Royal Society Range and Vessel Operations

The one thing I love about McMurdo Station it the look out to the west over the Royal Society Range in the evening.

From Antarctica - Austral Summer 2008 - 2009

Because of our proximity to the [South] pole the sun down here does more of a traverse of the sky versus a more conventional rising and setting as seen closer to equatorial regions of the Earth. Hence, our 24 hour sunlight and our picture show out to the west. I'll attempt to put up some better pictures. Every day shortly before I go to bed, I take a look out to the west. No matter how many times I look through the season the Royal Society never looks the same. The glaciers trickling down their mountains, the snow-covered peaks thrusting through the clouds, the alpen glow that lasts for more than 7 hours, it's like a page out of some auto-biographical Reinhold Messner story. No matter how stressful my day is though, there isn't a place in McMurdo or Williams Field where I can't get away from my world and look 70 miles across the Ross Sea to those beautiful mountains over yonder. In me they invoke intrigue and inner tranquility. They invoke an urge to climb to see McMurdo from their view point. With their glaciers shining bright, basking in the midnight sun, it's as if God himself is shining down upon the Royal Societies beckoning those who gaze upon his creations of beauty and ruggedness. Well, that calling is definitely strong...

The refueling tanker is gone and for a week or so there is a little peace. The Oden left to break up the channel more in preparation for the American Tern inbound with several hundred cargo containers full of stuff to let us survive life down here till next February and container vessel. After vessel off load, it's smooth sailing till I redeploy.

From Antarctica - Austral Summer 2008 - 2009

Note the Royal Society Range in the background!