Back in McMurdo

The past few weeks have seemed to disappear like the melting snow, yet it seems like so long ago that I last sent an update. As the title to this post suggests, we are back at McMurdo station, after 2 months and 6 days at Cape Crozier. The final week or so at Crozier was spent checking nests to determine outcomes, daily weighbridge data downloads, chick condition measurements, picking rocks out of penguin-poo samples with bare hands then attempting to wash off in the cold ocean, and, on our second to last day, banding 1000 chicks. This last task was quite an event. We had 4 additional people come out to help with the job, David and Jean from PengiunScience, Elise a painter on the NSF Writers and Artist’s Grant, and Dave, someone David and Jean know from McMurdo. To catch the chicks, 2 L-shaped fences were placed together around a crèche, then the banders stepped in, removed adults and too-small chicks, then began closing bands on flippers. Inside the chick-corral was a cloud of poo-dust, fluffy down, and dander. David, Jean, Annie, Stephanie and I banded while Dave and Elise pre-bent bands and handed them out when someone’s pocket-full was gone. It was a whirlwind 5 hours of work, and 3 days later I am still recovering with sore thumbs from closing bands, a strained shoulder from lifting chicks and fences at weird angles, and a strange tingling from my left calf down and inability to lift my toes toward my knee.
The last day was spent packing, working on data, and saying goodbye to the penguins and this amazing place. Yesterday morning a helicopter flew out and Elise, Annie and I piled in with many hundreds of pounds of gear. As the helo lifted off I peered over bags and boxes at the place that had been my home for two months shrinking away below. First just the hut and tents filled my view, with Mark and Jeff waving from the hut door; then the surrounding snowfield and Pats Peak, then the white stains of the colony and the crystal-edge of the Ice shelf driving purposefully toward the horizon. I felt sad to be leaving Cape Crozier, and I know I will miss the place and the penguins and the utter simplicity of living so single-mindedly, completely engrossed in what I was doing. But in the last few days I haven’t been able to avoid thinking about the other world, the one I’m now on the verge of rejoining. I’ve marveled at how those things that have such great importance at Cape Crozier have such little relevance in the other world. For the past two months I’ve been consumed by looking at penguins’ left flippers for bands. That one pursuit has filled more waking hours than anything else. But at home there will be so many things vying for my attention, I will be unable to devote such time to any one thing. Already the other world is clawing at me, grabbing my thoughts and diverting my imagination.
McMurdo is a surreal place after two months at Crozier. Checking for traffic while walking around and taking a shower are weird enough. But the most bizarre is to find yourself at a giant party watching really good funk and old rock music, surrounded by people and free beer, having gotten off the helo just 8 hours previously.
I have around 6200 photos, so it is sort of an overwhelming task deciding which to share with you. I’ll go back through the previous posts and add shots that go with what I wrote. I may also do some sort of web album, or do some additional, photo-heavy posts. We’ll see.



Big chick looking for a meal.


Molting. They seem a little embarassed at their apperance.




Helping Stephanie pull weighbridge fence up to the hut.




Annie and Stephanie in the throes of data proofing. A couple of times we used the hut's only light when the sun was behind the ridge and there were dark clouds.