Blogs from Antarctica - page 67

Greetings from sunny and scenic McMurdo Station, which as the locals say, is located very near to Antarctica. CHECK OUT PHOTOS 1 and 2. The US Naval Ship Paul Buck arrived at the McMurdo Ice Pier on Wednesday January 26 and began unloading 6.1 million gallons of AN-8 and JP-5 diesel fuels. (Ships, airplanes and the power plant use these fuels.) This is very good news as without the fuel, the winter population of the station would have been reduced from the current planned level of 235 people to 4 - 20. Of less consequence to Deborah and me, but of more consequence to the US Antarctic Program; all of the upcoming 2005/2006 summer science season would have been cancelled, except for that supported by Palmer Station. Fortunately this did not come to pass and we ... read more

The majority of the participants in the US Antarctic Program do not get the opportunity to leave the area directly surrounding McMurdo Station. Safety is the number one priority, which is a good thing due to the remoteness of the town, so, with the exception of scientists and a few lucky people who’s jobs take them into the field, there are virtually no ways of getting out and exploring and seeing things such as mountain tops or wildlife, unless they wander into town. To help combat the boredom and restlessness that someone with a yearning for adventure experiences when they are surrounded by an amazingly beautiful, but off-limits wilderness, the National Science Foundation has allowed a few recreational trails to be made into the surrounding hills and they occasionally offer morale trips to visit some of ... read more

I escorted a group of 25 people aboard the Marco Polo of Orient Cruise Lines, on a 9 day cruise to the Antarctica Peninsula. We sailed roundtrip from Ushuaia, Argentina. It was a fantastic voyage, that allowed us to experience what few people have. The only tough part, was sailing through the Drake Passage on the way down. We hit 24 foot seas, that sent glasses and dishes crashing to the floor. I also got tossed from bed and out of the shower. Our ship's Captain, Nenad Mogic, got us through it all with his skill and sense of humor. The rough waters lasted about 11 hours, and then we entered a sea of calm, with sunny skies, mild temperatures and a light breeze. The sense of peace and vision of beauty was indescribable. We visited ... read more

It is quarter to eight in the evening and the sun is just about beginning to set. It has been largely overcast through the day. The room at the York Mariott is nicely opulent without being overbearing. There is a great view of the lush greens of the race course…lusher from the fresh spate of rains that have been hitting the area since the past two days. England can be wonderfully picturesque - only if it didn’t rain that incessantly.   The room is dimly lit and I am enjoying the view as well as the latest at Athens (the controversies included!).Munching in fresh green salad and smoked salmon. Just finished chatting for the nth time (at the suggestion of an old boss who is now a dear friend) with my husband who has spent his ... read more

This is me at Scott base camp in the Antarctic. It was just me and another guy, John, that had set out together and for six months leading up to our departure we thought we’d managed to plan for every single eventuality. We knew exactly where we were to be by what time every day and packed only a little more food than was required for the whole trip. But, true to form, the schedule went a little bit to shit to say the least. We got held up by a massive, unexpected snow storm for more days than we had allowed for, and on the way back we were running pretty low on supplies. This photo was taken two days before we returned. At that camp we met another guy who was just heading out. ... read more