Antarctica

field data
snowpit1.pdf
snowpit2.pdf
snowpit3.pdf

I am back from Ice Stream C. We had a real great and successfull season. Lot's of data we gathered and more will come soon. Currently I am working on the water samples we obtained from the base of Ice Stream C. I am looking on the geochemistry of the samples and will compare them to sediment and ice samples we brought back from ICE C. My goal is to find out details about differences in the basal hydrological system and the coupled thermal regime across Ice Stream C.
So far it is very interesting and I probably will spend the whole summer around the lab running samples on the different analytical instruments to find out differences or similarities.

On this web page I am posting information related to my work in Antarctica. Sofar you will find links to the data of 3 snowpit I digged in the 2000/2001 season at Ice Stream C.
You also will find a journal about the travel to Ice Stream C in November 2000. The journal I wrote as e-mails to my folks back home. At the bottom of the page there are links to pictures from our 2000/2001 trip.
I hope to get soon my own pictures back and that I will have some time to scann them in and show them to you.

so long enjoy what's here and if you have questions ask me

cheers

Stefan

Everything started long ago at home with preparations. Going to the doctor and the dentist for getting medical clearance; going through a lot of paper work for getting into the program the clothes in the right size and the airplane tickets. Then it took some time to get your stuff together and pack it up. Finally everything was done, or better everything what wasn't done couldn't get done any more. The final day came and I packed and get started.

e-mail Wednesday November 1, 2000

Saturday October 28, 2000
Rainy morning the right weather to finish packing sitting into the car and driving to the airport. It took me a while to finish my packing, finish the last letters and sending all the stuff off. But finally around 3:30 I was on the way to San Francisco Airport. On the way there heavy rain and gusty winds slowed down the traffic and I already got back in the time schedule. At the Airport itself most flights had been delayed. I had luck at all First I had some odd luggage for which is a separate row which was quiet fast even I had to go to X-Ray my luggage. Later at the gate the flight itself was delayed about 2 hours but they switched me on an earlier flight to get my connection to New Zealand with all the other guys from our group. It was a great hallo when we finally all met at LAX.

Monday 30 October 2000
We arrived Monday around noon after a nice smooth flight in Christchurch New Zealand. Beautiful weather sunshine and a nice beach was what welcomed us to Christchurch after we left our gear at the Antarctic Center at the Airport. Short briefing when where and what to do then we spent the afternoon relaxing from a smooth but still exhausting flight. We that are 4 women and 7 men. The individual names will come up later on automatically.
After spending the afternoon relaxing at the beach we headed to Baileys, a Pub downtown in Christchurch. It shall be a regular meeting point for us when staying in Christchurch. After having a good beer we went out for dinner. Good tasty Seafood.

Tuesday 31. October 2000
After Breakfast at the Inn take of for town and small business. 2 a Clock big meeting at the Antarctic Center. Checking out our clothes, exchanging not fitting clothes and sweating because these clothes are really thick many layers and made for colder temperatures then Christchurch in Spring.
The rest of the afternoon we spending getting last small things like books about NEw Zealand, a plug adapter for New Zealand. Usual meeting point 6 a clock bailey's. then Dinner and early to bed. Our flight to MC Murdo is scheduled for the next day 9 a clock and so we will have to meet at the Antarctic Center at 6:15 am.

Wednesday 1 November 2000
Meeting for the flight at 6:15 means wake up call at 5 getting in the shuttle to the Airport, changing our clothes from casual to Antarctica Gear. Sweating for the next two hours until take off.
How will it be? Will we turn around after 5 hours to meet again this evening in Baileys? Or will we meet for dinner this evening in the dinning hall of MC Murdo? The last two days they had to turn around shouted it out of the speakers while we started. What does this mean? Of course everything good is three. So optimistically we ate all the lunch package before the point of no return. And guessed where I am in the Moment?

Greetings from the continent.

We actually made it with the first flight on Wed. Nov.1. 2000. It was a short and pleasant flight. After a short inbriefing we recieved the keys for our rooms and went fast for dinner.

