Hello from Christchurch

It has been about 2 weeks since Sarah or I have posted on the blog and there is good reason for that.  For the past week I have been traveling to, and working in Christchurch, New Zealand!  In the week prior to that Sarah and I were furiously completing all the necessary items to make sure everything was taken care of while WE were gone.  That's right, Sarah will be joining me here for 2 1/2 weeks or so seeing the wonders of the New Zealand.  

My purpose for being here is to support the efforts of the National Science Foundation.  I am performing my job as a loadmaster on the C-17 and flying cargo to and from the continent of Antarctica.  We fly to the US station of McMurdo on Ross Island, actually landing on the ice runway prepared on the Ross Ice Shelf.  That's right, we don't actually land on land, but on a giant sheet of ice over 8 feet thick.  This is my second time to New Zealand for this mission.  I was fortunate enough to visit the town in 2006, long before the devastating earthquakes that hit the city earlier this year.  

The Christchurch City Council announced our arrival with a press release.  We flew over the earthquake ravaged town center and performed a wing rock to say hello to all those in attendance.  See the press release in the link below.  

Christchurch City Council Announces C-17 Arrival

The information above was also disseminated via social networks and local news agencies.  All crewmembers were present for the static demonstration, putting the C-17 on display for the townspeople on the following day.  We were told to expect 200-400 people in the 2 hour time span the City Council had allotted the public access to the plane.  The City Council drastically underestimated the desire of the citizens to see the inside of an American cargo aircraft.  The 1200 spot "car park" (local vernacular for parking lot) was full and the over fill lots did not alleviate the problem.  It is estimated anywhere between 4 & 5 thousand folks came and toured the plane.  The link below has the coverage of the event.  

C-17 Static Display in Christchurch

Yesterday was my first trip (and the C-17's) down to Antarctica for the season.  I can tell you that it was the most beautiful and spectacular -27 C landscape I've ever seen.  Blue skies and bright sun, light breezes, and so cold it was hard to take a deep breath.  We downloaded and uploaded and got out of there ahead of schedule.  Unfortunately, I was so busy doing my job I didn't get a single photo from the surface.  No worries - I'm slated to go several more times and I look forward to inundating everyone with truckloads of snapshots. 

Ladybugs!

Grace got a couple new outfits from Grandma recently and mom just LOVES the ladybug hoodie! This girl just looks so cute in red.

Salad Spinner II

From the other direction..

Salad Spinner

Grace is learning to help clean the lettuce. Recently we had her use the step ladder to view what happens on the counter. She loves being involved.

Monkey See, Monkey Doo

They say, kids learn everything by watching their parents. Who did she learn this from?

Do the Puyallup!

Yesterday, Grace got to go to the Puyallup Fair with Grandmuhie.  Reports are that Grace LOVED the petting zoo.  Apparently she kept trying to kiss the goats.  She also got to milk "Mablel", eat a famous scone & a Crusty Pup, and apparently went goo goo for Billy & the Hillbillies, a singing children's stage show.  Quite a day for being just 15 months old.  

Mt Olympus Expedition

    Every year I like to take one great adventure into the outdoors.  This is the fourth year I've been successful at accomplishing this goal.  This year, myself and 5 friends took a 5 day camping trip to summit the highest peak in the Olympic National Park - Mt Olympus.

     Mt Olympus is not nearly as well known or popular as many of the behemoths of the Cascade range like Mt Rainier, Baker, Adams, or St Helens.  Lying in the heart of the Olympic mountain range, the peak is hidden by the mountains around it so that it is not visible from any town outside the national park, or from any trailhead.  Additionally, while those other more popular mountains have parking lots at or near their base, Olympus has more than 18 miles of trail lying between it's base camp and the nearest trailhead.  Finally, although Olympus' peak lies a comparatively meager 7968ft above sea level (Rainier being 14,411 ft), that trail head mentioned previously, starts at near 200 ft, and as such we would be hiking/climbing almost the entire 8K feet to the top.  

Summit Day: Sunrise on Blue Glacier

as viewed from the Lateral Moraine. 

Our trip would give us 2 days to hike though 18 miles of the Hoh Rainforest, one of only a few temperate rainforests in the world, to the base camp at Glacier Meadows.  The third day would be devoted to summating Olympus via glacier travel across the largest glacier in the lower 48, Blue Glacier.  We would return to camp that evening, giving ourselves two more days for the 25 mile hike north to Sol Duc Hot-springs.  

Snack break just below the "summit block" of Mt Olympus 

Group photo below the summit block.

Cravase jumping - Gabriel in action on our descent from the top. 

Day 5: on High Divide Trail.  The views were stunning. 

The bridge over Sol Duc Falls.  Hike complete.

No outdoor adventure is truly complete until you down 

an almost 2lb greasy bacon cheese burger...  Fat Smitty's, I think I love you.

The trip was a phenomenal success in most respects.  The biggest disappointment came with only 200 feet remaining to the summit when we were forced to turn back without obtaining the highest reach.  We had lost the trail and were unable to find our own which we deemed safe enough to continue forward.  We later learned our mistake was as simple as crossing the last snow patch to the north face, and scrambling up the rock face from there.  Our failure will no doubt give us motivation for future expeditions and adventures.  A great time was had by all and plans are already in the works for next year.

Between the 6 of us, we snapped over 1,000 photos on the trail.  I have pared that down to a meager 141 shots.  See them all on our Picasa page: Olympus Hike & Summit.