December 16, 2008, McMurdo Station, Ross Island -- Len Shulman
Travels South
Our Christchurch departure was delayed one day due to fog in McMurdo. On Tuesday, we left Christchurch airport in a South African C-130 cargo plane at about 9 a.m. for a 7 1/2 hour flight to Antarctica. These airmen are civilians who fly contract missions for Antarctic operations and U.N. work in Africa.
Airline seating in the Safair C-130.
On the outside, the difference is immediately apparent; the plane is painted pure white. Very unusual for polar duty, and the cabin is equipped with airline seats.
There were 25 American and 20 Kiwi (New Zealander) passengers aboard. The Kiwis were heading for the New Zealand Station, Scott Base, also located on Ross Island, just a few miles from McMurdo.
Our arrival at Pegasus “Blue Ice” runway on the Ross Ice Shelf in the Safair C-130.
Mighty Mount Erebus, an active volcano containing a lava lake inside the caldera, is the first major feature to greet visitors. Ross Island has fiery origins and is made up of four volcanoes.
Me with Mount Erebus showing a plume of smoke.
We landed at the Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf. The ice thickness here is something like 300 feet and is called “blue ice” because if its smooth blue surface, perfect for landing wheeled aircraft.
Upon checking into my McMurdo quarters, an open room with five other roommates, I made contact with Tom Gaisser and Hermann Kolanoski. They had just returned from South Pole after a month of intensive work and are happy to be heading to Christchurch in the morning.
Tom Gaisser from the University of Delaware (left) and Hermann Kolanoski from the University of Humboldt.
McMurdo is very much a frontier town populated by scientists and hearty infrastructure adventurers. The dirt roads are dry and dusty in the summer, and the volcanic dust can be an eye irritant, so precautions must be taken.
Chapel of the Snows
Next stop, the exact bottom of the world encased in ice, the South Pole....
