Clouds and snow and not much of a horizon.

‘The Waiting Game’ continues today. We were enthusiastic last night about Brian’s flight to Davis Ward being primary for today’s flight. The weather looked great in town. Blue sky with absolutely no wind. So when we woke up to a winter wonderland, we were all surprised. Snowing in McMurdo! Sure enough, we learned all flights got canceled. Too bad, but it is what it is. We all processed this unfortunate news and dispersed to our own activities.

Our Lady of the Snows. Less reverently known as “Roll Cage Mary”, the shrine memorializes Seabee R.T. Williams (USN), lost through the sea ice in 1956. Follow this link for a reflective look at the history of the shrine.

I wandered out to the Hut Point and started walking towards Our Lady of the Snows shrine. Once I got to the shrine, I was attacked by a wind so strong I needed to grab the shrine’s sign. Today was still condition 3 (representing mild weather) but the wind was 10-20 knots gusting up to 30 knots. Not too crazy, but oh boy, THE WIND! I couldn’t continue my hike with the gusts attacking me, so I turned around and started walking towards the town. The wind continued hitting me hard. Blowing snow particles stung my face. Trying to find something extra to cover my face while keeping my gloves wasn’t so easy. After struggling for a few minutes, I finally got my face covered. And yes, this is how the Antarctic Wind introduces itself.

P.S. Brian has one more chance to fly out tomorrow morning before the two-day Christmas break. So fingers crossed!

– Minako