The end is now clearly in sight. The ice breaker Oden left two days ago to break up the ice pack to bring in our supply ship the Tern. Rumors had been circulating like wild fire for the last week as to the exact date of their arrival. Betting pools were established. Shifts were changed to adjust for the around the clock schedule that the ship off-load requires. The entire station becomes involved from volunteers to tie up the ship to all those involved in unloading the ship, redistributing the cargo to its interim destination and then reloading the ship for its return to the States. Store hours change, dining facility hours change, the station becomes like a huge farm bringing in the harvest. U. S. Navy cargo handlers provide the expertise onboard the ship. A control tower is set up above the ice pier to direct the movement of trucks, forklifts and cargo containers. The beautiful flow of the choreography betrays the years of experience in play by McMurdoites who have conducted this resupply dance for years. Even the bars on station are closed to remove any temptation to offset the long arduous hours of work with a little libation. The constant beep, beep, beeping of forklifts backing up echoes through the now packed parking area between the dorms and the dining facility. The weather has taken a distinct turn towards winter as gusty winds send shivers down the spines of everyone outside helping in the effort. The very day off-load is concluded the Navy men will climb on a C-17 to head home. The ship will leave on its return journey preceded by the Oden headed back to Sweden. The final few flights to the Pole are concluded as we all begin to pack out readying ourselves for our return to lives off the ice. The end is truly in sight.

I went to work yesterday feeling tired and thought I might be coming down with a cold. After my shift I headed back to the dorm to rest, which I spent the rest of the day doing. I’m feeling much better today and hopefully it was just a feeling and not really the beginnings of a cold. After dinner a group of us played some cribbage and listened in on the in briefing for some new “beakers” (scientists) who just arrived on the C-17 for the extended season. None of them had ever been to the ice before. One of the guys I had breakfast with said he ran into one of them in the bathroom this morning. He said “where are the towels?” we thought that was kind of funny. I guess his bed wasn’t made up last night either. What kind of hotel is this anyway?

Sorry about running Lemmings twice, I must have really liked that one. Or I'm tired and ready to come home.

Sunday morning the research vessel/ice breaker Nathanial B Palmer pulled into port at the ice pier. The vessel predominately conducts various kinds of scientific research in the Southern Ocean. (Our guide said they made one trip to the Arctic Ocean several years ago)

The tour was very interesting and our guide shared with us some of the harrowing events they had experienced like a recent serious onboard fire, a mini tidal wave they suffered when a dying ice shelf (global warming) they were close to calved and other less scary events.

The living quarters were nice but not quit as nice as the accommodations on the Oden. The bridge, as always, is a great place to visit and the view is awesome. I remember thinking as I disembarked that I have spent more time on ships in Antarctica than I did in four years in the Navy.

As a side note, earlier in the day at brunch I met a woman who had just arrived on station to winter over. She has been here for nineteen seasons but to me more interesting was that she graduated in 1968 from Hopkins High School, one of our cross town rivals. I graduated from Robbinsdale High School in 1969. One of the pleasures of getting old is occasionally finding someone older than you are.

One additional note I had a request for some panoramic pictures from the control tower at Williams Field. Check the Gallery for them.

Before work on Saturday I headed down to Hut Point to look at the growing pool of open water and to check on the Skua chick. The weather was gray and overcast when I arrived it was also windy and cold which as you know by now is a very common occurrence here.

As for the chick it is getting bigger by the day, about a quarter the size of the adult now. It was out strutting around stretching its little wings. The parents seem much more protective now that the chick is more mobile. The female parent who was there when I arrived quickly summoned the male to help here defend the nest. I didn’t stay long as we are strictly admonished by the Antarctic Treaty not to interact with the wild life.

I headed back to the point to check for whales and seals. All I found was one “sea slug” crawling out of the water. As it inched along it rolled and arched apparently in an effort to scratch and massage its back. I checked for whales in the open water and after finding none I headed back to town.

About half way back to town I began to run into people migrating toward the point. I told them about the seal and the Skua and that there was nothing else visible. They pointed down towards the point and said, “what about the penguins”? I had just left there moments before and didn’t see them. I was there alone but somehow someone saw them from somewhere other than the point and had spread the word. The news that penguins were in the area set off a lemming like movement of McMurdoites towards the point. The funny thing is everyone migrates, newbie’s and old timers alike. Such is the affect of these little guys on people. I couldn’t resist and reversed course to join the rest of the lemmings headed for the cliff. I watched with unabashed glee as the little guys tobogganed and waddled along. They eventually headed for the open water. I hoped to see them jump in for a little swim and lunch but when they arrived at the waters edge they bobbed and craned their little necks for about ten minutes and then all laid down on the ice edge. Somehow I think they know that killer whales are lurking in the area and chose not to jump in. The funny thing is, like lemmings, when one jumps in they all jump in without regard to the danger lurking in the water.

Before work on Saturday I headed down to Hut Point to look at the growing pool of open water and to check on the Skua chick. The weather was gray and overcast when I arrived it was also windy and cold which as you know by now is a very common occurrence here.

As for the chick it is getting bigger by the day, about a quarter the size of the adult now. It was out strutting around stretching its little wings. The parents seem much more protective now that the chick is more mobile. The female parent who was there when I arrived quickly summoned the male to help here defend the nest. I didn’t stay long as we are strictly admonished by the Antarctic Treaty not to interact with the wild life.

I headed back to the point to check for whales and seals. All I found was one “sea slug” crawling out of the water. As it inched along it rolled and arched apparently in an effort to scratch and massage its back. I checked for whales in the open water and after finding none I headed back to town.

About half way back to town I began to run into people migrating toward the point. I told them about the seal and the Skua and that there was nothing else visible. They pointed down towards the point and said, “what about the penguins”? I had just left there moments before and didn’t see them. I was there alone but somehow someone saw them from somewhere other than the point and had spread the word. The news that penguins were in the area set off a lemming like movement of McMurdoites towards the point. The funny thing is everyone migrates, newbie’s and old timers alike. Such is the affect of these little guys on people. I couldn’t resist and reversed course to join the rest of the lemmings headed for the cliff. I watched with unabashed glee as the little guys tobogganed and waddled along. They eventually headed for the open water. I hoped to see them jump in for a little swim and lunch but when they arrived at the waters edge they bobbed and craned their little necks for about ten minutes and then all laid down on the ice edge. Somehow I think they know that killer whales are lurking in the area and chose not to jump in. The funny thing is, like lemmings, when one jumps in they all jump in without regard to the danger lurking in the water.