Greetings faithful blog readers, greetings from McMurdo Station … still. I must have been deemed unworthy to fly by the Antarctic weather gods, because when we called into fixed-wing operations to get word on our flight, the word was “cancelled!” The weather looking south in the general direction of Williams Field, take-off point for the Twin Otters, looks fine. However, the view towards the north, in the general direction of Victoria Land where we are headed, is pretty overcast. We will try again, and this time, I might first try making an animal sacrifice to appease the weather gods. Anyone know where I can find a goat in McMurdo?

The hike to Hut Point (about 2.3 km; 1.4 miles) to get a good view towards the north had a side benefit – an early sighting of a Weddell seal. This lazy boy (or girl) had popped out through the sea ice to bask in the warm, late spring sun. There have not been many seals out yet, but it is early in the season. By the time the main team arrives in early December, there will be a lot more of them dotting the edge of the sea ice near McMurdo.

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

Image 1: Looking south from the porch on the Chalet in the general direction of Williams Field.

Image 2: Looking north from Hut Point, towards Victoria Land.

Image 3: A Weddell seal off Hut Point; note old ski doo tracks for scale.