Katoomba, Blue Mountains

Finally up to date. On Monday, I met up with General Assistant Tracy, who is also staying in Sydney, and we took a train up to the Blue Mountains. They were beautiful and we hiked for hours along the cliff top and then dropped into the forest, always on the lookout for deadly snakes and spiders.

After a long day, we played some backgammon with my new travel backgammon board. I was on top of my game as the picture will show those who know the game. It is unimportant to note that I had only taught Tracy how to play the night before. She called me a "dork" but I couldn't miss capturing the moment.

No more triathlons planned for me, though Caroline has one this weekend, and Jamie has his cricket finals. Otherwise, we're going to the symphony orchestra tonight to hear the show "Antarctica" complete with pictures and narrations from Robert Scott's expedition. We are very excited.

On Sunday I'm off to Hawaii for a few days. It was less than a hundred dollars through Raytheon's travel plans to stop in Hawaii, so I couldn't pass it up. Then home for two full days before going to Florida to teach a week long Outward Bound sailing course. The adventure continues...On a side note it looks like the Denali expedition will not be happening. The leader of our expedition got a job as a volunteer park ranger that same month, and it was understandably too good of an opportunity for him to pass up. Hopefully some time in the future I'll find myself on the mountain...

Hope springtime is almost on the way in New England!

Sydney, Australia

I am currently in Sydney, Australia with my cousin Jamie and his wife Caroline. Got here Friday evening. Saturday was a training day. Yes, Caroline, the triathlete, had managed to get me a number Sunday's olympic distance triathlon. How could I refuse when she had emailed me about it a few days before I left New Zealand. Biking with the "tri-team" at 6:30AM then to surf swim practice of entering and exiting the water. The practice involved working on the techniques of diving under waves and body surfing them back to the shore when the swim had been completed. It was excellent to be in the warm water. And the waves were quite fun.

Caroline took excellent care of me. She somehow found me a sweet bike, bike shoes, a triathlon wetsuit, and a race suit. That's right, I hadn't been on a bike or worn goggles for half a year, but I was going to look the part, at least as far as my equipment was concerned.

The actual competition was a lot of fun. I was far from being competitive, but I pushed all I could with what I had and had a great time and I finished in 2 hours and 29 minutes...and I've now gone "international." Caroline finished twenty minutes before me and got second in her age group! And if it weren't for her chain coming off, she would have taken first!

After the race we went to Jamie's cricket semi finals. Here he is as he patiently waits for his turn to his bat. Finally Jamie made it up to bad, and after he scored 11 runs, the other team could see that he was on his way for a century, so the game was called. They won, and are now moving on to the FINALS! Quite an exciting weekend!

Able Tasman and NZ Departure

To Able Tasman National Park, Scottie and I went. Camped in a campground for $4 - a nice spot on the water. It was a pleasant night until the rain started, which I had feared it would. My sleeping bag was in a bivi sack, so it held the rain out for a bit. But somehow in my confused sleepy state, the side zipper got left open while I was messing with the sack's mesh screen. So I woke up at 5 am a little wet. At 5:45, I tossed in the towel, got up and studied my sign language dictionary until it was light enough to move on in the rain.

Drove to the Able Tasman area, and then ran into the park for about an hour and 15 minutes. I figured running was the best way to see as much of the park as possible in a short amount of time. The bays and water and islands were beautiful. More tropical than Stewart Island was. I ran on and on, hoping to get around the next ridge for another view, but soon it was time to turn around. Then back I went taking some pictures as I went.

Back to Nelson for the night, and then I made my way towards Christchurch, picking up my friend Ragnar along the way. The weather was quite different going over Lewis Pass. Luckily, Scottie was up to the challenge and we persevered.

Back to Christchurch for a few days of rest and relaxation with Ice friends who were also about to head on. Went back to the Antarctica exhibit near the gardens. It was very interesting to look upon all the artifacts and pictures and displays knowing I had been where all these expeditions were trying to go. Then a little walk around the botanical gardens. So beautiful. I loved the trees, so well taken care of. Finally found my favorite tree.

