Today I get to go to Heald Island again. It is this amazingly beautiful place that very few, if any, people have seen before. The idea that we might be the first to ever visit this place is almost incomprehensible. How many people can say they were the first ever to see a place? It makes me stop and think about the first explorers who braved so many dangers to be the first. I feel a bit guilty when I realize that I get to ride in a rather comfortable helicopter, wear “Big Red” (my arctic coat) and bunny boots with stabilizers so that I don’t slip on the ice, and we have an entire field camp set-up that includes a kerosene heater. We even have the “Arctic Oven” tent that would comfortably sleep a dozen people.

The landscape includes so many beautiful sights. The first is obviously Mount Discovery, which was named after Scott’s ship, the Discovery, which he used for his first successful trip to Antarctica.

There is the continent of Antarctica in the distance. The combination of brown and white mountain tops produces a sight that reminds one of a sand art picture.

There are glaciers in every direction that you look. You are a bit deceived as to how large they are but I can assure you that they are huge.

I am also intrigued by the pools of ice that seem to pop up out of the snow. It is really the snow that has blown away to reveal the ice below but the effect is mesmerizing.

This morning Stacy and I are in charge of drilling some holes in the ice. The first hole was a bit difficult. The ice was harder than any I had drilled before. However, girl power prevailed and we broke through to the water. The next hole was another story.

Stacy and I began drilling and quickly realized that the ice was even thicker. We persisted and had attached four flights when Scott noticed how hard we were struggling. In fact, Stacy lifted her feet and spun around the hole as she hung on to the drill. Stacy also pulled her back out but insisted on continuing to help with the drilling. We attached another flight and then a sixth drill flight. As we approached the ground we suddenly broke through to the water. However, we had no sooner congratulated ourselves than we were stuck in the ice. Stacy thought that the water was so cold that it immediately froze the snow that had fallen in the hole. We twisted and pulled and finagled until we had recovered three flights. Each flight costs about $300 and we didn’t want to lose the money or leave a foreign object in the ice. We decided to go ahead and launch SCINI and then work on freeing the last three flights. Unfortunately, we were only able to free one additional flight. We will try again on another day.

After the launch Stacy and I took a few minutes to check on the flags.

These are the flags that were made by the students of one of Stacy’s friends. They made a flag for each country that signed the Antarctic Treaty. They are so beautiful that it is almost a shame to hang them up in this wind. However, the students are interested in seeing the effects of the katabatic winds. As you may remember, these are winds that carry high density air from a higher elevation down a slope under the force of gravity. They are sometimes referred to as “fall winds” and have been known to reach hurricane speeds. They carry a prayer for each country and really are amazing.

After SCINI finished her trip it was time to clean up. Everything has to be put away and secured. The winds picked up this afternoon and made us aware of just why securing everything is essential. However, even when we are working in ice-cold winds we try to have a good time. Francois decided to use himself to help coil and carry the many cables that we use to launch SCINI. He looks quite good in all of his bling.

The helicopter was about 30 minutes early today and we were quite grateful. The pilot decided to show us a huge crack in the sea ice. It would be very interesting to check on it every few days. As the temperatures increase, will the crack open and if so how much?

We actually made it back in time to go to the galley and get our own dinner. Afterwards I attended the weekly science lecture. It was about methane- and sulfur-producing microorganisms. It was very interesting. I am enjoying the opportunity to learn about so many different areas of science. McMurdo Station is a smorgasbord of cutting-edge science and I get to take a little taste every day. Lucky me!

I want to leave you with some images that SCINI took today. In an area that Stacy thought would have very little life, there was an extensive variety. Why do you think there is so much life when there is ice that is over 15 feet thick on the surface?

These are just some of the interesting things that we saw today. The first is an Antarctic cod which is a fish that is famous for producing antifreeze glycoprotein that allows it to survive the icy waters around Antarctica. It also is the object of cardiac research because its heart beat once every 6 seconds. Try to determine its size. The red laser points are 12 centimeters apart which should help you determine the size of the head.

Another image that I thought was interesting was the Sea pansy. It is a type of octacoral due to the fact that its arms appear in groups of eight.

Enjoy.