After dinner last night several of us headed over to hut point. The weather as I described earlier was probably the best of the season. We heard that the Oden was tied up at the ice pier and there were lots of penguins wandering around. I took lots of pictures but forgot my camera in the room so look for new pictures in the gallery this week. (Probably tomorrow)

As we came down the hill toward hut point we passed several of the Swedish sailors from the Oden. They were headed to town to check us out and we were all headed to the pier to check them out. We said hi as we passed and they acted like they understood us and waved. The pier that they tie up to is created much like a concrete floor is laid except instead of rebar and concrete they use rebar and ice. Every few years they drag the whole thing out into the sound let it melt or drift away and start all over again building a new pier. The ship looked huge sitting there. To me it looked like a tug boat on steroids with a very wide rounded bow sitting fairly low in the water. The center super structure was boxy and tall with smoke stacks projecting from it along with radar antennas and assorted other protuberances.

Following the obligatory photo session in front of the Oden we headed over to hut point to see the penguins. We didn’t have to travel far; within 100 yards of the ship we saw the first small group of Adelie penguins. They were fairly inactive so we continued on toward the point. As we approached we saw about thirty people watching about thirty penguins and it was hard to tell who was watching the other more intently. The real difference was that we had cameras to document the encounter. One particularly bold Adelie walked right up in the middle of about ten people and appeared to be examining his human counterparts very closely. The penguin exhibited absolutely no fear of the people he was surrounded by. After about ten minutes he parted the people around him and waddled back over to his buddies. I’m sure he was the talk of all his friends for the courage he demonstrated in mingling with the humans. The main waddle (I’ve been told that’s what a group of penguins on a hard surface are called) were laying down so we decided to head up to the hill top at Hut Point to watch the Coast Guard ice breaker at work.

The ice breaker was moving rather quickly along the edges of the channel widening it as he went. We saw a few seals lounging on the ice without regard to anything happening around them. One of the guys I was with said he knew where a Skua nest was nearby so we headed up the trail to Castle Rock to check it out. Skua’s nest in the lava rocks out in the open. That makes sense since there are no trees or vegetation of any type to nest in. I’ve read that they usually lay two eggs but can only effectively raise one chick so they select the strongest and do away with the other. As we approached we had the rare opportunity to see the little bundle of fuzz walking around behind the parent. The adults are fiercely protective of the young, even more so than other adult birds, I guess because of the difficulty of raising the young in this harsh environment. We saw the adults mate cleaning himself in a nearby snow melt pool. She squawked for a couple of minutes and then he came to her aid. He approached us squawking and raising his wings and making himself look very threatening. He did a good job. We gave him wide birth and one of the guys I was with a large, burly, bearded man froze and refused to go on for fear of being attacked by the bird. Finally he said he would follow me if I went first. The bird gave us lots of grief but allowed us to pass so long as we didn’t get any nearer to the nest.

After we passed the Skua nest we headed up a hill to a shrine with a statue of the Virgin Mary. We took several pictures there and then headed down the hill to some larger melt-off pools. We were all surprised to see lots of algae growing in the pools. As I reported earlier when I went to the greenhouse I thought that nothing else green grew on the continent. Clearly this was bright green growing algae in these pools. Of course we had to take some pictures to document our discovery for future scientific use.

At about this point, as we were taking pictures, laughing and talking, I was reminded of similar adventures I had with another group of great guys when I was in the Navy in Japan. Of course most of these guys I was with on this trip were young enough to be my sons, some even younger, but they treated me just like one of the group without regard to age. I didn’t say anything to anyone but it was a very warm feeling accompanied by great reminiscent thoughts.

Finally we headed back to the point. We saw a group of Adelie’s approaching rapidly from the ice towards us. They crossed over crevasse in the ice, which in itself was a lot of fun to watch, as they jumped, slid, waddled and hopped toward us. As they got closer they seemed more curious about us then we were of them. The literally walked up to within two feet of us then stopped and looked us over much like we would do with animals in a zoo. After a while they headed over to another waddle of penguins that were lying on the ice. We thought a rumble was about to start, ala West Side Story, and we weren’t disappointed. All the penguins that were lying down arose and began to mingle with the new arrivals keeping a wary eye on each other. Then a kind of dance began where some would confront each other face to face. They would bob and weave their heads at each other and at some point would wrap their wings around each other much like a hug but did not touch. We assumed this was some type of mating dance. A couple of (we assumed) males began to squawk at each other and chase one another around the ice alternating between running and sliding on their stomachs. The whole event was fascinating and engrossing. We must have stood there for an hour just watching the interaction between the two groups.

We finally headed back up the hill to town and our rooms. By now it was almost 10:00 pm. As I headed up the hill I knew we had just witnessed something special and that you would be subjected to a long blog today. I just wish you could have each been here to witness all of this with me. It was great!

I walked out of the dorm this morning and I found myself at a loss of words to describe how spectacularly beautiful it was. The sky was azure blue without a cloud to be seen, the wind was a light zephyr and the temperature was comfortable. I was so full of energy and seemed to be filled with endorphins. It just wouldn’t be good for me to be around people at this time of the morning (5:00 am). I think I might scare them.

