Solution to the moraine puzzle image from the previous post.

 Today we woke up to blue blue skies and to 20+ knots howling winds. Again. Yesterday we took a few hours in the howling wind to prepare camp for our resupply mission that was scheduled for today. We are running very low on skidoo fuel and on propane gas that we use for cooking and semi-heating the tents. Conditions here are tougher and windier than previous field sites and the way to the ice fields are longer than anticipated. So we really need the resupply flight. We marked a landing strip for the pilots yesterday by depositing snow filled black plastic bags on the snow fields. The bags will give the icy ground definition in flat (diffuse) light and help the pilot to distinguish the ground from the horizon. That way they can estimate their altitude during landing. But with the going winds today and some other weather delays in Shackleton Glacier camp (from which the plane will come) our resupply got canceled today. We are re-scheduled for tomorrow now. Fingers crossed. We were hoping the katabatic winds would calm down during the morning so we could use the day instead to go searching for more meteorites. And they did calm down….to 18knots (about 20MPH) with a wind chill of balmy -30F. We decided to brave the cold and icy winds nonetheless and go searching anyways. Screw you, Antarctica!! After we have searched moraines for almost 3 days now we decided to go back to our beloved “Achondrite Orchard” ice field and continue to sweep the areas we have not finished yet. We were rewarded with 2 more achondrites! The katabatic winds got more angry though the longer the day became. And although we all had all our layers on today since we knew conditions were harsh (in my case that meant 8 core layers, 6 leg layers of which 2 were ski pants, and 6 head layers) our faces, fingers, and toes were soon icicles. So at 2:30pm we called it a day and were chased back to camp by the winds and accompanying snow snakes. Now we are melting lots of ice and snow for water and dinner. The tent is smelling deliciously, tonight is “chicken tikka masala” night, and our bodies are finally warming up again. Outside the wind is rattling our tent and sending a nasty draft through it but we are huddled inside our down sleeping bags happily awaiting dinner. Screw you, Antarctica, we still love you and love being here, no matter what you throw at us! And before I forget, the image today is the solution to the moraine puzzle from our last post. I hope you all picked the right rock 🙂