October 27-Nov 8
McMurdo Station is a major metropolitan area by Antarctic standards. Right now the population is around 850 people. Upwards of 1,100 people are (were?)* expected to be on base at peak this summer. Everyone lives in the dorms and eats in the galley. We all hear the same rumors, look at the same bulletin boards for news and updates, hang out in the same two places, and wait for the same four ethernet cables in the dorm lounges as everybody else. It feels like college but for adults with jobs that work 9+ hours a day, 6 days a week...and without the campus-wide Wi-Fi. It is easy to make new friends, too. There are so many awesome, interesting people.
So, I think I was undersold on how beautiful McMurdo is. Sure, it is sorta grungy, but I think the "function over form" is part of the aesthetic. The shipping containers and buildings cover every primary color, so from up above looking down on McMurdo, it sort of looks like an aerial-view from a Richard Scarry BusyTown book. I think it is funny, and sorta cute to see everyone walking around doing their jobs that keep the base (and science) running.
Life on this little peninsula with nothing but ice, volcanic rock, and snow is anything but boring. Mostly because the majority of the rock, snow, and ice are in the shapes of mountains. Maybe I’ll miss green things by mid-January, but right now I am very happy to see the world in black, blue, brown, and white.
More scenes from around town
It was very dry the first week and a half of being here. Last week, it was foggy one morning, so we actually got frost. Then it has flurried a few times in the last week. Maybe a centimeter or two of snow, but it blows around so much its hard to tell. The main result is that the hills look like they got dusted with powdered sugar. But then when the sun comes out it melts again. (Last photo in the set above)
Dirt and snow, dirt and snow and ice. Everywhere.
Hikes out to Hut Point
McMurdo is on the Hut Point peninsula, so named because of the wooden hut built by Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s team during an expedition around 1903. The shack is still standing, impeccably preserved in the dry, cold climate. I think some excavation work was done several years ago to clear away built up snow.
I have been looking forward to visiting this hut for almost five years, since I first read Endurance by Alfred Lansing and subsequently Shackleton's Heroes by Wilson McOrist). You can peek in the windows and see old tinned cans still sitting on the shelves. Like a time capsule. an abandoned and mummified seal carcass can be seen by the hut that was left by later explorers in Ernest Shackleton’s Ross Sea party for his Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
The view out over the sea ice is incredible from the point. It points directly at the Royal Society range. You can also see seals! Later in the summer we should be able to see penguins.
Discover Hut and frozen seal:
Ice crystals in the atmosphere catching the sun. I'm a sucker for the sun hitting the glaciers in the mountains, I can't stop taking photos.
I enjoyed my evening hike out so much I took friends out the next morning. Here are pictures of Susan, Simon, Suren, Jared and me!
Fata Morgana
Fata Morgana. One of my favorite things about Antarctica! An optical illusion from thermal gradients across the ice (or sea). Its a mirage. Objects on the horizon get reflected upwards. It can make objects in the distance hover, sometimes doubled if its just right. It makes the bottoms of the mountain ranges look smeared, and mirrors a strip along the bottom up. Its hard to see above the ice shelf, snow and sky look similar.
I'm a sucker for a good sunset.
Okay okay. I know it won't actually set until mid February. I'm a sucker for a good almost sunset.
There is a telescope in the library. No stars to look at this time of year, its just for seal watching.
We only got to complete our Outdoor Safety training last Tuesday, so now we are able to go on some longer hikes and trails around the area when we have an off-day. I've done lots of cool things since then, but this post is getting long!
* With numbers of covid cases on base, new people are not arriving until next week at the earliest. We are hoping to get the rest of our team here as soon as possible. Jeff and Riccardo are in Christchurch for the pause. Steve and Bill were to be heading to Christchurch this week in anticipation of resumed flights. We have been able to carry on and keep things going with SPIDER, with lots of remote help and troubleshooting. We will be very glad when everyone is here.