PENGUINS!

Despite this being my fourth trip to Antarctica, I had yet to see a penguin. Lots of signs of them whilst at Palmer and mummified ones (+ footprints!) in the Dry Valleys last year, but not a single one in the flesh. So when rumors started circulating that some penguins had been seen out at Hut Point, my friend Amy and I went on Penguin Patrol.

The first time was a false alarm.

The second time at almost midnight, we headed out again and got to see a dozen or so Adelie penguins hanging out on the ice right next to the peninsula.

Adelies on the sea ice next to Hut Point

The one standing appeared to be on "watch" while the others were generally lazy. I think it was their bedtime. The little guy on watch was pacing back and forth, keeping an eye on the open water close by-- where a seal was swimming.

Adelies sleeping and standing guard

While they weren't particularly active, it was nice to see.

The next day, a group of us went out to see the Emperor penguins that were huddled on the road out to the Pegasus runway (where the fixed wing and continental flights go in and out). There were only four of them, but these penguins are the BIG guys so far as penguins go.

Emperors out on the permanent snow road to Pegasus

The one on the left in the photo above must have been cold to tuck his head away so well. It was slightly disconcerting to first see it like that. We almost thought that they were staged, stuffed penguins because they weren't moving and the one didn't have a head. But after a while, they started to move around a little bit. And the head reappeared.

LTER girls (Kelly, Amy, and Alyssa) with the penguins

"Beakers" having fun! (Our hands are supposed to be beakers)

Mt. Terror vs. Scott Base Rugby

One of the highlights of a summer on the Ice is the annual game of rugby played between Scott Base (New Zealand) and McMurdo (USA). As expected, New Zealand has the advantage in these games since most of their participants have been playing since they were young. In contrast, the American team is generally formed in October by volunteers who have to essentially learn it all every year.

Penalty throw in technique

Last year, a good friend of mine played for the Mt. Terror Rugby Club (the intimidating name bestowed upon the McMurdo team). During the course of the game, he dislocated his shoulder. Despite the American inexperience with the game, they do go all out during play.

Pre-game national anthems and handshakes

On January 11, 2010 the game was played out on the rugby pitch -- a patch of groomed snow with crossbars out on the permanent ice with Mt. Erebus as a backdrop. It was a well-fought match, and in the end Scott Base prevailed with a score 23-nil.

It might also be worth it to mention that in the 26 years that the competition has been going on, Mt. Terror (USA) has never scored even a single point.

Maybe next year!

Discovery Hut

Recently, I tagged along with a group to Discovery Hut out on Hut Point within walking distance of McMurdo. It was prefabricated in warmer climates (Australia) and sent south on Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery Expedition.

From the Hut Point peninsula looking back at Discovery Hut (foreground) and McMurdo (background)

Meant to be living quarters for the crew, the Hut proved to be inadequate to house the men due to it's drafty nature. Thus the crew lived in the ship that brought them down and the hut was used for storage and cooking.

The hut was used as a base for several other expedition that came through (including several attempts at the South Pole) used it as a storage base up until 1917. It was "rediscovered" in 1956 by Americans who dug it out of the snow and ice.

The Hut has been returned to the conditions it was in after the Discovery Expedition -- including meat, stoves, clothing, and food stores. It's a piece of history right at our backdoor at the bottom of the world.

Yo Chin, a professor at OSU, acting as our tour guide inside Discovery Hut

Cooking area

Food and fuel stores

Seal meat

Vintage pants of the era...

Christmas Celebration at Lake Hoare

The jaunt out into the Taylor Valley mentioned here, happened to be over the Christmas weekend. In Lake Hoare fashion, there was much celebrating: cookies, gingerbread houses, Christmas tree, and a gigantic dinner with good company to boot.

Luigi decorating cookies

Gingerbread house under construction

Gingerbread house with a candle inside after the shutters were closed.

We closed the shutters in the hut right before dinner, creating a "night" for Christmas. It was certainly different being in almost complete darkness out at Lake Hoare during the summer.