And so I sit… Waiting. Its Saturday now, and our 4th day we’ve been waiting. Tomorrow maybe? We can only cross our fingers. Cross them just like we did for Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday and today. What are we waiting for, you ask? Well… to some, its parole. To others, its a flying miracle. To the rest… The USAF C-17, coming to trade us out.
Its been 6 weeks since the June flight came and went, taking some of our friends and postcards, and leaving us with other friends and freshies and mail. Not a bad trade, but if I must be honest, I will take Abby over apples and avocados any day. But I suppose that’s just me.
- Me and my favorite delta.
The time has gone quick though these last several weeks, and most notably… Its gotten colder. Not a massive swing, but enough to move our fuel dip temps from the negative single digits to a personal record of -26F. And instead of the day-to-day fluctuations moving around the 0F mark, they tend to float within a few degrees colder or warmer than -20F. That’s some cold diesel (or AN8, technically).
And its not just the fuel that is chilly. With temps in the -20s here in town, out on the shelf its been considerably colder. Our weekly delta runs to Phoenix have been moved around as the temps allow, but sometimes, we can only do so much. I drove Delta Scharen out last week to top off the generator tanks to discover when I returned that the reason that everything, myself included moved so slow while I was out there was that it had been -56F at the airfield. So cold that the meter on the delivery vehicle didn’t want to turn as it was pumping fuel. Good thing we do our fillings by manual level dips!
Our bodies are taking a hit as well. Fingers and toes get chillier quicker, as there is only so much you can do to guard against the freeze. The soles of our boots become frozen, effectively becoming ice-skates when we step onto any hard, smooth surface. To keep warm during transfers, anything is game… push-ups, squats, dancing, dancing, shaking it off, whatever we have to do. I can’t remember for sure, but I do know that in the race for the coldest ambient temps i’ve been in, the last couple weeks here are neck-and-neck with my drive to Alaska in February of 2015, where temps were regularly in the -50s. But then again, on the drive I wasn’t out working outside on the ice shelf… and the Xterra has a great heater.
But its not all cold and freezing. One advantage is that the skies have gotten much clearer, allowing for some great day-time star gazing. I haven’t seen a whole lot of auroras recently, but the stars and moon have been incredible. Seeing the Milky Way just cross the sky above McMurdo is an amazing treat of distraction while you’re on top of a bulk tank waiting for the thermo-bob to stabilize.
The transformation has also begun… Over the last week or so, the northern sky around midday has been starting to light up. Just a little. But oranges and pinks on the horizon, and yesterday some incredible pink clouds that could be seen from town. McMurdo is still a month away from sunrise, but its pretty in the meantime.
So the waiting continues, allowing me to reflect on the fun that’s been had in the last several weeks. Our 4th of July Parade, the 4th party in the MEC including human jenga (stacking boxes one on top of the other and seeing how many you can stack before you fall… roped up, of course). Midwinter Dinner, which was a great opportunity to get dressed up and look classy while eating a great, great meal. Hanging out with friends for Simpsons night. And some other really fun nights scattered through.
Fourth of July Parade, with GasHopper and Pancho showing their patriotic sides!
Its been fun, these last 9 months on Ice… But its time for some warmth before starting the next round of cold coming up in September. I’m thinking… Asia.
Yeti Ramblings 
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