We spent the day packing the sleep kits and other items that were in the storage "cage" for the ENDURANCE team today. Things are packed, weighed, and sorted! They should be in pretty good shape when they arrive! As I walked around town on this gorgeous Antarctic day, I took a moment to watch the hustle and bustle going on all around town. People were being transported here and there, walking here and there, talking about all kinds of research, packing, unpacking, and a few just recreating! It is amazing what an assemblage of individuals has congregated in this one section of the world to support research that will help us understand our planet, and our impact upon our planet.
One thing that always strikes me is the recycling effort that takes place in McMurdo. Everything is transported back to the US for disposal. In every building, in multiple locations, there are extensive recycling stations. Everything is sorted to ensure it ends up in the proper place in the states.
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A typical recycling "center" found in the buildings.
From the building recycling, items are next moved to tri-wall boxes (these are rugged boxes!) outside the buildings. When those are filled, the items get moved to shipping crates for transportation back to the states via ship. The shipping crates are stored until later in the season when the icebreaker can get to the pier (Watch for Jeff Peneston's journal - he's coming to McMurdo on the icebreaker "Oden"). Then the crates are loaded onto the vessel and shipped back to the US - or CONUS (continental US) as it's known here!
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Recycling tri-walls
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Shipping crates waiting to go back to the states. (You can actually see Robert Scott's Discovery Hut in the background just over the center orange crate!- more about that hut later!)
Yesterday, while on a brief hike, I took some shots from a hillside overlooking McMurdo. I think you'll agree, it's not the prettiest town around, but the people here accomplish amazing things!
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McMurdo Station
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The heart of McMurdo
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The Pier! This is where the icebreakers will come in when they get here!
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The Discovery Hut! The small brown hut nestled in the cove is a hut built by Robert Scott in the early 1900's. I will have lots more to share about that hut in a subsequent journal. It's amazing to walk in the same areas where some of the greatest explorers ventured about a century ago!
I thought I would leave you with a quick video clip showing the "Delta" trucks. These trucks are used to transport people to various locations. On this day, the folks headed for South Pole were taken for a pleasure tour of Cape Evans and the Ice Caves! Two of my roommates went on the trip; they said it was spectacular! In the video, you'll see the trucks pulling sleds behind them; these are survival bags! If they get stuck for any reason out in the field, they will be able to set up camp!
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With any luck, my next posting will be from the Dry Valleys!
You can also check out my journals and pictures from previous seasons at: http://www.ryejrhigh.org/ellwood