My highlight of the last several days has been whale sightings! Yesterday I went for a walk on the ob hill loop trail and witnessed two whales using a little pond of open water to come up for air. It was the first time I've ever seen a whale in my life. There were seals and penguins as well, so it made for a nice morning.
I'm sure lots of other exciting things have happened as well, but they have all lost significance. My predicted departure date from the ice has been set for February 21. The first sunset on February 20. I was here the first night the sun didn't set. I think it's neat, anyways.
Attended the live music show at the bar last night. One of the bands that was playing was military guys, so lots of the military folks from around campus were at the bar. As were folks from the icebreaker (their all Swedish), so it was a fun mix of people. We all had a good time, lots of dancing.
My friend asked why an icebreaker is here. McMurdo's main source of supplies for the next year is a big boat that arrives near the end of the season each February. The ocean is frozen here, so the icebreaker comes to clear the way for the supply vessel (and for an additional boat that brings all of the fuel we need for the next season).
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A brief, day-to-day account of my summer spent in Antarctica.
2 comments:
Seems like you got the wildlife trip of a lifetime. I wonder how many folks on the ice can say that they've seen whales during their tenure?
I get the impression it isn't uncommon to see whales, especially when there's open water.
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