Well for the first time since I arrived, the weather got close to zero degrees today (Sunday). -3F outside today. This is ambient temperature, of course. Still hovering around -20F with the wind chill. Anyways, whats the first thing on your mind when the weather turns practically sub-tropical outside as it was today? Hiking, obviously!!
It's absolutely amazing how a week of -25 to -50F weather can help you acclimatize. -3F is practically t-shirt and sweater weather. I even found myself going from the dorm to the gym wearing just my gym clothes. Anyways, back to the hiking. Ob hill (observation hill) sits just to the east, looming over McMurdo with it's constant plume of snowdrift blowing off the top. It called to me. I decided to try the ob hill loop. It's a short 3.7 mile loop the skirts the base of ob hill and takes you out to the edge of Cape Armitage. The hike was spectacular, affording views of the pressure ridges, Williams Air Field, White and Black Islands, Mt. Discovery, the Royal Society Range, McMurdo, and Scott Base.
Unfortunately, the wind was so severe I honestly started to think about frostbite. I'm sure it was a long way off, but it didn't feel like it. It was relatively calm in McMurdo so, like an idiot, I only brought my sunglasses and not my goggles. I'm not sure how fast the wind was blowing, but it felt very similar to the con 2 wind I was working in a couple of days ago which was sustained at 60 mph with gusts up to 85 mph. Of course, the direction I choose to do the loop in had me walking directly into the wind. That was the first mistake. Second mistake? Don't ever judge the weather outside by what it is like in our sheltered little oasis we call Mactown. Baaaad idea. While it is definitely cold here in town, half a mile in any direction takes you to places with significantly less shelter from the wind, leaving you exposed and vulnerable.
Speaking of places with significantly less shelter from the wind, I have had the pleasure of working out at Pegasus White Ice Runway, about 10-12 miles straight out to see (south) from Mactown. The feeling while working on frozen ocean 10 feet thick while surrounded by mountains 5,000-13,000ft tall is euphoric to say the least. After three days out on the ice runway, I still find myself staring at the dramatic coastline every chance I get. It definitely helps me keep my mind off the fact that it is usually 10-15 degrees colder on the ice than in town.
I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the pictures...
5 comments:
The pictures are amazing!!!
Looks like you are having a blast.
Brrr...Im off to go refill my coffee! ") Thanks for sharing your adventure! Keep the great pics coming!!
Love you!
Cos Dev
You are learning alot about cold weather survival by trial and error - hopefully more trial than error! And your blood seems to be getting thicker! You might be able to live in Bend afterall - Keep it coming -
Robbie, you're crazy...email me sometime...lauren.buzz@gmail.com
I am surprised (I shouldn't be, I know) by the incredible wind chill you have to deal with. For some reason I just thought it would be super cold and not that windy because I have heard that it's like a desert but just cold instead of hot. Shows you how much i know about worldly weather. Well keep yourself healthy and avoid frostbite. I have enjoyed the pictures strictly based on my lack of travel, so keep those coming. If it were not for facebook and myspace, I'd be doing this as blog thing as well. Keep up the good work.
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