Dec 21st – Day 355 on Ice

Weather: Balmy, 30F positive! Calm winds and overcast.

Living the dream in McMurdo… been here for 12 days now. Weather delays, runway delays and crew turnover delays are the story of our escape from McM. As conditions warm for the summer here, the runway has deteriorated into a skiway, and so the US Antarctic Program needed to spin-up the US Air National Guard, which has LC-130s (C-130s equipped with skis).

I’ve been mostly running around, eating and sleeping. I’ve also gotten to play volleyball a few times here which was fun, and now constitutes the 2nd most I’ve ever played volleyball (next to at Pole). There have been some recreational activities that I’ve participated in too, such as the “Scott Hut 10k” run (which I placed 2nd in, of course) and the “Ob Hill Uphill” challenge (which I also placed 2nd in… not surprisingly).

Both races I was blown away by some very nice person who happens to also be very fast! Beating my time of 7m48s in the uphill challenge (he got 6m36s!) and beating me in the 10k by about 4 minutes! Needless to say the only chance I have of beating him is in a distance race (which I will hopefully not be here for!! – the marathon is scheduled for Jan 10th).

It’s nice to be able to run around outside but I’m about ready to be home now. With the 2 flights per week from NZ to the US, the earliest I can hope for now is to arrive back in DC at 6am on Christmas morning! So long as I don’t get delayed bast Wednesday, I should make that timing.

Fingers crossed that Santa and I cross paths on my way home, and I can make it back to spend the holiday with my family. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen my fiance, and needless to say it’s time to get back!

On the bright side, the person who left Pole on my original Nov 30th flight is still stuck in McMurdo… so ya know… at least I’m not that person!