White Paradise

We've been stuck in McMurdo for five days, now.  Three flights have made it to the South Pole this season.  I am scheduled on the fourth, so I should be next to go.  However, the plane that went to Pole yesterday has not come back, so it is unlikely we will go today.  Maybe tomorrow.

I have taken advantage of this prolonged stay to do some hiking, running, and helping out the fuel people dig out fuel tanks from the winter snow accumulation.

Yesterday the temperatures dropped to 0 F (-18 C) and the wind picked up, making it feel a lot colder, so I skipped my run and instead went on a walk with my camera on the same road.  I wanted to take some photos of the mountains before going to the flatness of the South Pole, and to document the white paradise that surrounds us.

My running path to Scott Base follows the fuel line at the base of this mountain

The road keeps following the fuel line up and to the left 

The road goes up the hill and then to the far right 

The crack in the sea ice behind Scott base is a pressure ridge formed by colliding ice sheets.  It reaches 30 ft (10 m) in height.

White all over