No Ice Runway?!

 10-27-2022

Early in my last journey to The Ice in 2007 we set up a runway on the ice just outside of the town. Logistically it was a fabulous idea because you could literally get off of an airplane and walk to the center of McMurdo in a mere 10 minutes. 

The trip now takes an hour in a massive people carrying snow machine from an airfield 10 miles from town. The problem with the runway, other than seals boring holes and then sunning themselves on it, was that it was only usable until early December. Then everything had to be removed from the ice and moved back into town where it took up space until it could be redeployed the following year. 

The airport used a seismograph every time a large aircraft landed to determine if the ice was still thick enough to support the runways continued use. Imagine how thick that ice must have been! We no longer use the ice runway. In fact, today, as I looked out of the window of my work area, I could see several areas of open water. The climate is changing!

Something that hasn’t changed is the spectacular beauty of the Transantarctic Mountain range that can be seen from every window and every vantage point in McMurdo. The sheer cliffs are accentuated by the low wide valleys and the snow layers the peaks like white frosting on a cake. It is truly one of the last great untouched areas in the world and breathtakingly beautiful.

Location: McMurdo Station

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