Some McMurdo reflections.

We saw the last of the ice today (we think) and are now headed towards warmer waters. It’s hard to believe that we pulled into McMurdo only a week ago. Don and I certainly got our money’s worth at this port, trying to see everything we could. Tie up took longer than expected since there were very large pieces of ice between the ship and the ice pier that needed to be removed before we could secure the hawsers and put down the gangway. The pieces proved to be too big for the grappling hooks alone and we needed to use the propeller to create a current that pulled them out to assist. This turned out to be an all day process, but we were finally ashore by early evening. Once the gangway was down, the exploration began! Since we came into McMurdo in the evening, we would not begin pumping cargo until the next morning, so the majority of the crew took advantage of the night off to enjoy some cold frosty beverages on shore.
There are two pubs and a newly opened wine & coffee house on the station. Formally, there was the smoking bar and the non-smoking bar, but recent regulation ended any indoor smoking. It was proposed that one of the bars should be closed, but there was such uproar over the attempt, that they decided to keep both open. Everyone has their favorite spot I suppose. Neither location was easy to find, each located in non-descript windowless buildings and we had to ask several people before finding the right place.
I’m not sure what I expected, but my vision was certainly much more rustic than what I encountered. The cafeteria was very well appointed with incredible variety offering everything from prime rib to tofu pasta and everything in between. The biggest hit by far for the ship’s crew was the Mr. Frosty machine. The ship’s crew had access to the computer stations on the base and the speeds were blazingly fast compared to the ship. I feel spoiled saying that though, since a lot of ships you’re lucky to have your own e-mail account which is cycled twice a day, vs. the full internet access I enjoy on the Paul Buck. It is a luxury for sure.
Don and I spent Sunday hiking the local trails around the base and by the end of it had covered about 15 miles. It was a healthy day of hiking to be sure. I can’t emphasize enough how beautiful this place is. After only a couple of miles, the wildness of this place is apparent. A friend showed me some pictures from the time he went down, and while it gave me a glimpse of what to expect, nothing can prepare someone for the experience of actually being here.

Incredible.

Once again, if you have any specific questions, please ask!