Antarctica Arrival
November 7, 2008
I am now writing from the frozen continent…
This morning, we got up at 4am, were shuttled to the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand, and loaded onto a military cargo jet. The flight was about 5 hours long. The plane landed directly on the frozen sea ice of McMurdo Sound, and we disembarked to a beautiful, sunny day, with little wind, and temperatures around negative five degrees F. A tracked vehicle took us a couple miles across the ice to McMurdo Station, and, after a debriefing lecture, I checked into my dorm room here.
An active, smoking volcano named Mount Erebus stands next to the station. No matter what the time is, it feels like noon (the sun won’t set for three months). I haven’t seen a penguin yet, but I’m getting closer. Tomorrow, I will have a “sea ice safety” training class all day.
Noah's First Steps In Antarctica
Cargo Plane On The Sea Ice Runway
Noah In The Airport, New Zealand
Inside The Cargo Plane
Noah In The Cargo Plane
Kirsten And Katie On The Plane
US Reserve Pilot
Flying Over Antarctica