At CDC, we changed into our cold weather gear. You have to wear it when you fly in and out of McMurdo. We also had to pack a boomerang bag. A boomerang bay is what you pack with essentials if the flight gets turned around because of bad weather and you have to try again the next day. They don't unload your bags for the night back in Christchurch and that is where the boomerang bag becomes very useful.
We picked up our bags and suitcases which we carted next door to be weighed. Our gear and suitcases are limited to 150 lbs. Then we were excused to go to breakfast next door. The little cafe next door is always open early on ice flight days but they were closed on this day. Apparently someone didn't get the word.
We got our briefing, put on our coats and filed out to the bus for the ride out to the plane, a C-17. Before getting on the plane, we were all handed a bottle of water and a lunch. There were some seats up front but most of us sat in jump seats with our boomerang bags under us. In front of us were large pallets of cargo. And so we began our 5 hr., 2415 mile flight to McMurdo. Mostly everyone slept, read or worked on their laptops. It was odd to look around at all the red coats with both first and last name Velcro tags on them. We had only known each other for 2 days and only by first names.
About 3 hours into the flight the plane started to get cold. I walked back to the round window and looked out. We were definitely over the Antarctic continent. We landed on the sea ice runway on the sound in front of McMurdo. The ice is 10 feet thick there this time of year. They hauled us up into town. I was now standing on a new continent, the second in three days.
Inside the C-17.
Over the Antarctic continent.
Standing on the iceway.
Taking a ride back into McMurdo.
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