Tramping about

Holly, Sara, Diane and I decided at lunch that it was a great day to ski the Armitage Loop trail from McMurdo to Scott Base and then walk the road back. We went to gear issue to get skis and were crushed to see that we'd missed the open hours. We decided to go ahead and do it anyhow but just hiking, or tramping as the Kiwi's say. The day had begun with fog and cool temperatures, but by the time we left the fog had lifted completely leaving us with a gorgeous warm day with clear blue sunny skies. It was a nice walk but wearing Big Red was not the best idea. It was just too heavy and way too warm for the weather. For a good part of the hike I wore it on my shoulders with my arms out free. It did start to get windy once the trail turned toward Scott base and was pretty nippy on the side of my face. The snow was pretty soft with a few inches of fresh snow and it felt like walking the whole way on sand wearing hiking shoes and all your snow gear. It was a long hour and a half. We were all a little tired of it by the time we arrived at Scott Base so we went in to the store to buy a snack and to use the bathroom before the forty minute walk back to Mac Town via the road. I think next time I'd rather do it on skis. We arrived back in town, checked back in with the firehouse, went to the galley for a leisurely dinner and then our separate ways before hitting the sheets for a reasonable bedtime.