Over the past two and a half weeks, Aaron has been calling MArble Point home. It's a remote refueling station on the mainland of Antarctica where helicopter pilots land to refuel and sometimes eat lunch before they head out to another remote location. He loved it and had a wonderful time hanging out with the other 3 people that live there all season. It was a great time to recharge, have solo time, hike during his time off, and enjoy the pristine surroundings of uninhabited Antarctica.
Me being a ham in front of one of the Ken Boreck Air Bazler planes. They're a Canadian company and fly crews to remote camps and to the South Pole. They look like perfect model airplanes.
Aaron's ride to Marble Point. What a lucky guy!
3-d footprints in the snow. The wind is so intense sometimes that it blew the snow away from the footprints and left the hard packed snow from where the person stepped.
One of Aaron's many solo hikes around Marble Point
The refueling station at Marble
Glacier, rock, and snow
Lichen! A sign of life that is rarely seen!
Mt Eribus from Marble Point. Big skies here just like in Montana! This one's for you Brenna!
The process of melting snow to create drinking water and water to shower with
Heating the engine
Scooping up the snow to get it melting. The photo is for Jake Snively:)
A Skua bird!
Thank goodness for zoom!
A seal pup nursing
Bubbled up ice
Mom and pup - one of my favorites!
This little one has eyes just like Cassidy!
A pup that is SO new, it still has it's umbilical cord....amazing
Sucking its thumb just like little Natalie will be doing soon and what Little Jake in Kansas City is probably doing right now:)
A seal that died - it takes an incredibly long time for anything to decompose here.
Seals have nails on the ends of their flippers
A skua bird wing. Their bones are really interesting and the feathers have decomposed in shreds - for you Miles!
a crevasse in the ice
A sunbathing seal pup... just a little one like all the new babies all of our friends are having back home! Brandon and Jess, Adam and Kris, Ray and Kendra, Derek and Rebecca, and Raymond and Fallin!
From inside a crevasse. The guides here practice crevasse rescue regularly - so awesome - for you Ben!
Darigold Butter tin being used in the fuel barn at Marble Point. This is dedicated to Grandpa Goble!
10 gauge paper shot gun shell
Marble Station
Blowing snow at Marble Point
Aaron had a fantastic time at Marble Point. I missed him terribly! It was a great time to recharge and explore for him. Meanwhile in McMurdo, I was without a camera but dressed up like Janis Joplin for the Halloween party, did a lot of yoga, runnning, and went to a stellar bluegrass show. Hiking was super fun with friends here but not nearly as pristine as what Aaron was experiencing! Glad to have him back and to continue exploring Antarctica together.
