The Antarctic 5K T-shirt design (front/back). If anything about the “sponsors” stands out to you, Google what stands out and you will learn about Antarctica!
T-shirt design and sponsors: A. Margolin and A. Lee.
View of Scott Base (green buildings in top right) and the road we ran along for the 5K.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
The two waves for the 5K. The first wave (top), from left to right is Gitte, Kim, Dennis, Bruce, Jack, Santiago and Cassandra. The second wave (bottom), from left to right is David, Andrew, Gianluca, Allison, Roberta, Sarah, Meredith, Rachel and Hans.
Photo credits: A. McLenon and J. Kooyman.
Spider-Man, Banana, and Sarah running the 5K.
Photo credit: G. Paglia.
Roberta posing at Scott Base before heading back to McMurdo Station.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
Santiago running down the hill to Scott Base in the brilliant and persistent Antarctic summer sun. Photo credit: A. Margolin.
The 5K was a great experience for all of us who participated, and for two of us it just wasn’t enough running in the bitter cold. The following day, February 10th, was the McMurdo Marathon. It began and ended just beyond Scott Base, with the turnaround 13.1 miles away at the Pegasus Airfield, where we flew in a few days previous. There were about forty participants for the marathon and half marathon (the half began at the airfield), with aid stations at the beginnings and approximately every four miles. The two of us finished strong, again, enjoying the extensive white scenery. After our run, we took the shuttle back to McMurdo Station and headed to our new home for the next two months: the RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer.
Andrew taking a break at the quarter marathon mark to enjoy a freshly grilled bratwurst,
Clif Bar, and an ice cold Coors Light.
Photo credit: Other person running the half marathon.
Allison finishing the full marathon proud and strong.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
While the marathon was going on, everyone else was busy moving onto the Palmer and organizing their lab equipment. There was also a break in the day for those getting settled on the ship so they could visit Scott Base and there was an additional tour of Scott’s Hut for those who missed it on the 8th. Once the visits and tours were over, we were all on the ship to set up the labs together. We were happy to unload and unpack all of our belongings after getting to enjoy spending some time off the ship, and by the end of the 11th, most of our labs were setup and secured (tied down) for our 53-day cruise.
The RVIB Nathaniel B. Palmer at McMurdo Station.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
The aft dry lab during (top) and after (bottom) the process of unpacking and setting up our lab space. Photo credits: A. Margolin.
In preparation for our months at sea, we had multiple meetings to orient us onboard the ship. So far we have had meetings to orient us in the multiple laboratories that we’ll be working in, to orient us on deck operations and safety, and finally the vessel orientation. During the vessel orientation, which was lead by Jamee, we had the chance to introduce ourselves and share our roles during the cruise, even though we all knew each other after having spent the past week traveling together. Towards the end of the meeting, we got to try on our immersion suits and personal flotation devices, and we concluded the meeting by boarding the lifeboats.
Meredith excited, although slightly nervous, to try on her immersion suit.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
Getting comfortable and buckled into the confined seating of a lifeboat suited for the Southern Ocean. Photo credit: A. Margolin.
While we were in all of our meetings, the Palmer briefly left McMurdo Sound to allow for an oil tanker to take our place at the McMurdo ice dock so we could back up next to it and fuel the Palmer before embarking on the cruise. Once we were out in the Ross Sea and waiting for the tanker to dock, we had a great view of Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano. It was great to have the chance to see Mount Erebus smoking, but after coming back to McMurdo for fueling, we were all a little anxious to leave McMurdo Sound and begin sampling. Although, waiting for fueling has allowed us to thoroughly prepare for our sampling, and on the evening of the 12th it gave us the opportunity to see the fata morgana, looking forward of the ship.
Mount Erebus, the southernmost active volcano on Earth.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
The fata morgana forward of the Palmer.
Photo credit: A. Margolin.
We recently departed from McMurdo Station, and are now on our way to the Ross Sea polynya to study its biogeochemistry. From now on, blog posts will be written by other members of the cruise, and I hope you look forward to their stories. Send us your questions and follow along with the daily photos to see what the weather conditions are like! Take care!
–Andrew
PS – Check out Cassandra’s new post for the National Geographic!
Here’s the link: Landing on Thin Ice: Arriving in McMurdo Station, Antarctica
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