It was strange to be in Christchurch, about to leave. Christchurch seemed to be where it all began. Fall was coming and the cool breeze and the leaves changing color reminded me that it is a time of change. I love the trees, so nice to have my hand on a living plant.

New Zealand was amazing. Wonderful people (especially John and Jill!), spectacular sights, and now this past month makes wonderful memories. Australia is next to visit my cousin Jamie and his wife Caroline.

Glaciers and Pictin

From Tea Anau and Milford Sound, we headed to Wanaka in Mt. Aspriring National Park. We were there for a few days visiting friends and figuring out our plans from there. We decided to steer Scottie towards the glaciers on the west coast.

To the Fox (below) and Franz Joseph Glaciers we went. They were interesting but less than spectacular after spending 4.5 months around snow and ice. Had we been actually on them, the story might have been different. And as it was, the rain was coming down quite steadily.

After the glaciers, we eventually found ourselves back in Christchurch. It was sadly time for Krista to head back to the US of A, and for Ben to fly Scottie without a copilot up the north-east coast.

To Pictin, the north-east corner of the south island, I went. Beautiful inlets, bays, islands and such. New Zealand continues to amaze me.

Later that afternoon, I found the New Zealand Outward Bound headquarters. I introduced myself as an instructor from the states and I was immediately welcomed and taken care of. They fed me dinner and even let me row out in their dingy to check out their boats. Such hospitality!

Ran a bit of the Queen Charlotte Track the following day and then headed west.

Milford Sound

To Milford Sound:

After the Kepler Track, Krista and I figured it would be worth driving the Milford Road even if we couldn't get on the track. So into Scottie we went, north into fjordland. The views were spectacular and I don't think I've ever been on a road with such magestic views. I had to stop every five minutes to take another picture. It was really incredible.

We arrived at the carpark and were greeted with even more stunning views. There were boat cruises that went into the sound, but being that you had to pay for them, we figured that the drive would be enough. However, once we got there, we could not turn around without seeing the area from the water. And so, off we went, into this incredible fjord.

It was just incredible. The shear cliffs, the plant life coming out of the cliffs, the waterfalls, the clear water. It was all amazing. The pictures tell the story. We went all the way to the Tasman Sea and then sadly turned back. Amazing place.

The Kepler Track

The famous Milford Track was all booked, so we headed out on the three day Kepler Track, one of New Zealand's "Great Walks." Staying in huts along the way, complete with toilets and propane stoves, all we had to bring was a sleeping bag, food, and clothes. The first day we spent mostly in the forest, climbing up and up and up.

At the end of the afternoon, we were very happy to arrive at the hut. Being one of the great walks meant there were many other people at the hut, but everyone was friendly, and the scenic views were worth the crowds.

The second day we were treated to splendid views as we were above treeline for almost the entire day. The track wound its way over and among the mountain ridges and tired legs did not become tired until we descended back into the trees at the end of the day.

The third and final day of the track was long and in the trees. All in all, a beautiful three days and now it is very clear why the Lord of the Rings movies were made here. This country is fantastic.

NZ Exploration Begins - Stewart Island

Greetings!

Yes, it's been a while, the adventures are continuing. A few posts to fill you in:

After speding the weekend it Christchurch I had a vessel to adventure with (rented from Scottie's Rental Cars). Name: Scottie. Type: Mazda. Seats: 4. Steering wheel: Right side. Color: Gold. Brakes: Very squeeky. We were ready to go. And yes, I like to have my own vessel.

The New Zealand extravaganza begins. Traveling with my friend Krista from the ice (she was a shuttle driver), we headed south- happy to be out of Christchurch. To Dunedin for a few days of winding down and a bit of hiking, then on to Stewart Island. It was wonderful to be on a boat again and neat to be at the southern tip of the south island of New Zealand. Did some day walks with wonderful tropical views. So nice to have the luxury of free time.

