McMurdo Station from the top of Ob Hill
Dave and I are now working on the night shift. 12 hour days, 5 days a week. 6pm-6am. Theres a sort of calm and quiet that settles over McMurdo Station in the middle of the half-night...when the sun sinks low over the Royal Society Range, but not low enough to truely set. Night Shift is treating us well.
Dave atop Ob Hill
Tuesday was our day off. So we went for a brief hike just after midnight. Because the weather and terrain is so unpredictable around here, hikes away from the base are strictly controlled. You have to travel with a buddy and a radio, and submit a travel plan, called an "eFoot Plan" to the firehouse before you can leave. One of the trips you do not have to do this for is the hike to the top of Ob(servation) Hill. This desolate peak of cinder-like rubble rises just to the East of our dorm room, splitting McMurdo Station from Scott Base, the New Zealand (Kiwi) station on the other side of the peninsula we are situated on.
Chelsea on Ob Hill
Although the weather was far from beautiful, we hiked anyway, as the wind that has haunted McMurdo for the past few days and nights finally died down. Its was a short scramble to the top, but the views out to the mountains are gorgeous....and will be even better when it is not overcast and almost-night.
the Ice Runway from Ob Hill: the runway itself runs almost parallel to the horizon. The blue road that is more prominent is the access road
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