We left the hotel at 6:45 this morning to catch our flight to McMurdo. Checking in for a flight to Antarctica is similar to checking in for any domestic or international flight with a couple of obvious differences. The first thing that is different is that you have to put on your ECW gear. Then you carry your bags through an initial security screening to the check-in counter. At the check-in counter your boomerang bag and checked bags are weighed to make sure you meet the 85 lb. limit. The second big difference is that after you weigh your bags you have to weigh yourself holding your carry-on bag. My carry-on and ECW gear add about 35 lbs. to my weight.
After everyone was checked in there was a 20 minute flight briefing that reminds you to act responsibly while in Antarctica and introduces you to the LC-130 and its safety features.
Sitting at the US Antarctic Program Passenger Terminal for a pre-flight briefing prior to our flight ot Antarctica
Then we had about 40 minutes to get something to eat before meeting back at the terminal to load the plane. At our prescribed meeting time they announced that there would be a one-hour weather delay. After the hour they announced that the flight was canceled because there was too much fog at the landing strip in McMurdo. Because of the holiday weekend our flight was rescheduled for Monday.
There was an obvious sense of disappointment from most everyone but the people who have been to Antarctica previously all took it in stride. Apparently flight delays are relatively common. With the prospect of a long holiday weekend Scott George, Andy Thompson, Matt Hedin and I went into vacation planning mode. By early afternoon we had rented a car and headed out to see the countryside. We stopped by Rakaia Gorge with its beautiful blue water.
We visited Rakaia Gorge the day our flight to Antarctica was canceled.
We then headed out to the Hakatere Conservation Park. This was the location of Rohan in the Lord of the Rings movies. The large glacial valleys were beautiful and we hiked to the top of Mt. Sunday (Edoras). It was a good opportunity to bond with some of the team members. We shared lots of good conversation peppered with lots of Lord of the Rings references.
We visited Hakatere Conservation Park (Rohan) and climbed Mt. Sunday (Edoras)