Tags
Antarctica, Delta trips, ice caves, MacTown, McMurdo, MidRats, penguins, pressure ridges, Thanksgiving
Update time!
Since my last post, I’ve actually managed to get off the station a little bit. And let me tell you, as much as I love the people who surround me here in McMurdo, there’s nothing like getting away from this mining-camp-like hole to remind you of how beautiful and amazing Antarctica really is. Doesn’t matter if it’s just out to the pressure ridges, where I’ve already been twice during my last two seasons – walking under a blazing 24-hour-sun on top of sparkling, glacial-blue ice is always an exhilarating experience.
On Wednesday morning, after work, I went with all my MidRat galley friends out to the pressure ridges. The pressure ridges form in the Ross Ice Shelf due to tidal forces which force blocks of ice through weak points where the ice nears land. The big blocks of ice shooting toward the sky are pretty awesome to walk through. And it’s kind of like clouds, you can look for interesting shapes. Last year there was a shark, this year I think I spotted a sea monster…
There's a sea monster looking at the sky there. Can you see him?
Gabriel, Meghan, Tyler, Justin, Zachary, Zak, Sharon, and Jordan.
Beautiful day on the ice shelf.
Thursday was technically Thanksgiving here, but the festivities are held on the weekend when we have time off. Thus, there would have been nothing particularly special about Thursday, except that I FINALLY got to go on a Delta trip (that didn’t get cancelled this time) out to the ice cave. The ice cave itself didn’t seem as impressive as last year (not as blue inside), but pretty nonetheless. The real highlight, though, was a group of 14 Adelie penguins that spotted our group and came running across the ice to greet us. I’ve seen penguins during each of my last two seasons, but I’d never had a camera on me when I did. This time, I finally had a camera, and I got some good shots. But camera or no, you can’t help but feel incredibly happy with a penguin standing two feet away from you, flapping his flippers and quacking (or whatever their noises are called). They are amazing little animals, and they made my day. Hell, my month probably. 
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- They spotted us, and here they come!
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- They’re here!
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- This is the one that got right up close to me, checking out what’s going on.
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- This penguin wants a hug.
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- They’re in lub.
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- His butt was itchy…
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- “Hey whatchoo wanna do?” “I dunno, whatchoo wanna do?”
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- Who does he think he’s sneaking away from?
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- Their white feathers were so shiny in the sunlight.
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- Close up of ice crystals in the ice cave.
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- That’s me. I was told to pose…
More pictures will be on Flickr soon, if you want the whole series.
The big Thanksgiving feast was on Saturday. The Galley outdid themselves, once again. There was even real whipped cream for the pumpkin pie. Can’t wait ’til Christmas…
That’s it for now. Hope you all are well, and may an Adelie penguin visit you in your dreams.
Ceds
