Position: 76 deg 20 min S, 23 deg 24 min E, 3590 meters a.s.l.

With a sense of accomplishment, this noon we bid farewell to the packed snow and lone temperature array transmitter that were all that were left to mark our drilling site 91.  Under a cool, cloudless sky, the horizon looked identical in all directions: flat and white, with lighter sky near the horizon fading into a deep blue straight up. Very small patterns formed by drifted snow, less than ten centimeters high, now provide the major surface features. Such a huge expanse dominated by the smallest of features!  The calm, clear, sunny day makes the ice sheet seem so docile, such a tranquil place to be.  After driving for a short while, the only pieces of evidence to give one a sense of perspective in this broad expanse are our tracks and the vision of the vehicles following us in the train. We settle into an afternoon of driving, with passengers reading, listening to ipods, working on their computers, or simply pondering the horizon. Tonight we will stop at a point about 50 km away that will likely look almost identical to where we are now.

- Mary

Vast landscape, tiny features – from horizon to horizon. Photo: Mary Albert.