Cape Evans, the Ice caves, and Penguins, oh my! (pt 2)

After communing with the penguins for about an hour and half out on the frigid sea ice, we resumed our journey toward Cape Evans. We passed Inaccessible Island and the location of the ice caves along the way. After about 20 minutes we got through the snow and were able to continue under our own power across the thinner naked sea ice.

After rounding Cape Evans, we pulled up in front of Scott's Terra Nova hut. The hut sat on the edge of a promontory on the lowest slopes of Mount Erebus. We disembarked the delta and walked across ice, thin in some places and riddled with cracks, up toward a trail that led up the point and to the hut. Our group gathered at the hut and were led inside in small groups. We were each given a flashlight and given a stern warning not to touch anything, as it could be contaminated with bacteria!

The interior of the Terra Nova hut was similar to the Discovery hut except it was better preserved and was actually used as a shelter whereas the Discovery hut was used only for storage. There were food stuffs, scientific equipment, and even a dead penguin. The penguin, laid out on a table, was perfectly preserved and did not show any evidence of rot. There was also a box of penguin eggs and many seal skins. One of the bunks was inscribed with the names of those who had died on expedition as of 1916.