Jeffrey Donenfeld

Leaving the South Pole Station for McMurdo Station

Leaving the South Pole Station for McMurdo Station

Jeffrey Donenfeld

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Summer has ended at the South Pole Station, and now the main summer crew is transiting through McMurdo, off the ice. My final day on station was Feb 12th. On that day, I packed up my bags, got on an LC-130 Hercules, and flew from pole to mcmurdo. As much as I was excited to be leaving for warmer climates, overall I was sad to be leaving pole – my friends there, the way of life, the general feeling of being there is truly unique and amazing, and something to be missed.

The herc to take us away, on the skiway. I noticed that as the temperature dropped, the cloud of kicked up snow and ice behind the hercs grew. On the day I left, it was about -47C.

Departing the station for the last time.. this season..

About to board

Goodbye pole! That

During the flight over the continent, I had the opportunity to sit in the cockpit for a bit. The view is absolutely incredible, unmatched.

Landing in McMurdo on the Pegasus Ice Runway

The first view stepping off at McMurdo: Mt. Erebus looming in the distance.

Pegasus is about an hour

And then, we are in McMurdo!

Images on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/albums/72157632822597095

Categorized: Travel, Trips

Tagged: antarctica Antarctica-summer-12-13 McMurdo Station south pole station

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One response to “Leaving the South Pole Station for McMurdo Station”

Living and Working at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica, Summer 2012-2013 | Jeffrey Donenfeld

2013-03-13

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