Mt. Erebus

I could not leave McMurdo without a picture of Mt. Erebus.  At 12,448 ft of elevation (3,794 mt), it is the southernmost active volcano in the world, only one of a few with a liquid lava lake in its caldera, and the subject of many scientific and geographic exploration.  It has been continuously active for the past 38 years.
The mountain has been elusive ever since I arrived in McMurdo 10 days ago, hidden by low hanging clouds and fog, but yesterday the sky turned blue and terse.  So I walked 16 miles on different trails throughout the day to find the best view.  I found it around 10 PM, where the Ross Ice Shelf meets the sea ice of McMurdo sound, not far from Scott base, and 20 miles away from the fuming summit.

Mt. Erebus (12,448 ft) - the whitest mountain I have ever seen.

Today is another very nice day, temperature 1 F (-17 C) and 13 knots of wind so, short of a mechanical problem, we are flying to the South Pole at 8 AM on a Hercules LC-130.