16 December, 2003

A Bittersweet End

The 15th was another snowy, blustery day which kept us trapped inside the hut again. After a day of reading, e-mailing, eating and chatting in the warmth of the hut, we were once again eager to get outside. Today proved to be lovely though, with a big blue sky, perpetual sunshine and a gentle plume lofting out of Erebus. And of course, it was also the day that we were scheduled to leave Lower Erebus Hut for McMurdo. We made a few more runs to some of the seismic site, taking care of last minute "housekeeping." As 8 pm approached, the four of us who were in the first group scheduled to come off the volcano were feeling a little bit sad to leave. Little did we know that down in McMurdo, our helicopter was having trouble with its gas lines. At 2 am, we finally got the call that we were cancelled. Fate had smiled on us and we had one more day on Erebus!