This week has been a whirlwind of being busy! As mentioned last week, I was supposed to be leaving out last Saturday, but for a slew of reasons (weather, plane availability, crew rest, maintenance, etc.), we finally ALL got out on Thursday back to McMurdo. Which was fitting since the weather at McMurdo was forecast to be bad for the next several days and if we pushed into next week, we would be competing with South Pole for flights, but it all worked out!
We were originally supposed to be going back in various groups, especially to help with the limited space as we start to close up camp. At the end, we had 19 people having to cram into three small workspaces.
One of the exciting things we saw on one of the last days was birds!!! We don’t (shouldn’t) get any wildlife out here, but I guess these Skua got lost from somewhere! Behold!
We finally were able to leave WAIS on Thursday. It was a crazy busy morning getting the final things winterized, packed up, and ready to go for the flight. Bad weather was forecast to hit McMurdo that night, so we additionally lost about an hour of ground time to get everything loaded and to get in the air. Our cargo and heavy equipment operators absolutley crushed it and we got off the ground and back to McMurdo around 6PM that evening.
Once we got back, we got our new dorm assignment and it was a lovely surprise to see that we got the “uppercase” dorms. Which means only two to a room (with no top bunk) and there is a shower/toilet to share with the room next to you, so only 4 people sharing the ensuite. To make matters more exciting, I got a view of the McMurdo Sound from my room!
Friday was a short work day just getting our sleep kits out of the duffel bags and starting to clean and dry out. Otherwise, we are off work until Monday morning. Let me tell you, that first shower was amazing! After about two months where I think I got ~4 Navy showers? So, getting to actually clean my body was wonderful! I additionally got a chance to do proper loads of laundry. It is weird getting now to sleep where it’s “dark” and back in an actual bed indoors, so I’m not taking it for granted. I loved my tent, but there’s something about being in a bed and not outside where it’s well below freezing 😉
Currently, the cargo vessel is in port delivering all the goodies and taking away all the trash. Bonus points if you can pronounce the ship’s name: Plantijngracht
Have about 10-14 days left here before heading back to New Zealand, but if anything this journey has taught me, any flight schedule is very subject to change and will often be delayed, so we shall see. The only thing I have firmly in stone is that my return flight to the states will be on March 2nd. Scott is flying in around Feb 25th and hopefully we will get to spend a week going around the southern island. If I do make it into Christchurch with some time before he comes, I’ll make a little whirlwind trip for myself. More to follow!
Overall, had a chill weekend. It was nice showering, laundry, and sleeping in a bed. The temps here are quite warm! Our highest temp at camp was 17F, with the average around 5F and here at McMurdo, it’s been about 37F.
As far as whales, allegedly there’s been a lot of orca sightings in McMurdo Sound and near Scott Base (NZ), so I’ve been trying to keep an eye out and it’s my goal to head over there to scope them out myself! However, I did see one from my dorm window and managed to snag a three second clip before I lost it. So hopefully more whales to follow next week!