Thursday Nov. 2, 2000
The day started with a short briefing about the waste managment of MC Town and the US Antarctic program. Did you guys know that about 2500 tons of waste are produced around the Antarctic program? Seems to be quiete a lot. Some of it comes from the constructions going on here and at the pole.

All except of some remainence of ourself will find the way out here in the southern fall, when ships are arriving at MC Murdo and the waste and other stuff will be loaded and new supply unloaded.
After this short one hour introduction how to separate waste (not new for an old german guy) and how to help the system going we had the inbriefing for our science group. We got in tough with who is who and to whom we have to talk about what.
After this the third and most important meeting was setup. our own group meeting. What do we have to do what is the schedule in the moment ....
We have to check the cargo, to organize our field camp, check some instruments and organize some more briefings and courses to get clearance to go out.
The first thing I had to do was getting licenced for driving a car here in Mc Town. Just a short briefing talking about the specialties here in Town and around, how to maintaine the car in these harsh conditions and also to show the current valid driver licence.
After this we loaded some of our cargo on the van we borrowed from the vehicle department and got our stuff in place and to check. The fun part was then in the afternoon when we had to check some of our cargo out at the airfield, which is located about 1 mile out of town on the sea ice. The first time I recognized out there the impresive shape Mt. Erebus in Mc Towns backjard. A small cloud of hot steam and probably some ash seems to be always around its summit. After we done the counting of the cargo we went back to town and tested two cameras, part of our science equipment.
During dinner we all came together to tell progress in each work and get further informations and instructions.
for the next day the radio briefing was scheduled and also the Snow School, also called happy camper camp.
After dinner we checked the second borehole camera and went quiete early to bed.

Friday Nov 3, 2000
Radio briefing at 8 am then preparing for Snow School.

What do we need to get from a stranded scientist to a happy camper in this harsh environment. This and more about our trip I will tell you guys tomorrow in case we will survive our first night out in the camp.
have a nice and great day and cross your fingers

Today it was level 2 and sometimes level 3 which means white out.
I survived snow school and here a small report how it went. there is also now a small web page for those who don't got the first e-mails or wanna get some more information's and wanna watch some pictures. http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~svogel/

Friday November 3, 2000
The first session of Snow School was in the Search and Rescue Building. Ty and Brenner, our instructors showed us the content of the survival bags, which each party have to carry in the field. Beside so useful things as sleeping bags (2), a tent, are also included a snow saw for cutting ice blocks, a stove with fuel and food for 3 days.
The whole course turned all around these object's and how to use them.
After this first introduction we went out with all our gear to learn and practice in the field. We took one of these big steamy vehicles and went onto the ice shelf next to Scott Base the New Zealand base over the hill from Mc. Murdo.
At first we got a lesson on how to use and how to repair the stove. The stove that this damned MSR Wisperlite. I hate this collection of MSR. It needs much more maintenance as the XGK from MSR, it heats up much slower and also to maintain you have to pull it each time apart. After this nice little show with this nice little damned stove, we went out to practice setting out the tent's, building up a snow wall and keeping things safe out of the wind. In the field we are using Scott tents. Scott tents are these pyramid tents in which you comfortable cook and live with three persons. At all it can host 4 may be up 8 persons in emergencies, but then it will be nice cozy and tight. For fixing the tent to the ground we digged in some T-anchors and tightened up the ropes with trucker nodes. easy to fix and easy to release afterwards.
With the snow saws we built a nice 4 foot high wall, behind we set up the mountain tents. Each of the tents fits 3 to 4 persons. The wall wasn't only a nice protection for the tents it was also nicely warm behind it for all of us.
It seemed our instructors had ordered the right weather for our course. level 2, which means not much of sight, wind drift with medium winds. Towards the end of our practice it cleared of to level 1 which means nice but still chilly weather. During our dinner time we still had some strong winds but the visibility was much better and we could even see the sun again. As I already introduced these stove's as damned they did what I expected them to do. They not worked at all properly. So after different attempts I went from one stove to the other overall we had 4 and repaired them one after the other and then back from the beginning. they just didn't wanted to work as they should. Anyway we got our dinner and on top of it best weather. So we walked around camp, did our radio in at 8 with the instructors hut and had fun looking on the blown off constructions from earlier courses in the Happy Camper's field.
After having Handstand competitions, singing contests and much more other fun, I went to bed testing our nice issued sleeping bags. As I left my nice Yeti down sleeping bag in Christchurch for hopefully my climbing of Mt. Cook I am dependent on this ECW gear. At first I couldn't find the right position in this bag for some reason I was lost in this giant bag. Shall I sleep across it or shall I sleep lengthwise. I finally found my best comfortable position, and slept like and angel until I had to go out and look for the yellow pole. The yellow pole is so called because in the best case there is only at one position some yellow snow...

