Hello All,
Just a status report on my activities here at McMurdo Station. I've been getting out, after spending much of my time working in the Lab here, to see a bit of the countryside as it were. My coworker, John, and I have hiked to a geological formation, called Castle Rock. The loop to walk from McMurdo Station, up the Hut Point Peninsula, to Castle Rock, and down to the Ross Ice Shelf, over to the nearby New Zealand station, Scott Base, and back to McMurdo is a 7 mile hike! It's a bit harder with the near full Extreme Cold Weather gear (especially the not so light "bunny" boots we wear here), and the initial climb up the hill. The walk gives you a better idea of out in the open conditions in Antarctica. There's lots of snow, ice and when it's clear, impressive views. From the hike, we got to see great full views of Mt. Erebus - the nearby Volcano. We can also see Mt. Terror, which is on the far side of Ross Island. Castle Rock itself is an impressive feature that sticks out like a sore thumb from the spine of the Hut Point Peninsula here on Ross Island. It's almost like a mini Pike's Peak. It's about 1000 feet up to the top of this area...a bit higher than the Observation Hill we climbed last week.
One item that is most impressive, once we got out of the wind, and on to a protected section of the Ross Ice Shelf, was the quiet. If you stood still, and being out of ear shot of the nearby stations, it is truly quiet - no cars, planes, people, animals, trees, nothing. This shear silence is the most impressive I've ever experienced. Nothing like it back in the US, that I've ever experienced.
Today the weather has been much more "stereotypically" Antarctic. We've got a "Herbie" (the local name for the storms that come through here) going on. This is not a typical one, as it is coming form off the Ross Sea, instead of the mainland. It has been snowing for about 36 hours now - but only 3 inches roughly has accumulated. The blowing snow and reduced visibility has canceled all flight operations here for the Helos, Twin Otters and LC-130 aircraft. It is drifting some - about a foot in some spots. Very pretty.
That's the news from here.
Take care!
Matthew