Downward Bound!

Finally, a moment to post the first of my Antarctic pictures!  Our flight out of Christchurch was to have been on Monday, the 3rd, but was put on a weather delay of 3 hours due to strong winds and blowing snow on the ice runway in McMurdo.  We were scheduled to fly down on a chartered Australian Airbus, with a USAF C-17 following later in the day with our luggage (SO MUCH LUGGAGE...!!!) and the first of countless more cargo loads we'll be seeing from on out.  With the delay, we were told we would be remanifested onto the C-17.  But the weather never broke and both flights were postponed for 24 hours.  The weather leaving Christchurch early Tuesday morning was wet and chilly.

The flight down was cramped, cramped, cramped...!!!  With all the layers of clothes we all had on and carry-on and personal bags, there was no room anywhere.  For four hours, we were (VERY) well insulated sardines.  The weather was overcast, too, adding to what I had begun to believe would be a disappointing first-time arrival into Antarctica. 

I was in for a great surprise...

Checking in for our flight at the US Antarctic Program's passenger terminal to clear New Zealand Customs for the outbound flight.  This began what is not-so-affectionately referred to as the Bag Drag.

The Bag Drag becomes self-explanatory...

Waiting in the passenger terminal.  We had to report at 0400 for our 0700 departure.  (Note the large cargo sled on the back wall.)

Finally boarding!  The van on the left was packed full of our lunch sacks, which we would grab on our way past.  They were entirely filled with all kinds of sandwiches and snacks!  Between all tha,t and the food served later on the flight, I had a lot of leftovers to take along with me!

We had three flight attendants.  Was the first time I ever had a flight in which the flight attendants were wearing ski clothes!

Ski pants and insulated vest.  It's a requirement that all passengers and crew members wear ECW gear on flights to/from Antarctica.  As the flight progressed, the ladies would don more and more layers, until they began to look like one of us!

Nearing the continent, the cloud deck suddenly began to break up!  Was excited to see my first view out the window!  Pack ice, about 2 hours out from McMurdo!

Large plates of pack ice.  Keep in mind, this picture was taken from over 30,000' - gives you an idea of how big those sheets of ice must be!  The ice has been extremely active this year.  Much of the ice in the Ross Sea broke up last season and drifted out to sea.  This winter had been unseasonably warm, so the ice never really set back in like it usually does and has been the cause for quite a bit of concern here in McMurdo.

About 90 minutes out, the Captain announced the first sign of land - a large mountain ridge to our east in northern Victoria Land.  The beginning of the Tranantarctic Mountain Range.  At 2200 miles long, it is the world's 5th longest and divides Antarctica between east and west.

The same mountain, continuing along this long ridgeline, ending in the abupt cliff at the end.

A large crack in the ice and overflow (water pressed up onto the ice by the weight of the ice above it).  This crack extended for miles and miles.

Two large glaciers merging in the middle of the photo.

Another glacier.  Note the pressure ridges.

Close-up of the pressure ridges and crevasses.

The continent coming more into view now!

(This is a neat picture to zoom in on, I think.)

A massive glacier.  It and the one in the valley above it, both emerged out on the frozen sea at the top of the picture.

Yet another glacier.  I thought the crevasses around it were amazing.

Large blocks of ice entrapped in the sea ice (again, taken from 30,000+ feet above)!

The light-bluish shape in the center of the picture is the shadow cast by a large iceberg.

By now, our flight attendants had on insulated coveralls and snow boots!  I wasn't able to get their picture later, but each time they came down the cabin it was funny to see them adding more and more layers.  They almost doubled in size by the time we landed!

Approaching McMurdo. Mounts Terror (on the left) and Erebus (tall one on the right), named by Sir James Ross after the names of his two ships.   He named McMurdo after his Captain of the Terror. 

Mt. Erebus is 12,448 ft tall and is the southernmost active volcano in the world.

Dunno what caused this river of ice blocks, but it was neat to see.

Finally landed! On the ice runway about 2 miles out of McMurdo. This runway will only be in use for another couple of weeks or so, before the sea ice becomes too thin. The ice must be at least 6 feet thick for aircraft operations. They say the ice here is usually somewhere around 10-12 feet thick; this season, it is *right at* six feet - just barely enough!  Each day they take measurements to ensure the thickness of the ice, and crews are constantly working around the clock to maintain the airfield, piling snow over it by day to help insulate it from the warmth of the sun, only to push it all off again at night to groom the runway for the next arrivals.

The McMurdo international "airport".

Our ride into town waiting for us.

It was a balmy -2 when we arrived, with a -20 windchill.  Granted, we had a lot of clothes on but, surprisingly, it didn't feel all that cold.  Actually, I thought it felt GREAT!!!!  Just as I was boarding our shuttle into town, I turned to see our flight attendants "kitted up", as they say, in their full ECW dress in an all-out snow ball fight!  For them, they may not make another trip back down to Antarctica and they were enjoying the most of their chance of a lifetime too!

Mt. Erebus, actively venting steam.  There's a lava dome in the caldera that scientists routinely study.  Because Erebus is able to freely vent, there is little concern of it erupting.

The winds were really whipping!
(Another neat picture to zoom in on.)

Packed in the "Terra Bus", on the ride into town.

Ivan.