19 Feb 2016

2 Feb Voyage: Shokalskiy Discovery Hutt

It was -22 degrees Celsius at 0400 but it had warmed somewhat to -17 when we set out after breakfast this morning for a landing at McMurdo. Zodiacs carrying eight at a time took expeditioners ashore where they walked a few hundred metres to Discovery Hutt, Scott’s first expedition base that became an important staging post for every subsequent ‘heroic-era’ expedition. Ten stalwarts embraced the cold conditions and climbed 228m Observation Hill where they were rewarded with a panoramic view of both McMurdo Station and Scott Base, the ice edges, seals and the National Geographic ranges. We set out from McMurdo at 1600 and headed for Cape Evans where we plan to spend the night so we can go ashore tomorrow.