December 15

Awoke 5 minutes before ballroom dancing class was scheduled to start but made it to class before they started dancing.

Attended the annual "Celebration of the Women of McMurdo". Women from campus put on a talent show, this year raising money for the Kiwi Family Trust. There was singing, choreographed dancing, stand-up comedy, a belly dancer and some lady who gave a lecture on the history of the tortilla. The event raised over $4,000 in raffle ticket sales.

Ate the midnight meal with a cargo guy brewing his own beer on campus. A chef at the table commented that it was an excellent beer.

As I understand, the permanent ice sheet is constantly growing and where it runs into our island it is forced upward and creates what is locally known as 'pressure ridges'. I joined an organized walking tour of the pressure ridges at 2am. The walk felt Antarctican to me, much more so than the dusty roads and trails I typically walk.