Touring McMurdo

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After a nice breakfast, Jennifer, Joel, Jerome, and I took a guided tour of McMurdo Station. It took us about an hour. The tour introduced us to the various buildings that we may need to visit during our stay. One of the highlights of the tour was finally seeing Scott's Hut from a distance.

After the tour, we attended a Outdoor Activites briefing, which informed us of the various routes about camp that we can hike, ski, etc. There are a suprisingly large number of hikes. However, many are now off limits due to the weakening sea ice. Apparently, our landing at Pegasus Field was the last of the season.

In the afternoon, I visited the cargo building and turned over my excess cargo (parts for rover). We then went next door to pick up our deep field camping supplies. In the bag, we had a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mats, pillows, etc. I am not sure if I will stay in a tent or a Jamesway (small building) at WAIS. I have heard that the Jamesways are very warm and dry.

The Crary Laboratories was our next stop. This building houses the most sophisticated and highly equipped research facilities in all of Antarctica. Our team has a small office in Phase II, the second floor. After a briefing by our PI, we were released to do our own thing.

The latest flight brought alcohol to the station. As a result, the store had a long line of people waiting to buy their holiday booze. They do not have many options down here, but people do not seem to mind the selection.

The station is more or less closed down for the next two days to celebrate the holidays. Many of the workers at the station will have the few days to relax and enjoy the Saturday feast. Our team plans to spend the time hiking around McMurdo and possibly climbing obs hill.

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Photos

Byrd Statue
Standing outside the Chalet, I am posing next a statue of Byrd. In the background, you can see the Ross Ice Shelf. Even further, you can see a hint of Black Island.

Sleep Gear and Cargo
Note the blue buildings. The building on the right is the Berg field supply building, where we collected our sleeping bag and tent. To the left, we have the cargo processing building.

Crary Labs
The most advanced scientific center in Antarctica. Our team has an office in Phase II (second floor). The doors on the outside are like freezer doors.

Scott's Hut from a Distance
Scott staged many of his expeditions out of this hut. It is an Australian Outback style hut, which is supposed to be terrible for cold weather.