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21 November, 1999McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica Sunday Awoke early and had a quick cup of coffee before going to the chapel to practice today's music. It makes me very nervous to sing in front of people! I usually get a friend to sing with me! Playing the guitar is the easy part! Father Bede opened Mass and the first song went smoothly. The next song I played, the "Holy, Holy, Holy", I completely skipped an entire section! Father Bede didn't notice what I had done, but he did say that he thought it was shorter than usual! The rest of the music was great and everyone really chimed in! The chapel is the only official place of worship on the continent! Chapel of the Snows was first constructed in 1956. The building was destroyed by fire in 1978 and the current chapel was built in 1989. The chapel overlooks McMurdo Sound, the icy sea. In the distance, you can see the Transantarctic Mountains. The stained glass windows are incredible! Both contain outlines of Antarctica. One also shows Christian symbols and a penguin! Tea, coffee, cough drops, and sweets are available 24 hours a day. It is a quiet place for quiet talk and reflection. Until 1997, Navy Chaplains served the McMurdo community during the austral summer months. The chapel offers LDS (Mormon) and Protestant services and a Catholic Mass every Sunday. Mass is celebrated every day at 5:45. Dave Stillie is the Protestant Chaplain and Catholic priests from New Zealand come for one month each. Father Bede Haughey is currently the Catholic Priest on duty at McMurdo. He will be the subject of today's POLAR PROFILE! You can read this section after the questions for the day! After brunch, Julie, Bess, Mark, Maite, Steve Arcone (a friend from Christchurch), and I checked out at the firehouse to walk the Armitage Trail Loop to Scott Base. Let me explain the necessity of checking with the fire department before you leave McMurdo on foot. The weather here can change very quickly. Because we were going to be walking a trail on the sea ice marked only with flags placed at regular intervals, it is necessary to let the firehouse know who is going, where we are going, and when we plan on returning. If we don't check in with them by the time we have indicated as our return, they put into place a search and rescue. It's easy to get lost when everything is white! The wind was blowing very hard, often creating conditions in which visibility was at a minimum. We were walking into the wind and it was difficult! The surface of the sea ice ranged from packed snow to drifted snow. You never knew when you would sink and it made it hard to keep your balance! The walk is a little over 2 miles and it took us 1.5 hours to make the trip! It's amazing how clear the air is here! We spotted Scott Base, with it's green buildings, and it looked so close and yet, it took us another 45 minutes to reach it! This is one of the deceiving things about Antarctica! The air is so clear that, if the weather cooperates, you can see very far! Answer to yesterday's question: Skuas are birds that are seen frequently at McMurdo. They are very large, heavy birds that look similar in build to a seagull. They are brown in color and are known to be scavengers. Skua also feed on young penguin chicks and krill. Yesterday, to my delight, I witnessed typical skua behavior in McMurdo! Two people were walking across the dirt path that leads from the galley to the dorms. In their hands they carried aluminum foil-covered plates. A skua recognized this as a food source! The skua, with it's 3-foot wing span, chased the couple as they dashed the 60 yards to the dorms! The skua would attempt to land on the gentleman's head or fly in front of them to grab their plates! Jokingly, I asked them if they would stand still so I could get a good picture! For some reason they looked at me like I was crazy! I have to say that I laughed so hard that my stomach ached! Skua have webbed feet so the feet didn't seem too dangerous, but they do have a huge, hooked beak for tearing flesh! Today's question: What are katabatic winds? Polar Profile: Father Bede Haughey is a Catholic priest from New Zealand. Ordained in 1989, Father Bede is pastor at Saint Patrick's Parish in Waimate. This small community is between Christchurch and Dunedin on the east coast of the South Island. Waimate in Maori means "place of stinky water"! The Waitaki River flows through the area and many years ago must have been the source of the name! His parish has a small school of about 95 students. In addition to his duties as pastor, every Monday Father Bede puts on his boots and heads to several ranches in the area to help with rounding up the sheep and cattle! Father Bede's decision to become a priest began while convalescing in Christchurch after breaking his leg. He was impressed with the way the lay ministry there worked together. Then, while en route from Aukland to Fiji for a vacation, he thought more seriously about devoting his life to the Church. Father Bede is wonderful! Father Bede has an aunt who is a Sister of Mercy! What a small world! I plan to meet with her when I return to Christchurch at the end of my stay in the Southern Hemisphere! Sharon JUST FOR KIDS!!!!! I played the guitar and sang at Mass today! The chapel, Chapel of the Snows, was built lin 1989 and looks out on the frozen ocean! In the distance you can see the Transantarctic Mountains. The church has a beautiful stained glass window. In the window is the outline of Antarctica, a few Christian symbols, and a penguin! Father Bede Haughey is the priest. He will be leaving in December and a new priest will come. We took a very long walk today. We walked on the frozen ocean about 2 miles to Scott Base, a New Zealand research station. It was very windy and cold, but my clothes kept me warm! We had to cover our faces with snow goggles and neck gaiters pulled over our noses! Can you recognize me in the picture? Because we were walking in a dangerous area, we had to let offical people know where we were going and when we would return. If we did not return by that time, they would send out a search party! We made it back! Answer to yesterday's question: Skuas are birds that that you see at McMurdo. They are very large birds that look like seagulls. They are brown in color. Skua eat young penguin chicks, krill, and food that they can steal from you as you walk by! Yesterday, to my delight, I saw this behavior in McMurdo! Two people were walking across the dirt path that leads from the galley to the dorms. In their hands they carried aluminum foil-covered plates. A skua recognized this as food! The skua, with it's 3-foot wing span, chased the couple as they dashed the 60 yards to the dorms! The skua tried to land on the gentleman's head and fly in front of them to grab their plates! Jokingly, I asked them if they would stand still so I could get a good picture! For some reason they looked at me like I was crazy! I have to say that I laughed so hard that my stomach ached! Skua have webbed feet so the feet didn't seem too dangerous, but they do have a huge, hooked beak for tearing meat! Today's question: What are katabatic winds? Polar Profile: Father Bede Haughey is a Catholic priest from New Zealand. He was ordained a priest in 1989 and is the pastor at Saint Patrick's Parish in Waimate on the South Island. His parish has a small school of about 95 students. In addition to his duties as pastor, every Monday Father Bede puts on his boots and heads to several ranches in the area to help with rounding up the sheep and cattle! Father Bede is wonderful! Father Bede has an aunt who is a Sister of Mercy! What a small world! I plan to meet with her when I return to Christchurch at the end of my stay in the Southern Hemisphere! Sharon
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