The cold earth sleeps below, above the cold sky shines

Scott Base with Erebus and melt pool (Credit: Steve Allerding) Conditions: Temperature 19°F (11° with windchill).  Population = 960 (people coming in from field camps and others arriving to unload ships next week) At 7 PM last night, I got a call from Scott Base.  A young Kiwi Army engineer had experienced rapid onset of a severe headache associated with nausea and neck pain while lifting weights.  She had no history of headaches. This constellation of symptoms qualified as a "Thunderclap Headache" which itself raises the possibility of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm.   Aargh!  I was on call, had been invited to a farewell spa party for Rebecca, and really didn't want to deal with a subarachnoid bleed.  I timidly asked, "How's she doing with ibuprofen?"  Such wishful thinking. I consulted Dean and he said (of course) that we need to see her.  Damn!  Why does he have to always embrace reality when I'm so valiantly trying to deny i...

Whale watching (Credit:  Rebecca Austria) Conditions:  Temperature 18°F (-2°F with windchill), overcast.  Population = 760 Sunday was tragic.   A recent arrival--someone with a young family at home-- had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and died despite heroic resuscitation efforts by the paramedics and clinic staff. Although we in the hospital have "seen it all before" and feel confident in our efforts, a death in such a small community becomes personal quickly.  To have such heartbreak in our final weeks will deeply scar our memories of McMurdo. Sunday evening, after vainly trying to shake off the day's trauma, Dean and I walked down to Hut Point.  The ice is breaking and seals, penguins and whales surround us in abundance.  The sun and sky at midnight have been luminously beautiful.  The majesty of it all was heart-rending.  I've posted pictures below of recent days of nature viewing but none reflect the peace afforded by wa...