McMurdo Station

February 11, 1994

4:15pm

The Scott Discovery hut (named after Scott's ship, the Discovery) is over on the north (left) side of the station just behind a little jutting point, called Hut Point. There's a cross on Hut Point, right over the water of the Sound. I'm not sure whether the large, square building with the quarter-peaked roof roped off from the rest of the station is the Discovery hut itself, or whether it's a protective shell around the actual hut.

Scott's Discovery hut, by the shore

Observation hill, on the south (right) side of the station, towers over everything. It's a very triangular hill, right up to the very top. There is a road zigzagging up the hill, and another cross at the top.

McMurdo Station and Observation Hill

Closeup of Observation Hill

While looking over at the Discovery hut, I saw a large whale, heading from the direction of the station out past Hut Point and into the Sound. It wasn't a humpback, so it was either a very large Minke, or else a Killer whale.

11:00pm

Since we arrived at McMurdo late, we are going to have to wait until tomorrow for our color group to make our landing. I expect that we will be going ashore around 8:30am or so. My plan is to follow the regular tour of McMurdo Station, and then climb Observation Hill.

Side note

Thanks to Eugene Miya, who corrected my account of the Discovery Hut. (Eugene reminded me that it is Scott's Discovery Hut, not Shackleton's!)

You may continue with tomorrow's tour of the station, or return to today's table of contents.