View from the entrance to the galley. Ten tables line the walls where people eat in front of the kitchen at the rear.

Panorama of Shackleton Camp showing most of the key structures and part of Tent City.

 We awoke today prepared to make our way back to McMurdo. However, early this morning, camp was heavily fogged and by the time the two-hour hold passed it was snowing and visibility was a few 100m at most. We’ll be in Shackleton for at least another night and, if the rumoured forecast for McMurdo holds true, could be here several more nights.

As of now Team A remains in the field and are top the Twin Otter’s list when the beautiful weather we’ve become accustomed to here at Shackleton returns. The chance remains we’ll see them here in Shackleton before we’re off to McMurdo.
So what is Shackleton Camp like? You’ve seen photos of Tent City in past posts, that’s where everyone sleeps. But what about the rest of the camp? Yesterday James posted about our hike which included a couple miles down the skiway. Adjacent the skiway the Twin Otter and two helicopters are parked near a giant 10,000 gallon fuel bladder (there were four when we arrived, one remains). The fuel is brought in via LC-130 which leaves McMurdo full. Upon arriving in Shackleton, camp siphons off as much as it can leaving the “Herc” with enough fuel to return to McMurdo and then some.
Walking in the direction of Tent City from the skiway, on the left there are two diesel generators that that provide camp with electricity, followed by the red mechanic tent, the blue helicopter tent, two science tents, the communications tent, and the galley. Between the galley and Tent City are the pilot accommodations (not visible in the panorama). On your right from the skiway to Tent City you’ll see a lot of cargo related to inbound/outbound science and operations. There are also three huts (equivalent of poo tents but far more luxurious) and two holes in the ice, shielded on three sides by wooden skids, that are equivalent to our field “mounds”. There is also a medical tent near Tent City.
As you can see in the panorama, while called “tents”, with the exception of what we sleep in in Tent City, they are nearly all temporary structures with wooden shells lined in some kind of canvas or fabric forming an arch at the top with vertical walls in a tunnel-like structure. There is no need for lighting. With 24 hour daylight, skylights provide plenty of natural light (see galley photo for example).
On the topic of the galley, our next blog post from Team B will be introducing the head chef here at Shackleton. There are many people who work behind the scenes to make our field seasons possible and we’re looking to bring some of their stories to you as we round out our time in Antarctica.
Posted by Scott from the Shackleton Camp galley on 2018-01-15 at 15:00 local.