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this past wednesday we (me, nate, and mere) went on our very first delta trip. the delta trips get their name from the goofy looking vehicles that are used for transport, which can hold around 18 people and go about 25 mph. most delta trips go to Scott’s Hut at Cape Evans about an hour drive from McMurdo.

we left at 6pm on wednesday evening, drove out of town, and headed north on the sea ice. i’d heard rumors early that day about a truck fire on the way to Cape Evans, and we got a first hand look. the truck had apparently had some sort of transmission failure and caught fire. when we arrived the fire was completely out, but there was still plenty to behold. when was the last time you saw a burned out truck sitting in a puddle of gunk out on the antarctic sea ice?

we didn’t stop at the truck, but instead just rolled right past on our way to one of the popular seal ice holes. as we rolled up we noticed a seal from quite a distance. howie (our driver) parked the delta 100 feet away and we all got out and walked closer, getting within about 50 feet. we took a few pictures and then got back in the delta and continued on toward Cape Evans.

Scott’s Hut was pretty damn cool; it’s like going back in time. because of the cold weather and low humidity, the hut has been preserved almost exactly as it was when it was last used back in 1913. all of us were wearing black pants and red parkas (like astronauts in space suits), and it was eery walking around on the same floor that Scott and his men did almost 100 years ago. one of my favorite features was a stack of seal blubber about 2 feet tall, 8 feet long, and 4 feet wide (used for fuel).

on the way back to mactown we stopped again at the ice hole. that same seal was still there chillin’ outside the hole, but this time there were a couple friends inside the hole coming up for air. they were blowing bubbles and making noise, and then someone noticed something off in the distance: a small, black and white spec coming closer.

it was a penguin, and she was sliding toward us on her belly. as she got closer we realized that she was an adelie penguin, and therefore was only about 2 feet tall; quite possibly one of the cutest things i have ever seen. she came right up to the road and walked around and hung out with us for about 15 minutes. it was great.

we pressed on and stopped at the charred truck. some of the wasties were already on site cleaning up the mess. we loaded back into the delta (this time mere and i sat up front) and road on home.

what a day…