This first picture is of the future ice pier and is at the edge of McMurdo on the way to Hut Point. The plan is to use the pier to offload the cargo ship that will be showing up later in the season when the ice thins and either clears out, or is broken up by the icebreaker. Though there is some question as to how well the pier will hold up due to the weak ice this year. Last year the ice pier broke up and floated out to sea, though one of the main chunks was spotted this year by recon flights and is "doing well".
This is taken from the top of Hut Point, looking down. Apparently the seals like to come up and tan here.
Another shot from Hut Point, this time looking away from the Point, more in the direction of Mt. Erebus (not visible from here).
Same location as the last picture, but catching more of the island and less of the sea.
This is the cross built at Hut Point built in honor of George T. Vince.
Farther up the hiking trail is another memorial, this one for Richard T. Williams, a Navy Seabee who lost his life when his bulldozer broke through the ice 1956. In the background to the left, you can see part of McMurdo. In the background to the right, you can make out the road that leads out to the sea ice runway, which serves as McMurdo's principal runway until mid to late November or early December. A runway that, while in a different location, is out on the same sea ice that Williams broke through. A strong reminder of how harsh and unforgiving this continent can be and some of the associated risks.
Up the trail some more, both in distance and height.
A good picture of McMurdo, with Observation Hill in the background. There are a couple different trails that go around and up Observation Hill that I will hike at some point.
Another picture of McMurdo taken from the same location as the previous, just zoomed in to give more detail.
This one is one of my favorite pictures and locations so far. Father up the trail, below Arrival Heights, I was able to walk off the trail and out towards the cliff edge that overlooked the sea. The cliff edge was a good 10 feet or so below the trail with a little cairn of rocks to sit on. Once there, the silence of Antarctica hit me. Oh so faintly I could hear McMurdo's generators, but other than that, nothing. No wind blowing through grass or tree leaves, no birds (the skuas should arrive in November), and no insects or rodents moving about. Absolute quiet, not much unlike a sensory deprivation chamber.
And for the final picture, Mt. Erebus.
Wow! Great pics. I see skree/rock on the ground showing thru the white in some places. Is the snow cover that thin?
ReplyDeleteIt depends on the area, but for the most part, yes, there's a lot of the volcanic rock showing through. On one of the tours around the station, I asked if much or all of the snow would melt this summer. I was told that due to the warmer than usual winter, there was a lot more snow in the area, thus some would melt, but a lot would still remain.
ReplyDeleteBuilding any type of new structure here usually requires two years. Because the ground in a heavy mix of volcanic rock and ice, they will clear and level the building site the first summer, then let the ground freeze up over the winter. If everything remains level the following summer after the melt begins, they will begin putting up the structure.