In the morning we almost finished packing for our flights this Saturday. We had to decide about the priorities of our entire gear – which items come with us on the first flight and which ones can be delivered later on other flights. We plan to take as much scientific instruments (besides our the survival gear) along, as our tight weight limits allow, so that we can start the measurement campaign immediately after we arrive at the Darwin Glacier. Consequently, our individual food treats were shifted to later flights and we will have to wait desperately for their arrival. This includes Oli’s sweet chilli sauce, Ekki’s beef jerky, Dana’s chocolate and my hash browns…

At lunchtime, we were heading out onto the sea ice to complete the remaining Antarctic Field Training. Our camp for the night is right next to the Erebus Glacier Tongue. After arrival with our skidoos we set up our Polar dome tents and Primus cooking equipment for training purposes. We had a lovely cup of tea and enjoyed the gorgeous view over the McMurdo Sound towards the Transantarctic Mountains.

Camp 1 on the sea ice. Transantarctic Mountains in the background.

We also went on a wander along the mighty ice cliffs and found the legendary Erebus ice cave. Inside, the ice sculptures reflected all shades of blue and left us breathless as we were watching our natural encounter. All that is left is to practice both our HF-radio and satellite phone connection to Scott Base. Now, all members of our team are looking forward to slip in the four layers of sleeping bags. Good night.

Inside a cave of the Erebus Glacier Tongue