Further South

Everyone has to have some of their ECW gear on or in easy reach    

A 5am on the 8^th, we headed to the airport, got our gear checked and loaded a bus to get the plane.
The flight to McMurdo (actually to Pegasus airfield) was about 4hrs and very noisy. The Air Force guys handed out earplugs before we got underway, along with our flight lunch. Other than us, the cargo included 2 pallets of pop, a ~2000L tank of milk from WI, and a crate of explosives used for shaping the ice dock in the bay below McMurdo. 

We aren’t the only cargo headed south

About an hour and half out from the airfield, things are starting to get a little colder

Headed for the Deltas. It is about an hour ride in these from Pegasus to McMurdo

After arriving at McMurdo, I got my first orientation. Then dinner and bag drag to get stuff loaded for the flight to South Pole. I also met Flint, the cryo tech who is training me in and whom I will be replacing in a few days time. 

Scott’s hut. Used for storage 1902-1905. You can also see the ice dock in the background.

A view of the bay. I t is pretty unusual for it to be this open, this late in the season.    

After that I took a hike down to Hut Point with Robert, one of the grantees headed down to the Pole, working on MAPO, one of three telescopes at the South Pole looking at the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB).  We walked around Scott’s hut, which was built in 1902, but never actually used for living in because the ship stay anchored, so the team used the ship instead. There were 6 or so whales swimming around in the bay, which was really cool. To give an idea of temperature (I think it was in the high single or low double digits in McMurdo), many people were walking around with light jackets on, and a few people running around in shorts.

This is the ski-equipped Hercules L-130, with new props.

Februrary 9^th and it is finally time to head to the Pole. Flint and I took a slightly later flight than the others in order to escort a five 500L dewars filled with helium. After another 3.5 hours on a plane, we got to South Pole Station. Getting off the plane, it is about a five minute walk to DA, the main entrance to the new station. And it was definitely chilly getting off the plane, about –40, not including windchill. While feeling a little dizzy and out of breath from the altitude, I got another orientation, which was pretty similar to the McMurdo orientation. Then I got a quick tour, and it was time to get to work.