Because it seemed like a good idea at the time....: 30 Day Ob Hill Challenge

When we arrived in Antarctica at the end of October, I was feeling rather squishy from the long bout of couch potato sitting with Lyme Disease this summer. So I decided a little butt kicking was in order. At McMurdo we have Observation Hill, an almost 600 foot tall hill that ascends in about .4 miles. For the next 30 days I was determined to climb Ob Hill (which I fondly referred to as Obby the Bobby) thirty times. I had a great time completing the challenge and felt like I gained a lot of my endurance back.

At the beginning of November it was a challenge since most of the hill was covered almost entirely with ice and snow and temperatures were regularly around 10 degrees. This proved fun since the hill turned into a "choose your own adventure" path since there was no clear trail up the hill. Gradually, the weather improved and snow melted into larger icy sections. This was great for some butt sledding in sections too icy to walk on. At the end of the month, the hill was almost snow free, exposing the large sections of rocks and crags. At the end of thirty days, I had successfully climbed 18,000 feet of vertical ascent!

The top of Ob Hill still remains my favorite spot here at McMurdo. From the top you have 360 degree views of the ice shelf that extends out to the mainland and TransAntarctic Mountains, the Kiwi Scott Base on the other side of Cape Armitage, and beautiful birds eye views of McMurdo Station. On a clear day, Mount Erebus can be seen puffing smoke from the active lava pools. It is also peacefully quiet compared to the large heavy machinery buzzing around the streets of MacTown. As the month progressed, I could see the waterline come closer and closer to base as the non permanent sea ice broke apart. For the first time I saw Snow Petrels playing in the wind currents around Ob Hill, a nice change from the usual Skua gull birds stealthily watching to steal your food as you leave the galley.

On Christmas Day I participated in the Ob Hill Up Hill Challenge, which is a race to the top of Ob Hill. I walked most of it and completed the challenge in 11 minutes 37 seconds! Here are a few pictures from my month of hiking.

Carolyn