The day has finally come! After a 24 hour weather delay, we are set to fly off the continent Wednesday morning. Yesterday and Sunday were blustery and snowy, so aircraft were not able to fly down here. But today was beautiful and our plane arrived from New Zealand. We will fly a C-130 Hercules back to New Zealand, which is smaller than the C-17 we flew down. Only smaller planes come down this time of year, which I've heard is because the snow is slushier and the larger planes damage the ice shelf surface too much. This means a slower ride back to Christchurch, about 7.5 hours. The delay gave me an extra 24 hours to say goodbye to friends and even have some new experiences on station. Here's a little tour of how I have spent my last few days here. Hiking with friendsOn Saturday John and I hiked the hut point ridge trail. Our timing wasn't great and the new weather front (the windy, snowy one) blew in while we were on the trail. It was an antarctic adventure! Tonight (Tuesday) evening, Ari and I hiked around Ob Hill and it was clear, calm and warm - about 34°F today! The sweeping views of the sea ice are going to change dramatically over the next 2-3 months as temperatures stay higher and the sea ice transitions to open water. Eating food, drinking coffee
Gym time!
So much packing...
Fire station tour!The firefighters are here for town emergencies, but their main job is to support the planes and airfield. On a snowy day with no flights arriving, things are quiet at the firehouse, so I stopped by the other day and Domenic gave me a tour. The engines here are designed for the cold environment, but interestingly the firefighters are not allowed to spray water or foam because it would damage the environment. The engines are also the dirtiest I've seen because they aren't allowed to wash them. I became an expert welderNot really. But I stopped by the Shop this afternoon and John let me tag along. I helped him make a water pump holder for one of the buildings on station. I'm totally ready to go home and see Ro and the kids. I will also really miss being in this incredible place and all the people I've been able to spend time with while I've been here.
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AuthorI am a marine molecular ecologist at the University of Washington. I'm excited to share my first Antarctica trip with you! Archives
December 2023
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