Saturday November 4, 2000
After a fabulous night, we stood up between 8 and 9 had some short breakfast before we cleaned up the camp and moved everything bag in our vehicle. The happy Campers Camp wasn't yet at the end. We had some lectures how to use the VHF radio and the short wave radio, a lecture about risk assessment and finally the test if we kept some of the stuff we should have learned. Divided into two groups we simulated an emergency in a white out due to our car break down- which meaned to set up a tent in seconds build a snow wall and fire up the stove. This time it even worked. The second simulation we had to rescue a person which not came bag from the toilet next to the hut in the white out. How to do this without getting us self in deepest danger. We rescued our instructor bravely from getting a human tracer frozen into the Ice-shelf. After all the adventures we cleaned the hut and headed back for MC Murdo. After unpacking our stuff we watched the Helicopter video and got embarrassed on the heli chair, where we had to show that it is impossible to reach a candy bar in front of when you tightened up to the chair. After all we got our sticker for been one of the HAPPY CAMPERS.
Overall it had been two fabulous days out camping and practicing and testing our equipment. We learned a lot or at least repeated a lot again and overall had much much fun with everybody. Some of the stuff we did was fixed in the moment it happened and can be watch at my home page ( http://www.es.ucsc.edu/~svogel/ ).
After dinner some leisure and relaxing moments and a lot's of sleep.

Sunday November 5, 2000
Sunday times are Brunch times. I got up around 9 went for breakfast, which means Sunday's at that time a cup of tea and some cereals. At ten the real brunch started with scrambled eggs, a lot of fruits, some omelet good tasty bread and more and more. Our group met at 11 to pack most of our stuff for our deployment into the field hopefully sometimes early next week. With heavy storms and level 2 to 3 conditions it was quiet nice to work inside, checking all the equipment in particular the tents to survive these conditions outside in the field. After the work was done we recapitalized what has still to be done before everyone went off for leisure or more work. I first wanted to play a little bit with my satellite images, but then I got stucked with building up my Antarctic home page. And here we are.

I am going now to bed and wish you guy's where ever you are in the moment a happy happy 6th November 2000.

talk to you laters

What’s new?
We are slowly getting to an end with our cargo preparation. Today is more or less the first day we have for our own reading some papers and doing all the stuff we not have done the last days.

The last days had been busy and exiting.

Monday November 6, 2000
Nothing new from the weather front. Level 2 conditions. The right conditions to work inside and get ready for nicer days. At 9 we had our skidoo repair training. What can go wrong with Skidoo’s, what are the most common bugs in the field and what for sure we shouldn’t do with a roll of ducktape and the nozzle.
And at least watch out for monster Skidoos, which had gotten lost on the plateau.

Yeah the good skidoos.
Where to start? May be best with the fuel. Mix 5 gallon of fuel with 500ml of oil. Do not use water or ether.
Fill up the tank but don’t overfill it otherwise you have to call the hazard management as those who spilled this container of porn. But anyway the spill might be gone as the porn was gone out of the secured porn spill area in Washington. J
Push the gear in neutral to start, in particular if you duck taped the nozzle, there are already too many monster skidoo’s out running over the ice and chasing people.
Don’t start try fifteen minutes to pull the starter cable to start the engine when you previously pushed the emergency button to brake down the engine. Also check after 15 minutes of pulling the starter cable if the key isn’t in the off position if you not do this just for exercise purpose.
If you checked all this have freed the skidoo from all snow, warmed up the drive belt, the carborater and having no other faults in your system, then have a nice and safe ride and watch out for the monster skidoos out there. They never run out of gas.

