To make the hop from New Zealand to Antarctica, we board an Air Force C-17 Globemaster. Huge pallets of cargo take up the middle of the cargo bay, with passengers lining the walls. The flight is loud and drafty, and there are windows only on the exit doors: so it's a bit unnerving to feel the pilot maneuvering without any idea what's going on. But 5 hours after what feels like takeoff, there's a big bump that feels like landing on 7 feet of sea ice. And then, after months of waiting and hoping and paperwork and training, there we are, standing on the ice. Incredible.
Stay tuned for more--for now, I've got to fill up on breakfast, take a walking tour of "town" (ie McMurdo station), and report to work.
Boarding the Globemaster:
Business class redefined:
The crew invited us up to see the cockpit:
The view
Disembarking:
Warmly yours,pepe
2 comments:
Dear Pepe,
We couldn't pass up the chance to be the first to comment on this amazing description of your final arrival. We can only imagine how bumpy it must have been. Our homing pigeon named Herb is on its way with a warm dish of Hip House lentils and mushy rice, so please keep your eyes out for it.
By the way (this is Ray) I am doing some work on black carbon emissions and their effect on melting of polar ice. Take some pictures for me if you see any black powdery stuff on the ground there.
Poor pigeon...
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