I was left to a peaceful 10 minute window to take in the 360 degree panorama. When I was almost to the summit the last group was starting the descent. The surrounding landscape grows and grows as the trail rises upward.įar in the distance is White Island which is bound on all sides by the Ross Ice Sheet. I kept waiting to do the climb because it had been wicked cold and windy.Ĭold is one thing but the wind makes it ridiculous up there pretty quickly.Īll in all it was alright and the wind was still blowing snow across the ground. The Observation Hill summit trail leads directly out of McMurdo Station and is well steeper. I needed to be sure to pose for a photo with the ever present Mt. I was overwhelmed by the opportunity to be out hiking in this surreal place. The trail got pretty steep at points with snow jammed in the winding trail. The New Zealand’s Scott Research Base was visible out on the point with Mt. We rounded a bend in the trail and my fellow hikers were silhouetted against the expanse of the never ending Ross Ice Shelf. ![]() The trail continues along the edge of the Ross Sea through black volcanic rock.Ībsolutely nothing but rock and snow…Nothing.Īt the base of the mountain there were three Weddell Seals lounging near the cracks in the sea ice. It gets used later in the season when the sea ice melts too much to be solid. There is another airstrip called Pegasus which is further out on the Ice shelf. We sat on rocky hillside and watched it land on the sea ice landing strip. We were surprised by a C17 which was coming in from Christchurch, New Zealand. We even saw a helicopter flying in from the field right as we started our trip.Īs the trail gained elevation the entire edge of McMurdo Station became visible with the huge people carrier headed out to the sea ice airstrip. ![]() The trail around Observation Hill starts near the helicopter landing pad. There are hiking trails that go around “Ob Hill” and to the summit cross. He was the famous British explorer that was the second to ever reach the South Pole, but passed away on the return trip. On top of the summit there is a large cross that was placed there in honor of Robert Falcon Scott. It is the Antarctica version of the little, after work, local mountain. Observation Hill is a small mountain or a large hill on the outskirts of McMurdo Station…
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