After this nice introduction to the skidoos, we were also introduced to the Herman Nelson, a multi usable heating device. You can either produce heat by using gasoline and burning this in the heat chamber. Or you run out of gas you might even light the lightweight magnesium heat chamber, which burns when handled correctly even by itself.
That was already Monday morning after a good lunch we went started our science talk series.

Barclay gave an introduction in Why the hell we are here and what we will do there.

It isn’t really a simple answer and here also only a very brief and very simplified answer.

The world is concerned in many ways with the effects of the last and may be coming glaciation. Hereby our concerns focus on a possible sea level rise off 6m caused by the scenario of a disintegration of West-Antarctic Ice. 6m sounds not much but with respect to highly populated areas at sea level like Amsterdam, Hamburg, Bangladesh, Florida or the Bay Area around San Francisco, a sea level rise in this order would be catastrophic.

But why therefore going to the Ice Streams and drilling through them and looking on the sediments on their bottoms?

As we all know the flow is controlled by the flow gradient and the resistance against the driving forces. Very simplified in the case of an ice sheet the flow is controlled by the slope and the resistance against the flow by its bed. For the West-Antarctic Ice Sheet we have two different flow modes. One is the ice sheet flow mode, which is in the order of meters a year and then we have the feature of Ice-Stream, which flow in the order of hundred meters to kilometer a year.

The big question is how fast can the West-Antarctic Ice-Sheet disintegrate?

The question we heading for an answer is what controls these two flow modes. Are Ice-Streams restricted in it’s width, and if why; or can the whole West-Antarctic Ice-Sheet disintegrate with in a couple of thousands years, which would be possible if the whole ice sheet would speed up to ice stream speed.

The theory
Ice streams are located over thick layers of sediment (till). The weakness of these sediments controls the speed of the over laying ice. Melting at the base of the ice lubricates the bed and lowers the resistance of the bed. This can happen in two ways one is by creating a thin water film at the ice sediment interface or by adding water to the sediments and thereby weakening their strength.

What we are looking for
We will collect sediment samples from the bottom for measuring physical properties like porosity and strength; make insitue measurements of physical properties and look for indications of past disintegrations of the West-Antarctic Ice-Sheet.

So this was more or less Monday November 6, 2000. Now I will first take a break and enjoy the nice weather outside before I will tell more about the last days.

Enjoy your day

Things gotten exciting the last days.

Tuesday November 7, 2000
Not the most exciting day, but one of these where you get a lot done. We got most of our cargo done, practiced crevasse rescue and had another science talk where Alberto told us everything about the borehole camera. The borehole camera is a camera with a side look and a bottom look, which will enable us to actually see the bottom of the ice stream, and have a close up look into the basal ice. Even not that exciting we still went tiered to bed in the evening.

Wednesday November 8, 2000
It should have been a very exciting day. On schedule our skidoo shake down. But the weather proofed our patience and so we went back to our cage in the BFC (Berg Field Center) one of the buildings here which supplies us with all the gear we will need out in the field. The cage is the place where we collect all our stuff to pack it up in boxes, label them, weight then and measure the volume before we can put the gear into the cargo system for its deployment into the field camp. Some more stuff to collect, to organize. It is always the same, at the beginning everything looks big and fast and when it comes to the end the details, there we need one more sledge, where to fined it. Lost in the system? Oh no there it is, and always a lot of helpful people all over. Thanks Jessie, Elizabeth, Melissa and everyone else who’s name I cannot remember in the moment, but are working hard for the common goal, making live here possible and easier

Thanks a lot.

The afternoon we spend talking about the drilling program, the setup of the drill, what to obey etc. etc.

The evening I spent playing cribbage in the coffee house with Sara, David and Chuck. Nice game and a lot of fun talking.

