Christmas with a View
Today during dinner I sat down with strangers and met a new friend. His name is Andy and he is an engineering at one of the field camps, studying changes in the Earth's magnetic field. He asked me if I had seen the ice tunnels yet and when I said no, he told me to meet him back in an hour with all my cold weather gear!
We took the stairs all the way down the beer can (named for how the giant metal cylinder looks next to the station). I didn't quite get to go in the ice tunnels because we didn't have the proper tour guide, but I got a sneak peek through the opening. It is about -50 degrees F and is where the sewer pipes carry the waste out from the station.
South Pole Station with the beer can on the left
The entry to the ice tunnels
We also made a pit-stop at the arches, where the food and fuel is stored at freezing temperatures.
Outside of the arch with me for size comparison
Inside of the food storage arch
And THEN, the grand finale, the roof! It was a gorgeous view of all the research stations surrounding the station. It made me a little emotional to have this view on my last day because up until today, everything felt so huge and spread out as I tried to walk between buildings. But having the 360 view from the roof made it feel a little smaller, a little cozier-- a town unlike any other, in the middle of a harsh continent. A town I got to call home for three weeks. The best Christmas gift.
On the way to the roof
On the roof with IceCube Lab and the South Pole Telescope in the background
Tomorrow I start my journey back home. Weather permitting, I'll board a flight back to the coast, to McMurdo Station. I miss the Pole already.
Talk soon, friends.
Jocelyn
P.S. Below is a video of one of my more typical mornings at the South Pole. Enjoy :)
Add new comment