a hike, a nap, a bag drag
Hi again,
McMurdo was fun today, but I’d still rather have been at the pole. Here’s what I did today: After an early breakfast, I went over to the Chalet (the NSF main office) to find out about when my flight to Ch’ch (pronounced like that guy who was in “Up in Smoke” with Chong, short for Christchurch). They had me scheduled as leaving here on the 13th. While that would have been great fun and all, I told them that I would prefer to go back later, which I am, but almost didn’t (more on that later). So, that taken care of, I took advantage of the fact that the store was open today and bought a couple things to bring back. (They’re usually closed on Tuesdays, but they’re going to be closed the rest of the week for restocking or something.)
After lunch, I went back to the Chalet to get the key to Scott’s Hut. An australian Outback style hut used by Scott a couple times and also by Shackelton. I was all set to get the key, when they asked who was going with me. It turns out that you need to go in groups of two or more. They have certain quotas for how many people can visit it and such (in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty), so as I was alone, I couldn’t get the key (something to do another time I guess). I did hike over to Hut Point and walk around the hut though, just for kicks. On my way back, I took some pictures of the ice breaker that at the port. It’s the Polar something, I don’t remember if it’s the Polar Star or the Polar Sea. The other one is still a little ways out, breaking ice. They can break up to 6.4 meters of ice, and they’re very impressive. On my way back, as I was walking back to my building, I was looking at Observation hill (I’ll have pictures later) and I decided I needed to climb it. So, I did. It’s a pretty steep hill on all sides, but there is a path to the top. Near the top, I lost the path that was already made, and I didn’t realize it. Soon, it became rather tough going, and it was hard to get a good footing. I made it to the top and looked around; the base, a helicopter flying in from the icebreaker that still a ways out, the green buildings of New Zealand’s base… the path to the top. So, yeah, I found the path that /everyone else/ takes to the top, and decided I’d go back down that way. The hill doesn’t look that big, but from the top, everything else looks small, even the big Cat bulldozers working near the bottom of the hill. The view was great. I took a bunch of pictures. There is also a cedar cross at the top of the hill, put up in 1913 in memorial of Scott’s fateful trip back from the pole.
When I got back, it wasn’t quite dinner time, and I didn’t have check in for my flight until 2000 (8pm) so I decided to take a little nap. I really should have known better, as I’m still not quite adjusted from working the night shift. I realized this when I woke up at 2300 (11pm). (I realize that my mom probably told me to bring an alarm clock, and I realize I said I didn’t need one, and I realize this is like that 5th time I could have really used on this trip, but it’s too late at this point.) I quickly got my way over to bag drag (I’m guessing bag-drag is a military term for checking in for a flight or something like that) and they were happy to see me. Evidently housing (the people who gave me a key for my room) had no idea that I was there, or where I was staying, only that I was checking out tomorrow. So, no one knew how to find me. I got there in time to be put on tomorrow’s flight though, so no problem.
Instead of flying in an LC-130 like I took to the pole, or the New Zealand C-130 that I took from Chch to here the first time, I’ll be taking a big C-141. The word on the street is that they don’t have many windows, like the C-130s have, and that, because it’s Air Force, you don’t get to move around in the cargo area like the New York Air Guard allows you to, but you get home in 5 hours instead of 8, so I guess that’s a plus. Our trip will be made longer, because we’ll have to fly out of Pegasus, instead of the regular ice runway, which is over an hour away from McMudhole (oops! I mean Dirt Town. No! I mean McMurdo… right…).
I think I’m going to head to bed now so I can be up for breakfast in the morning. Definitions for today’s post are from Ethan (one of the winterovers for AMANDA, who I spent a bit of time with at the pole.)
-Jonathan