I made it out of Antarctica as planned today. We caught a transport from McMurdo to Pegasus at 6:45 am and stopped to pick up some Kiwis from Scott Base. I noticed that they got hugs for their send off, while we at the US base got barked at. (I was a little jealous of the hugs.) We made it to Pegasus and actually took of half an hour early! And after an 8.5 hour flight sitting along the sides of a military aircraft in crowded crash net seats, we made it to Christchurch. The first thing I noticed after stepping off the plane was how nice - and surprisingly warm - the 60F 70% humidity air was. A few deep breaths of the moist air were absolutely necessary. Then, it was a rush through customs and to return all of my gear to the CDC before going to the hotel.
I've just had a huge bowl of vegetable korma for dinner (freshly cooked non-frozen veggies - yay!!!!) and said my goodbyes to my coworkers. Now, I'm going to try to force myself to stay awake to see the sun set (first time in a month!) before heading to bed. Tomorrow I will catch a 7:30 flight to start my long journey back to St. Louis. It is always a treat to be in Antarctica, but I am very much looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again!
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