Thursday November 9, 2000
Finally the exciting day. Our shakedown. The waiting was honored by the Mt Erebus Goddess. Finest Antarctic weather, with blue Sky, Sunshine all day long and a nice fresh layer of snow on the sparkling surface. We met at 8 a clock got the radio out of our cage fuelled up the skidoos, packed our cold weather clothing with the survival kits on the sledge and there we went. The reason for a shake down is to get familiar with the equipment in our case with the skidoo’s. At first everyone drove like just having a half gear, but with getting more and more familiar with our racing machines, we rushed over the ice leaving a small wind blown snow vane behind us. First stop a few minutes out of Mc Murdo with a short check if everything is all right and everyone comfortable. Of course we took the first pictures of Mc Murdo in the distance. Then we headed further North West along the Mc Murdo Sound and along the amazing scenery of the always-present Mt Erebus. The end point was Cape Roys with Shakeltons hut from his 1907 expedition, when he climbed Mt Erebus and turned around only a few miles away from the South Pole. Next to Shakelton’s hut is a nice Adelie Penguin rockery. It’s not yet the time to see the cute penguin chickens but we could intensively study the maiden behavior of these cute birds. It entertaining watching them. There is this guy having his nest at the border of Adelie town walking permanently a few meters outside to pick up a small rock and carrying it back to the nest. Before leaving he always carefully looks back making sure that no one takes his small pebbles away even sometimes turning around to ensure himself that everything is in order. His neighbor of course sees this matter in a slightly different way. He appreciates of course the effort of his dearest neighbor in bringing by these nice little presents he can make to his wife, which by herself honors the present with letting him do his duty for ensure the next generation. It seems to be real life there not always quite fair but like real life is. Also there are the trouble makes in town, chased by everyone through town on their ways to find a nice and peaceful place or back to their own place. May its also his own wife, asking him ‘ Where the hell have you been? I am waiting here so long for you and you naughty guy havened brought me even one present until now.’ Life is amusing and interesting in Adelie town.
Interesting is also to sneak into Shakelton’s hut. The first thing is to clean of your shoes, not to bring in snow and dirt, which might leave some unforgivable damage behind. Inside the hut you really feel the spirit of the old times. There is standing the stove on the kitchen desk and you think one match and you can cook and amazing meal with food cans from nineteen hundred seven. There is good old Heinz Ketchup on the shelf, some caned meat and fish. The only thing, which seems to be gone completely, is any kind of alcohol. They probably saved it for further traveling. On the benches the old fur sleeping bags, house shoes and old nailed crampon shoes. Right at the entrance there are two small chambers, food storage place to keep food in an accessible distance on one side and fuel separate from the food on the other side. Outside the hut there are a few dog shelters visible and some broken boxes with unknown content.
The only thing I can say an amazing place of Antarctic history. Also amazing is the view from the highest point of Cape Roys. Close to the horizon I could see the open ocean with the first iceberg this year. Further out on the horizon Cape Roberts was visible in the dust. On the other side of the sea ice the impressive valleys with big ice streams heading down from the Antarctic Plateau carving in their signs into the Trans Antarctic Mountains. Behind me not much new. 3794m rises Mt. Erebus into the sky always wearing a small cloud of smoke on its crown. It’s slopes covered with snow and ice forming heavily crevassed cascades of ice leading finally to the sea with a flat smooth ice shelf, bearing numberless dangerous hidden ice caves.
On our way back we watched out for one of the famous ice caves in the Mt. Erebus Ice shelf. Inside of these temporary features fragile ice flours are growing breaking the sparsely light coming in from the entrance. Deeper in the cave everything appears in a deep blue light somewhere between the deep ocean blue and the bright blue of glory sky. A must on the way back was also Scott’s hut, from which he started his tragic race to the pole. Different form Shakelton’s hut was here the stable for his ponies. At the same location a cross with an inscription remembers the three members of Shakelton’s infamous party, who died preparing everything on the other side of the pole for his planned trans Antarctic expedition in 1916.
Further on our way back we have been the attraction for a couple of penguins. If you are lonely somewhere on the ice; just wait a little bit there will appear some penguins at the horizon heading straight for you to see these funny huge creatures standing with these red fear on the ice and trying to communicate waving their arms in a similar way they do. After a while we haven’t been any more that interested for them and so they went on on their adventure trail.

