Because it seemed like a good idea at the time....: Cape Armitage Loop Trail

Chris and I decided to take a hike on the newly opened Cape Armitage 5 mile Loop trail two weeks ago. We choose a beautiful night with little wind and cool temperatures ( -4 degrees F). We work the night shift so our days off are overnight. Luckily in the land of never ending sunlight, this matters very little and actually offers some of the most beautiful sights with the sun hovering lower in the sky, reflecting off the glacier covered mountains.

We checked out with the fire department and picked up our radio at 3 am to begin our hike. The first 1.5 miles was to Scott Base, which is owned and operated by New Zealand and painted a pretty shade of kiwi green. From the top of the hill we could see the Pressure Ridges forming at the edge of the sea ice as it was forced upwards from the pressure between the land and ever-moving Ice Shelf. More on the Pressure Ridges in a future post.

From Scott Base we began our 3.5 mile hike on the flat and frozen sea ice. We followed well marked flags guiding the way. It grew significantly colder without the protection of land. Every time we pulled a gloved lined hand out of its larger glove, it lost feeling and became painfully numb in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, we took very few photo breaks but the couple we grabbed were pretty priceless. The views of the continental Antarctic mountains were gorgeous and it was so nice to have the quiet and solitude found away from station. We had views of Mt. Erebus and Mt. Terror and saw the other side of Observation Hill for the first time. Plus, we felt a little like old Antarctic explorers with Chris’s frozen beard and my frozen eyelashes! We ended our hike back at McMurdo Station just in time for morning breakfast and hot cocoa. Another day living the dream at the bottom of the world…or is it the top…