Hut Point. The main deep water port for Ross Island is Winter Quarters Bay, where the ice pier is used in the summer.


Some kind of nuclear missile? No - it's a water observation tube. A large hole is drilled into the Ice, a scientist crawls into the water oberservation tube and it is placed down into the water underneath the ice for oberservation of marine life.


Check out these wheels - actually they're called Mattracks and drive quite nicely on the snow and ice.


Lots of red here - me by the work truck in my Big Red.


And another lovely picture of me outside in my parka.