Our work here has finally settled down a bit. We've really had a chance to enjoy the weekend. With Antarctic weather somewhat unpredictable (like in most places), flights are canceled and rescheduled all time. Yesterday morning we arrived in the office for a slow paced work day. Leigh had just taken a call from the fixed-wing office saying it was a fly day for us!
Recall that we have to move over 10,000 pounds of cargo from here in McMurdo to Byrd Glacier. A fuel/equipment cache has been setup for us at Darwin Glacier, about an hour plane ride from McMurdo. We weren't scheduled to have any flights until at least Monday, but when the call comes in, you go! We had just a few hours to discuss how to organize the cache site once we arrived to make the final 75 miles to Byrd Glacier a little easier and more efficient.
Once the Basler aircraft was finished being loaded, Kristin and I hopped aboard for the hour-long, 175 mile flight to Darwin Glacier. All I can say is that the views were INCREDIBLE! It was a beautiful, sunny day making for a mostly smooth ride out to the cache site.
Upon arrival we stepped out into a flat white plain, sun shining brightly and extremely calm winds. After helping to unload the plane for less than 5 minutes, we had to shed our big red coats. It was just too warm! We were able to unload over 5,000 lbs of cargo, including nearly 2,000 lbs of batteries alone, in just over 30 minutes. Then we had to tie everything down and get certain items (chainsaws and solar panels) covered with tarps to prevent any snow build-up over the next few days from the potential high winds or snowfall.
Have you ever sat in perfect silence for even just a few moments? Have you ever experienced a power outage and enjoyed truly perfect silence? Before we rushed back onto the plane for the flight back to McMurdo, I made a point to just enjoy the sights and sounds. The site is located in a valley with mountain peaks surrounding our view 360 degrees! I stopped and stood there, closing my eyes for just a few seconds and heard NOTHING! It was so peaceful!
With constant noise and movement surrounding us all the time, it's very rare that anyone enjoys true silence. Even when there is no music playing or TV on in the background, there is always the constant hum of electricity. The problem is, we're so used to it, we don't even notice until the power goes out. Then our whole world gets turned upside down, even for just a few moments. I challenge you all to just take a few minutes in the coming days or weeks to find a truly quiet place and just stop for a minute to take it all in! You will not regret it!
Pictures coming soon!