I just returned from a midnight hike around and up Observation Hill, which overlooks McMurdo Station. It was a beautiful night, with almost no wind, clear skies, and temperatures around 25˚ F. The top picture shows McMurdo Station as viewed from the sea ice road that leads to the ice runway (airport). Ob Hill sits at the right side of the photograph, and is around 750 ft high.
The second picture shows a view of McMurdo Station from the top of Ob Hill. The cross was erected in 1913 by the surviving members of Scott's fateful Terra Nova Expedition, a successful attempt to reach the South Pole that ended in tragedy when the party members who set out to reach the pole died on the return trip. They are pictured in the bottom photo, taken when they arrived at the pole. Scott is in the top row, center. The photo was found in the tent in which the bodies were discovered by a search party.
The third photo shows the view across the sea ice toward White Island (left) and Black Island (right). Most of the bad weather here makes its way toward us in the space between the two islands. The sunlight made the sea ice almost look like water.