We also went on heading back and getting surprised when back that it is already that late. Tiered but happy we arrived just in time to catch the last steak and the last portion of salad before dinner gets closed at 8 pm.
Later on we were beating our asses playing another round of cribbage, before falling quickly asleep.

So that's it for today
cheers

Hallo Everybody

once more an update from Antarctica. Things gotten the last 10 days not always straight, so we still waiting in Mc Murdo for getting out to Ice Stream C.

Friday November 10, 2000
10 days we are now here in Antarctica. We closely have finished our work in Mc Murdo for getting out into the field. As it looks we will also have some more time for us next week due to weather dependent delays in putting out our camp.
Today we did one of the recreational hikes in the area. We went to "Castle Rock". Castle rock is a small nunantak at the glacier above MC Murdo. The way to Castle rocks leads from the center of the city north up the hill passing the heavy shop and the waste management building as the area where the waste from Antarctica gets stored until the ships in January arrive and it can be transported back to the US. After about twenty minutes you pass on top of the hills these Hughes golf balls part of the communication area with more short wave and hf antennas. From there on you start hiking the glacier following the flagged route. While a snow cat originally smoothened the trail, the blowing wind creates day after day another landscape, covering old traces with snow or eroding freshly deposited snow from the trail and leaving behind older consolidated traces of ski tracks or shoe steps.
After about two miles you pass the first apple an emergency shelter with a stove some food and a few sleeping bags. Just in case weather will get too worse for traveling any further and you got caught in the storm. Stepping further on the trail on the ridge you reach the second emergency hut close to castle rock. Here also an emergency phone is installed to call in and either leaving a note that you will come back late or calling for help. Castle rock probably bears probably the most diverse possibilities for outdoor recreation. There is some rock climbing possible, but only advised in very good and not windy weather. The west face also bears at least two ascent routes for mountaineers with crampons and ice axes. The North Face keeps a way for closely everyone. A nice easy climb with one grade 2 step. The way up to the ridge is at least worth for everyone. There is the great overview over the sea ice where you can spot a glance of the open water in the very far or near distance and also the descent where you can slide on your back downhill.
If you came with skies you might have fun skiing down the hill to the Ross Ice Shelf which more or less tarts in the backyard of Scott Base. When you skied or walked down the hill there is still this long flat part of the trail where you pass the ice cliff's which inspires every mountaineer to go climbing and serves the SAR team (search and rescue team) as training facility.
When you arrive at Scott Base you might go shopping, the most popular Sunday afternoon occupancy of the Americans, you can take the shuttle back to Mc Murdo or you might hike around the pressure ridges and head back around Cape Armitage to Mc Murdo. Finally back you shouldn't forget to check in again by the fire department and give back the radio you probably carried with you, as they told us.

We had a fun an quite exhausting afternoon spending closely 4 hours out there.
Before and after dinner we checked the transportation board where all passenger flights for the next day will be announced. No flight for us, which will probably stay this way until mid of next week.

Saturday November 11, 2000
There are some last small things to get together and packing up. When a box is ready to ship we have to label it. First write the project number on the box, then we weight the cargo, measure the volume and check in the big book for the number we can give to this box. After the labeling on all sides of the box is done, we fill out the paper work for the box, filling the weight, volume and box number into the spaces and describe the contents and hand the paperwork into the cargo office. After this the box gets into the cargo system waiting mostly outside for its transportation.

Saturday evening is Party time not much different from any other place on this world. The three bars are filled with a lot of happy people drinking, chatting and having fun.

Sunday November 12, 2000
The very last things to do:
We did the hike over the sea ice around Cape Armitage. Leaving south you head first a couple of hundred meters towards the ice runway then turn to the east onto the flagged route. The trail heads on over small very small sastrugies the amazing panorama of the Trans-Antarctic Mountains permanently in front of you. You just would like to head on to these mountains for climbing one or more of these number less unexplored summits.

But this 1-hour trail heads straight back to Scott Base. Taking the pressure ridge loop Regina and I headed back to Mc Murdo over the ice. Back in Mc Murdo we checked the transportation board. Still no Bag Drag for us.

