Today is Sunday when the support staff has a day of rest. As a result, there are only a limited number of things we can do to get ready for the field. I took advantage of the hiatus to summit Ob (Observation) Hill, something only half a million other people have done before me. But I did it solo! And without using oxygen! All the way up to the lofty 229 meter (750 foot) summit!

You get a good overall view of McMurdo Station from there, which was my goal. Most of the roadways are white because of the snow we have gotten the last two days. Usually, the ground in “downtown” McMurdo is the black-brown color of the volcanic gravel. Key buildings are the Crary Lab (science labs), the Science Support Center (SSC; we get our skidoos, solar power generators and more equipment from there), the dormitory (where John and I are staying) and galley, and the Berg Field Center and cargo warehouse. Notice that some juvenile delinquent spray-painted graffiti on the storage tank in the lower right of the image. Youngsters these days just have no respect!

Unfortunately, it was an overcast day today so the normally spectacular views across the Ross Sea to the continent proper were less than spectacular. I did have a good view of Castle Rock from my vantage point. The main team will have a close-up view of Castle Rock if the overnight shakedown trip still goes to where we did the other times I have been here.

Posted by duck (a.k.a. Dave Mittlefehldt)

Image 1: View of McMurdo Station, with key buildings labeled.

Image 2: Looking northeast across Ross Island towards Castle Rock.