This was a day for a hike that got a bit longer than intended. The original and first Scott Hut is only a half mile or so away from the station. The first time I visited it, it was so extremely cold and windy that I was in some danger of frostbite or worse, so this was a perfect day for a quick visit. Much warmer and no wind. There wasn't much more to see but it was much more enjoyable. There is a cross nearby for a person who fell through the ice and drowned.
It was such a beautiful day that I decided to follow the Hut Point Ridge Trail, though I wished I had had a map and a partner to hike with. Accordingly, I kept my bearings fixed on where McMurdo Station was at every step. As I ascended the ridge, the wind, no longer blocked as down at the Hut, was blowing hard, but not dangerously so. It was a wonderful hike with great views all around.
If Cousin Andy is reading this blog, this is for you. They have full staffs for both Winter and Summer and man both the active air strips and the town.
Interesting tidbit: things are so acronym laden here that one letter of one acronym is actually an acronym in its own right. The "S" in SOPP is an acronym for a humungously long office in the Navy.
Correction: I earlier wrote that McMurdo Station is the second most remote US Post Office, behind the South Pole. I learned that the South Pole is not an official US Post Office and is manned entirely by volunteers, making McMurdo the most remote post office.
Finally, we've been told how it important it will become to beat icicles off our vehicles before we go onto the Ice because the dark, cindery ones will melt deep potholes in the ice road. Hard to believe, given the extreme cold. Yesterday I actually found some in one of our parking areas. They are about 3 or 4 inches deep and an inch across. Photo follows.
It was such a beautiful day that I decided to follow the Hut Point Ridge Trail, though I wished I had had a map and a partner to hike with. Accordingly, I kept my bearings fixed on where McMurdo Station was at every step. As I ascended the ridge, the wind, no longer blocked as down at the Hut, was blowing hard, but not dangerously so. It was a wonderful hike with great views all around.
If Cousin Andy is reading this blog, this is for you. They have full staffs for both Winter and Summer and man both the active air strips and the town.
Interesting tidbit: things are so acronym laden here that one letter of one acronym is actually an acronym in its own right. The "S" in SOPP is an acronym for a humungously long office in the Navy.
Correction: I earlier wrote that McMurdo Station is the second most remote US Post Office, behind the South Pole. I learned that the South Pole is not an official US Post Office and is manned entirely by volunteers, making McMurdo the most remote post office.
Finally, we've been told how it important it will become to beat icicles off our vehicles before we go onto the Ice because the dark, cindery ones will melt deep potholes in the ice road. Hard to believe, given the extreme cold. Yesterday I actually found some in one of our parking areas. They are about 3 or 4 inches deep and an inch across. Photo follows.
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