Today we decided to take a break from going to Heald Island. It is incredible at Heald Island but the days are very long and the work is especially hard. I keep reminding myself that in a few weeks I won't be able to work in such an awesome place. It is hard to believe that I have been here for over a month. I could easily stay for several more months.Now don't think that this means that we had a day off. We have only a set number of days left in Antarctica and we have a lot of work that we need to complete. We decided to go to Cape Evans and check out a new iceberg. It took most of the morning to get things ready and by 10:30am we were ready to go. We packed up the Pisten Bully and made sure to get lunches from the galley.
The first stop was the jetty to pick up the trailer. Then we were off to Cape Evans. As we went down the road we saw a seal resting on the snow. It was only about 4 feet from the road. After about 15 minutes we realized that we had forgotten to get the tether. We turned around and headed back to the lab. Of course, it was sitting right in the lab. That should tell you how tired everyone is.
Once again we were off to Cape Evans. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining and the winds fairly calm. It took us almost an hour and a half to reach the site. Pulling the trailer really added time to our trip.
The new iceberg was on the opposite side of the road than the previous two icebergs. It was breathtaking. I took one look and said "It has a slide!"
This is the iceberg that SCINI is cruising along side
We took out the drill and began drilling ice holes. The ice was about 6 feet thick and it was 285 feet to the bottom. We set up everything and then we launched SCINI. It went like clockwork.
While Scott and Stacy were manning the control center, I decided to eat some lunch and Francois went for a walk. After a few minutes I heard Francois on the radio asking if I had seen him slide. Sure enough, the iceberg was a perfect slide. I put down my sandwich and walked over to the iceberg. Francois climbed to the top and slid right down.
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It looked like so much fun that I couldn't help myself. I proceeded to walk over to the iceberg and give it a try. On the way we discovered a crack that was about 8 inches wide. It had been totally covered with snow and you had to be paying attention to notice it.
Once we were at the iceberg I started to climb the slide. I was about two-thirds of the way when I slipped and went sliding down. I may have been on my belly but it was a blast! I got up and started up the slide again. I kept getting a little further up but I would always slip and go sliding down. On my eighth try I made it three-quarters of the way up before I slipped. I was exhausted and decided to try again later. Who knew fun could be so exhausting?
Francois and I headed back to the Pisten Bully and found another hidden crack. When we got back Francois took over as pilot. After about fifteen minutes, Stacy told me to come into the control center and see all of the cool things they were seeing. It was clear that Francois was having a great time piloting SCINI.
You use a control with two joysticks to maneuver SCINI. It is similar to a video game controller but quite a bit harder.
It was amazing. The bottom was covered in life. My favorites were the large sponges.
On the seafloor there are many amazing things. Stacy thought that this area would be devoid of life but she was pleasantly surprised.
It was time for us to go. There was just one thing left to do. Stacy and Francois had not had a chance to use the slide. I took video while Francois, Stacy, and Scott went sliding. Everyone had a great time. As we began walking back to the Pisten Bully, I was watching for cracks. Suddenly, I found myself stuck in snow.
I took a step and the next thing I knew I was stuck in the snow. You definitely have to watch where you walk.
Apparently, I had walked into a hidden crevasse. Stacy immediately offered to help me out. I said "Get a picture first." After everyone had taken my picture and they helped me out, we looked into the hole. It went pretty deep.
There are many hidden crevasses. You can actually fall into one that completely encases your entire body.
The others decided that they wanted to have their picture taken in the crevasse. Of course, there is more than one way to fall into a hole.
Everyone wanted to take a turn in the crevasse.
It was an incredible day. All that was left was to drive back to the lab. As we were getting close to McMurdo Station, Francois suddenly stops the vehicle. Where there had been one seal, there were now two and a third was coming out of the hole.
There were three seals that had come up out of the hole for a chance to sunbathe.
We all got out and took pictures. It was amazing how calm the seals were. We walked right up and took our pictures. It was also interesting to realize just how big these creatures are. They seem so graceful under the water but on land they scoot along and look quite cumbersome. However, they are still adorable.
They are absolutely adorable but you definitely should keep your distance.
One seal did decide to leave. It was slowly crawling away.
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We finally made it back to the lab and unloaded everything. At around 11:00pm we finally finished up everything in the lab and wandered over to the galley to eat the meals they had saved for us. Unfortunately, I didn't really care for the food. I think the last really good meal I had was lunch on Monday. I would trade good meals for working with this team in Antarctica until all hours of the day without hesitation. I hope tomorrow is just as much fun.