With the cryostat (aka Theo) delivered, Team Princeton was eager to head out to the Long Duration Balloon facility (LDB) to take a look. But since we still didn’t have the rest of our cargo, there wasn’t a lot else to do. Lorenzo, Jamil, Johanna, and I took the opportunity to hike the Castle Rock loop, which is a long recreational hike out of McMurdo (It’s about 16 kilometres long and took us a little over 4 hours to complete.) This was a new experience for me, having previously only hiked Castle Rock late in the season, once we’re waiting to fly.
Overlooking McMurdo
During the initial ascent
McMurdo Panorama
Mostly showing cargo areas
More Ascent
Johanna and the Radar Dome
Jamil stops for a minute
Lorenzo is so metal
Icy trail
Probably due to the recent horrible weather (the weather responsible for delays leaving Christchurch)
Sphere, pond, mountains
Inside the Apple
One of three emergency shelters on the trail
Johanna stops
Jamil, up close
Castle Rock becomes visible
Approaching Castle Rock
Notice flag line to the right, which marks the safe trail
Snow snack
In a somewhat compromised Apple 2
Outside Apple 2
Me and Castle Rock
Winding path
On the descent down to the ice shelf
Mount Erebus
The southern-most active volcano in the world
Winding tracks
Clearly some skidoo riders had some fun here.
The hard part
Due to loose snow on little-used trail
Jamil and Erebus
Trudging along through the hard part
Lorenzo's spirits remain high
Entering McMurdo Station
The home stretch
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