Made it back

Well, I'm back at the bottom of the world. After a 2 hour delay at McMurdo due to some weird fog, we finally got airborne in an LC-130 headed to the South Pole.

There were only 5 pax on board and we had plenty of space to wander around and take in the views of the Transantarctic Mountains from the little windows.

Jack and Dan, two of the UTs for the winter.

We also got to go up into the cockpit for some great views out the front windows.





The best part was being up there for the landing at Pole. We could see a little scratch on the snow when we were about 50 miles out and it gradually got bigger and more recognizable as the station as we got closer.



It felt good to touch down and to see familiar sights and then the many familiar faces. Jay the summer PA and Bruce the doc came out to greet me and haul my orange bag for me, as I struggled to get used to the elevation again. Inside the station, it was nice to see old friends who had been there for the busy summer and to catch up with them on their season.

I had a lovely dinner with some cargo folks and Robert and Denis were there to entertain us all. They had arrived here a few days before me, although Denis sadly is only staying a couple of weeks. Robert brought out one of his latest toys, a little remote controlled helicoptor which he flew around our table and crashed into our heads, water glasses, the rafters and chairs. I can tell already, it's going to be a fun winter.