The sunsets were beautiful and it was hard to go inside during the tranisition from day to night, now that darkness, for a long time, was not a given. The maratime air was fantastic. I could stand in the wind, close my eyes, and feel like I was right back on Crazy Horse. I felt right at home. Too bad the haus wasn't there anchored in the cove to go exploring with. Alas, it was time to leave, so we headed north in Scottie to Te Anau, the jumping off place for the Kepler Track and the Milford Sound area.

THANK YOU

Hello gang,
Sadly, I did not win the North Pole Marathon contest. I did not expect to win, but it was fun to be in the contest, nonetheless. I want to give everyone who commented a HUGE THANK YOU! I was honored, flattered and everything else as I read your comments. I had a huge smile on my face, again and again as I read the new comments that were posted. And naturally, you all made my mom get teary. Thank you so much for your interest, encouragement and belief in me. Part of the reason I love doing what I'm doing is because I can share these things with all of you. I'd still like to get to the North Pole someday, but I guess I'll just have to wait on that one.

In Dunedin right now, heading towards Stewart Island after a hike today and hopefully some surfing tomorrow. Rented a car and after the five hour drive from Christchurch, feel like i'm getting the hang of driving in the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road. Hope you are all well.

Off The Ice

I have returned to New Zealand! We left McMurdo in a snow storm (winter is approaching) and less than five hours later, we were in sweet smelling New Zealand. The flight was good, I spent almost the entirety standing in the rear of the plane by the cargo looking out of the window, watching night come for the first time in over four months. Earlier in the flight, I caught the tail end of the Antarctic mountains passing beneath us, and they were wonderful. I would like to go back there someday.

Christchurch is lovely and the botanical gardens are wonderful. Just the feel of my hand on tree bark is very soothing. The smells take me back to many different places and they are all enjoyable. I'm headnig to the south in a few days to travel the southern coastline. It is strange now to have to pay for meals, lodging and transportation. But it is absolutely wondeful to have night and day as well as warm breezes without volcanic dust in the air.

I'll keep writing as I go and today I got an email that said the N. Pole marathon winner will be posted by Monday at the latest! Thanks again to commenters. I'll be sure and post the results as soon as I know them.

An Evening on Ross Island

Went out for a Search and Rescue meeting last night to discuss and then walk on the "late season" sea ice. The afternoon storm had cleared through at this point and the lighting was so beautiful. We played around on the ice's pressure ridges, drilling holes and looking at the consistency of the ice and then back to McMurdo at about 10pm. It was too beautiful outside to head in so I headed to Hut Point (where Captain Scott once lived on his first expedition to the Antarctic) and stood there for a long time, looking at the water, the ice, the snow and the mountains. Didin't want to go back inside. So amazing. And so amazing to be here, strange to be leaving in what is now about 48 hours. Just said good bye to half the GA crew who are flying out right now. The rest of us fly out on Friday.

Many people are ready to leave, but I am savoring these last few days. I finished my last day of work today and tomorrow have a day off to clean my room, and get in gear to make the five hour flight back to Christchurch, New Zealand. It'll be hard to get on that plane and I plan to have a seat near one of the few windows. It'll be a time of much reflection. This experience won't easily pass though the cog wheels of my brain.

Happy Valentine's Day to you all.

One Week Left

Hello Icers,
I've less than a week to go. Three days of work, then a day off, and then a C-17 five-hour flight back to the land of living things. I am ready to be done with the 54 hour work weeks, but I don't think I'll ever be tired of Antarctica. I was in the library the other day to look for New Zealand books and I got as side tracked as ever by the Antarctic/Arctic book selection. You'd think that after four months here, I'd be less fascinated by it, but perhaps it works the other way in that now that I've been here, I'm even more fascinated by other people's accounts of this continent.

The ships have left, one of my roomates has left, the summer season is winding down. It will be very hard to leave this place and I would definately like to come back for a winter some time, as well as a summer. I imagine thoughts of the ice will be with me for a long time.

Trying to do all the things on my McMurdo to do list. I'll write again when I'm off the ice. I should know the results of the North Pole Marathon within a week or so. Thanks to all who've commented on my profile page!