Thanksgiving & The Turkey Trot

We got to celebrate Thanksgiving on Saturday November 29 with a feast.  Believe it or not you had to make reservations for one the 4 seating times.  They were 3pm, 5pm, 7pm or 12am for people who work mid shifts.  Our group had a 5pm seating and before dinner I manage to do the 5K Turkey Trot.  The first half was all uphill and of course the second half was a downhill.  There was a lot of huffing and puffing going uphill and going downhill I could really feel it in my knees and shins.  But, I survived the run, wind and of course it was cold.  Temperature was in the teens, but the wind really took it out of you.  

Dining room looking fancy

Check out the penguin carved in the watermelon

That's me center left, in black, with my back towards the camera

A quote from my wife "run Forest run"  I'm back right in black

The run uphill, I'm center right in black with blue collar

Hanging with a couple of techs and weather people

I'm almost done

The people in costumes even smoked me

Pressure Ridge Tour

I got the opportunity to go on a tour of the pressure ridges near Scott Base.  What a spectacular trip it was, ice spiking 20 to 30 feet into the air, Weddell seals laying on the ice and of course it was windy and cold to say the least.  What is a Antarctic pressure ridge?  A pressure ridge is formed where an ice sheet is broken and one piece rides over the other.  The pressure ridge near Scott Base are formed when the fresh water glaciers meet the frozen sea which is salty.  The sea ice not being as strong as the fresh water glaciers begins to buckle up and a pressure ridge is formed.  These ridges can go on for miles.  There are flags along the route and a guide to make sure we stay were it is safe.

Weddell seals, on the right a Mother and her pup

Green Flag means safe route, just don't stumble left or right

Scott Base

That is me with a ThunderRidge backpack