Lars and I took a walk on the evening of our first full day in town. We headed down to Hut Point, where the members of Robert Falcon Scott's 1901 expedition built Discovery Hut. We peered through the small glass windows and could see shelves still stocked with ancient boxes of "Cabin Biscuits" and baking soda. I hope to get an opportunity of go inside and see other relics of the expedition. A dead seal, freeze dried from long exposure, lays under the deep eaves. The slow pressure of ice against Hut Point had created a persistent crack in the ice, or 'lead'. The access to the ice surface from open water attracts seals, several dozen of which perpetually lounge on the sea ice in front of McMurdo. I was pretty excited to check out the seals, but they are one of the most sedentary animals I have ever observed. It is hard to tell which side their head is at, and if they move at all, it is to roll over.
From Hut Point, we climbed along a ridge above town. We got some beautiful perspectives on town and local landforms. McMurdo currently hosts about 1000 residents, most of whom are support personnel who keep town running and make it possible for the much smaller number of scientists to conduct their research.