As I walked to work I saw the ice breaker Oden directly in front of the church breaking ice. It’s so close you can actually see it moving (normally moves slower than a glacier) and the huge water jets in the bow of the ship were pouring water onto the ice ahead. They tell me this lubricates the ice to help the ship slide up onto the ice and then to back away from it. It’s so close I feel as though I could reach out and touch it. The whales can’t be far behind!

A group/flock/gaggle (whatever they are) of penguins has been hanging around the area for a couple of days. I think they are curious about the ice breaker and looking forward to having open water to swim around in. I don’t think they know about the whales.

Last night I went to a very alternative style art show. One of the real cool exhibits was a demonstration of alternative sources of energy. One machine ran on ice, one ran on static electricity (which we have a lot of here) and one used static electricity to light a florescent bulb that the creator was holding in his hand some 18 inches from the device connected by nothing but air. It’s probably all simple scientific stuff but it was like magic to me. An artist was painting a mural size picture of Antarctica and asked everyone to write on a small piece of paper why they were here. He then decoupaged those pieces of paper onto his mural. A local cartoonist for our newspaper displayed many of his cartoons some of which were never printed because the NSF editor thought they weren’t appropriate. Obviously they were some of the funniest and dealt with life down here. All in all it was a pretty fun time.

Look at the gallery for pictures of the penguins.

When I went into work this morning I was surprised to hear that a large group of Adeile penguins came up by Hut Point last night. They numbered about 36 and were frolicking near the shoreline where some of the ice had melted. I didn’t get to see them but plan to make a trip down there tonight after dinner. Someone with a camera did see them though and there were a plethora of penguins posing for photos on the ” I” drive of the computer at work this morning. Even though they are still photos you still get a sense of how playful these penguins are. I will download some of them and enter them in the gallery. (Hopefully today)

Also this morning at work I met a Lieutenant Commander in the Coast Guard. He is here providing on shore assistance to the ice breaker. He came in to check on the winds in the area. Apparently high winds help blow the ice they have broken up out to sea. He said he thinks they will be able to clear the sound this year for the first time in 7 years. He also confirmed that the killer whales were following the ice breaker into the sound. He mentioned another type of whale, which I can’t remember, that was playing behind the ice breaker and following it into the sound as well. The commander also said if the ice breaking goes as planned they will be able to take some guests out on the sound. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

On another note the airfield was closed today as well as all roads leading to it because of high winds and blowing snow. This is the first time this year that one of the airports has been closed for adverse weather. Everyone working there was evacuated to town for the night.

I made a trip up the hill into the wind to the post office yesterday afternoon. I was mailing some cloths back home since the season is winding down here. I hope to leave the ice with only one suitcase and one carry-on. While I was there I checked my incoming mail and had four wonderful gifts waiting for me.

The first was a Christmas card from my mother. If you think I’m a good person credit much of whom I am to her. I believe she had more influence on my childhood development than any other person and I love her more than she will ever know.

The second was a book from my wife with some reflections on life and what you can do with it. I’m really looking forward to reading it. She also sent some candy because she knows how my sweet tooth is. I thank Deni for loving me through thick and thin and for being my best friend in the world.

The third came in the form of two books from two very special friends Kim and Cyndy. As usual they were right on the money with both books and again I can’t wait to start reading them. Good friends are the glue that holds our life and the world together and I have been blessed with many in my life to whom I am grateful for their love and support.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Carol, Ed, Linda and Alan who earlier in the year sent me a care package with lots of great useful stuff. (Thanks especially to Carol for the red licorice candy)

Finally I received a package from Mrs. Mischke’s second grade class in Casselton, ND. I have been writing to the class to share some of my experiences is Antarctica. They have also been reading my blog. Each of the kids in the class sent me a Christmas card which they personalized on the front with drawings of different Christmas scenes. It was very heartwarming. To each of you thanks for the card!

As you can see it was a great day. Thank you all for your friendship and love.

I climbed a mountain today. It’s called Observation Hill (Ob Hill) but it’s a freaking MOUNTAIN!! I am not cut out for this. It is a steep climb up lots of loose volcanic rocks. Believe it or not one of the events they have here is the Ob Hill Run. I would have liked to see that but I was working during the run. I stopped a number of times during the climb to catch my breath, look at the spectacular view, and question the sanity of continuing the climb. Ultimately I made it to the top and the view from up there was worth the struggle to get there. (Don’t worry no prophetic observations like yesterday). I could see about 50 miles from my perch. Within my view in addition to many spectacular mountains were the old ice runway, the current runways, Mt. Erebus and Terror and the entire McMurdo Sound. In the sound were both ice breakers working as hard and fast as they could to clear a channel for us. A C-130 pilot flew over the ice breakers yesterday and out to the ice edge. He said there is a pod of killer whales patiently waiting for the channel to clear so they can come into the sound for some lunch. The wind was blowing quite hard up there but I was able to find a rock to sit on that was sheltered. The temperature was really pleasant. I was the only one up there for awhile and I just sat, rested and enjoyed the beauty of it all.

The climb down was almost as difficult as going up. The slope is quite steep and the loose lava rocks didn’t help much. My legs around the knee became tired and sore about half way down but what can you do? I did get a couple of pictures. I hope they come out. The digital cameras are great but the battery doesn’t like cold weather.

I’m glad I made the climb but don’t think it will be an adventure I repeat any time soon.

The Pictures show Ob Hill, Mac Town from top of Ob Hill and Me at top of Ob Hill