a chilly hike

Last evening I walked to Scott Base with Liz and Bethany. I won't likely forget what it's like to walk in the dark here. Last night, bundled up against the -57F windchill with so many layers we were actually sweating, we walked under the stars and no moon. Even under the dark sky, away from town, we still registered light reflected off the white snow. We saw Jupiter rising over the Continent in a golden orange. We saw a star sparkling like a diamond. We saw, with all clarity, the Milky Way, our home in the universe; it's unbelievable how deep those stars go into space. Liz and I even saw a shooting star; it looked as if it simply fell off into the sea ice.

There were so many thoughts and feelings in my mind. First, God, the Creator, is fantastic in artistry and so incomprehensible in his scope and grandeur. I was also taken aback at the sight of Scott Base from the top of the hill; a beacon of light in a landscape of black. We are very alone here, nestled in our two tiny places on this island. There are very few of us on the entire empty Continent right now.

I was not cold as you might expect. My goggles froze up a bit at the end of the hike, and my eyelashes stuck together; I love that feeling. It was hard to breathe through the frost that gathered on the outside of two balaclavas, but so worth the effort to don the FDX boots and walk that path! Thanks to Bethany for snapping this frosty photo of us!