Sundays are slow days here.  Everyone works a six day work week if not more and the big day off is Sunday.  The main focus of the day is an amazing brunch of everything a heart could desire.  Rory and I took a few leasurly morning and then headed up observation hill to get a better view of the world around us.

The hike was essentially a straight up trek for 800ft in <.8 miles to the spot where Robert Falcon Scott’s crew waited for his return from the South Pole in 1912.  While he made it to the pole (within a month of being the first to ever do so) he never made it back to meet here crew.  A cross is perched upon the top of the hill in his and his fateful teams honor.  One of the amazing things about Scott is that his dedication to science never faltered.  When he was discovered by a search party he still had geologic samples that he had man hauled (i.e. pulled on a sled) all the way to the poll and back after picking them up on the southern trip.  Even running out of food and freezing to death did not deter his plan to return the samples in the name of science.

By climbing up to this historic point we also got our first view of Mount Erebus. We live on the flanks of this active volcano, and you can see the steam rising from its maw.

In addition we got a great vantage of the big john crack and the challenges that may present themselves to those scientists traveling north.

The day ended with a wonderful sunset and an evening in the lab getting sampling gear ready for the week.  Tomorrow we make our first hole in the ice and then go for a dive.  This week should bring samples as well.  Something I am greatly looking forward to.