January 21, 2008
WAIS Divide camp Antarctica

Time: 6 am
Latitude: 79° 28.10’ S
Longitude: 112° 3.56’ W
Elevation: 1820 m (5919’)
Ice core: 580 m (1,740) ~~ 450 BC
Temperature: -12°C (11°F)
Wind speed: 0-2 km/h (0-1 mp/h)
Wind Chill: -12°C (11°F)
Visibility: 10 km (7 miles)
Clouds: minimal mid level stratus, mostly sunny
Wind direction: N
Relative Humidity: 73%
Barometric Pressure: steady
Precipitation: - 0
Animals: 6 Skuas, 12 Weddell seals (all in McMurdo)
Breakfast: leftovers
Lunch: leftovers
Supper: leftovers


Fingers
are still crossed but it actually nice out ("warm", calm, and sunny)and
our flight is still on for this afternoon. Yesterday, the thought of
really leaving was a little strange but today with this weather it
seems too good to be true. The way I am scheduled is I only have to
spend one day inMcMurdo and then I am off to New Zealand and home. The
shift after ours drilled our last core at about 5pm and then shut down
operations. It is time for me and others to pack gear and everyone else
to pack up the camp. To celebrate, we had a little party last night and
made it our last night together for some of us. The last staff will not
leave here foranother 2 weeks but by that time I will be back in the
office at work. Packing up the camp is very important so that it is
placed up on snow berms to prevent too much drifting and burying by the
snow over the winter. The arch will also be secured but there will
undoubtedly be lots of frost and spin drift that collects inside over the winter. Much of the arch equipment will also be left in place to survive the potential -60 oC winter temperatures. In preparartion for the flight out today, I took a shower yesterday and tried to get my gear in order. It will take me another couple hours to find all my stuff and take down my tent. I really do not have that much gear, nor are there many places to find it except in the corners of my tent, but I just need to check items to make sure everything is there. If will be tough to retrive anything that I forget.

The only appropriate
photos to add to today is a group shot, but that has not happened yet
so I will load it as soon as I can. Maybe later tonight from McMurdo. The photo I do have up for today is actually a picture of camp looking out the Twin Otter window from almost a month ago. I will fly on a C-130, and not a Twin Otter, to go back to McMurdo today but I will not have a window to see out of so I thought that I would use this image as my substitute parting shot.