We have arrived in McMurdo, Antarctica, and we're leaving for South Pole in ~5 hours.  Above is Abby, Liz, and Jason over-looking the Ross Ice Shelf near Scott's Hut by McMurdo.  Below I take you through what I did for the my last day in Christchurch and then the trip to McMurdo.

Our main responsibility in Christchurch is clothing issue; getting fitted for your Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear.  On the wall, they have on display all the different cold weather gear they are, or could, give you.  I tend to give most of it back, and just use my personal stuff for most things.  The gear that is most important are the Carhartt snow pants, parka, and winter gloves.  They also gave me six pairs of the knee high wool socks, that I know several people back home like - in Chicago they can double as around the house slippers, or are great for boots when hiking through the slushy Chicago streets. 

Below is a picture of me dressed in my ECW gear with my cart full of luggage about to check into the flight to McMurdo.  The check in for our flight was 230 am New Zealand time, and we had to catch our shuttle to the airport at 2am.  So I ended up just not sleeping that night.   Between the jet lag, and this early check in time, my sleep schedule is pretty screwed up. 

On the C17 cargo plane to Pole.  Sitting on the side next to Abby, Liz, Jon, and Jason.  The plane had 55 passengers, and alot of cargo.  Though two of the larger pallets were full of Coors light and Tui, a New Zealand beer, there were also a fair bit of scientific equipment and a large incinerator for McMurdo.  I couldnt find the SPTpol receiver crates, so hopefully they made it down to the South Pole already. 

Once nearing Antarctica, you start flying over the edge of the continent and parts of the sea ice shelf.  Through the limited windows that we have, there are pretty spectacular views.

Aboard Ivan the Terra-Bus, the large wheeled bus vehicle that takes us from Pegasus Field to McMurdo.  Its about an hour bus ride, and this was only the second flight into Pegasus this year, so the road wasnt very well packed down and there were a few stuck vehicles along the road.  Luckily this didnt stop Ivan.  They pack you in pretty tight, so the trip isnt that comfortable.  Here is me sitting next to Abby.

When we got to McMurdo, we ended up going for a walk to Scott's Hut, a hut build by Robert Scott in 1902.  In 1911, Robert Scott attempted to be the first person to make it to the South Pole, though was beaten by Roald Amundson by about a month.  Scott made it to Pole, but unfortunately died on his way back, with the rest of his team.  Its cool to see the hut, but you can also get great views of McMurdo and the sea ice.  Today there were about a dozen sea lions sunning themselves on the ice near the hut. 

A view of McMurdo. 

Leaving for Pole in about 5 hours, flight takes about 3 hours, so should get there just after dinner time.  Delays and cancellations are common, though the weather is great in McMurdo today, so fingers crossed.