Monday November 13, 2000
Not really much happened during the day. A last check of the luggage, writing some postcards and getting ready again to head out for the field.
In the evening we finally had our Bag Drag. Bag drag is when you deliver your entire luggage except your ECW gear (extreme cold weather) and your hand luggage to the transportation office. They will get it on palette and put it into the cargo system.

Tuesday November 14, 2000
Excitement, will we leave or will we start playing in the weather lottery? We not left our flight was cancelled and so we used the day with writing some more postcards, sending some packages and checking for our snail mail.
In the evening only Herman and Robin was posted for the next flight to Ice Stream C.

Wednesday November 15, 2000
Herman and Robin made it to Ice Stream C. The reason why not all off us flew out was something like that they haven't been ready for all of us in the camp. Any way we stayed in MC Murdo. In the morning I started again working on my laptop and in the afternoon I went the first time into the fitness gym. You have to keep yourself busy.

Thursday November 16, 2000
We were on schedule for today, but weather was too bad. I storm moved in and covered everything with a nice and innocent layer of snow which gets blown off from time to time by some gusty winds. I made good progress in working on a report. The afternoon I run for half an hour on the conveyer belt and stretch out afterwards.
The usual evening meeting in the coffee house was as much fun as always. We drunk again for our departure tomorrow. You have to drink before leaving it might be the last time you see these guys here.

Friday November 17, 2000
Still bad weather outside, no flights today. Back to work and to the gym in the afternoon.
Nothing really exciting, but that's Antarctica - the weather proofs your patience. The highlight of the day was the Swing Dancing class in the evening. Fun stuff. First a little bit shy then always better we learned some formations on the swing. Was really fun.

Saturday November 18, 2000
Nothing new! We won't leave today, but that's not the worst necessarily overall the big FEMC Party is tonight. Barbecue and Beer and a lot of good and loud music.
The party was fun; meeting people, dancing and chatting.
After the party I still not wanted to go asleep. The weather was too beautiful. The sun stood deep in the southeast and through an amazing light over the misty sea ice a C141 started. Out of the fog partly covering the sea ice the C141 left an amazing snow cloud behind. First heading out southeast against the wind the plane took a loop and flew a small loop over Mc Murdo disappearing finally towards Christchurch. I walked up OB-Hill. The hill behind Mc Murdo. Gaining height I faced a chilly wind. On top of OB-Hill, Scott's people erected in 1913 a cross in memory of his race to the South Pole where he and his friends lost their lives.
Standing on top of this Hill was probably the most amazing scene I have seen since I am here. The snow on the hill's ridge glanced in the midnight's sun brighter then anytime else. Where usually the sea ice was the thin layer of fog gave the impression to stand on top of mountain and overlooking a deep valley filled with cloud. To the left Scott Base and the pressure ridges which the fog closely swallowed. Amazing and wonderful. One of the moments worthwhile to wait for and go through other depressions.

Sunday November 19, 2000
Sunday is Sunday and no flight operation is going on even if it is the best weather. Gorgeous weather. Daniel and I are spending the afternoon outside hiking up to Castle Rock. The sky wearing its deepest blue but the chilly wind chills you to the bones in the moment you give it the opportunity even spring is slowly moving into the region. From the ridge at Castle Rock the open ocean was visible in the very far announcing the coming spring. The sea ice has retreated quite a distance from where it was ten days ago, when I spotted the open water in the very far distance from Cape Roys. Despite this gorgeous view we only spent a few moment on the ridge. My feet's got chilled too much and so we headed back to the warm and cozy lounges in Mc Murdo.

Monday November 20, 2000
It was very disappointing not leaving today. We not even had been scheduled for today. It's somehow frustrating seen this gorgeous weather outside knowing that it can change every minute and not leaving. Some other flights are having higher priority then ours. As they announced yesterday evening before the science lecture they are in the moment about 50 to 60 flights behind from which 50 are scheduled for the South Pole. Anyway because we not had been scheduled I slept long and now writing this e-mail. May be tomorrow we will be leaving but it might be also after Thanksgiving that we will be still here. We will see and you might even get another update of our activities here.

Looking forward to head out at some point Merry Christmas and a Happy New in Case we will actually head out tomorrow have also a great thanksgiving stefan