Hello everyone! I apologize for the delay in updates. You know what they say, time flies when you're having fun! 

In all honesty, It's hard for me to believe we are already more than a week into February. January seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. 

So, what all has been going on in the last month since last I wrote you may be asking? Let's see, the weather for the most part has been wonderful up until about a week ago. January was sunny and warm with temps hovering around and above freezing most days. Occasionally we would get a bit of fog rolling in off of the ocean which would blow across the hills surrounding the station, giving a very surreal view. There were also the occasional snow flurries to blow in of course, but they typically only lasted a few short hours and then the sun would come out and melt away the dusting of snow they would leave behind. The snow also sublimates almost as fast as it melts, which doesn't even leave the ground wet after the snow disappears. More recently we have seen a drastic shift towards colder and cloudier days, with the winds picking up as well. The wind has a strong bite to it, especially first thing in the morning when you are just waking up and leaving your warm and comfortable bed. The general consensus around station is that summer here at McMurdo has officially ended for the season and we are fast transitioning into the cold winter months. The first sunset of 2025 will be on February 20th. I must admit, I am very much looking forward to seeing the sun actually go down. During that first sunset, the sun will only sink down behind the horizon completely for 15-30 minutes before coming back up, but it means we will start getting great lighting here for photographs, as the sun will be sitting so low in the sky. The transition into the long night will be fairly quick, and on April 24th, the sun will set for the last time until August. 

February here on station is dominated by cargo ship operations and the arrival of fuel and other supplies. Once a year, one or two large container ships follow a Coast Guard Ice-Breaker into the McMurdo Bay and offload a years worth of supplies needed to keep the station running. It is the busiest time of year here on station as it coincides with the researchers and south pole residents traveling through station who are heading back to the US for the winter. The typical McMurdo population during the summer is around 800 people, but we are sitting between 900-1000 people here currently. By mid March we will be down around 400 and the expected winter population should be around 300 people. Currently, most departments are going through there transition phase where the summer crews are turning over to the the winter crews. In the water department, we are losing two operators, and gaining one mechanic. One operator and myself are staying, which is meaning our turnover is fairly easy.  

Due to the shipping operations, the Ice-Breaker had to clear a path through the sea ice, which in turn broke out a large amount of the ocean around McMurdo. We have had open water for the better part of January which allowed a plethora of wildlife to come visit. This included Minke and Orca whales. It has been a common occurrence to step out of the water plant for a break and to look out to the ocean and see a pod of orcas hunting for seals and penguins on the edges of the sea ice. Speaking of penguins, they are out and about. This is the time of year which they molt their feathers and seek solitude on land to change out their feathers for the year. They like to find an isolated place away from the water and that means a few will wonder onto base and hideout in secluded spots behind buildings, or in my case, next to the front door of our plant. It's important to keep give them space and allow them to molt undisturbed, as too much stress can make them unable to shed their old feathers, which could, in turn, cause them to not survive the upcoming winter. It has been fun playing "I spy the molting penguin" every morning walking into work though. I guess that's just one of those "Antarctica things."

As always, here are a few photos from the recent week. The first two are of the Polar Star, the US Coast Guard Ice Breaking Ship:

Next is a few preening penguins on the edge of the sea ice during a beautiful sunny summer day:

Last but not least, a few photos from some of the activities I was able to partake in off base in January. The first is of a fellow SAR team member probing the snow in an ice fall for crevasses. We were partaking in a training covering roped glacier movement and crevasse traversal. The second two are of myself at the New Zealand Antarctic ski hill. Our Kiwi neighbors kindly invited a handful of McMurdo residents out for a day of skiing and refreshments at their small, tow-rope equipped, ski run where they were holding their annual 24 hour ski marathon. I was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a board and boots and get a few runs in. I can't say the snow conditions were great, but at least I can say I have made some turns in Antarctica!

I hope everyone who is reading is doing well and has had a good and productive start to 2025. More updates from life on the ice to come, as well as more photos as the sun starts to sink down for the last time this year!