Lauren takes in the view from the top of Ob Hill.

Yesterday was clear, the sun was bright and high in the sky – the longest day of the austral summer.  Our McMurdo-based team spent the day finishing up training (Marc), volunteering in the kitchen for the upcoming holiday celebrations (Emilie, Lauren, Nicole and Cindy), finalizing the cargo numbers (Brian), crafting custom gaiters for the field (Alex) while our field-based team (John, Jim and Brian from the Berg Field Center) groomed the runway.  To finish up our solstice celebration, a subset of us made a midnight climb up Observation Hill for some perspective – and a fine vantage point of Hut’s Peninsula, a clear view of Mt. Erebus and Mt. Terror, the Royal Society Range and sun glint off the sea ice, and way in the distance, the blue water at the edge of the Ross Ice shelf.

The solstice midnight sun glints off the Ross Sea ice between McMurdo and Brown Peninsula.

Today is the last working day before the holidays.  Holiday decorations are cropping up, Hanukkah candles are “lit” each evening (no fires here! LED candles are used), and we have our reservations for the McMurdo Christmas dinner.  We all miss our friends and families, but we are warm and happy and surrounded by the good cheer of the USAP, McMurdo town, and our tightly-knit team. Wishing everyone Happy Holidays!

-Cindy, McMurdo Station

Update from rph:  I talked to Jim Karner on the satellite phone for about a half hour yesterday.  The wind was howling (I could hear it in the background) but in spite of that the three boys (Jim, John and Brian from the BFC) are each taking 1 hour shifts grooming. Jim said the major topography of the skiway has been tamed, now they’re getting the surface conditions right, basically like mowing the lawn. A lawn a mile long and two tennis courts wide where the grass move from place to place in the 30 kt wind.  Jim expects that he will come out of the field when the rest of the group get put in, and he’s hoping to catch a northbound out of McMurdo currently scheduled for 28 December.  That would be great for him; he deserves to spend more time with his family.  A career in ANSMET is an amazing thing, but so are children that know who you are.  

Also, apparently Jim still hasn’t got an idea for an LPSC abstract; if any of you want to write one for him, that would be great. Who knows what he’ll write if he does so while dead-tired, flying 24 hours straight to get home.