Today we had a Medevac...a Medical Evacuation.
A Winterover friend (I won't say their name)
had a pretty serious athletic injury that,
although not life threatening, was pretty major,
and since the C-17 that delivered flights at
WINFLY was still in Christchurch, it came down
and picked up our injured comrade. I found out
today that this person made it to Christchurch
and is in good spirits.
All that said, it's interesting how little fanfare
this flight received. It was the last flight of
WINFLY and there will be no more flights until
October 2nd. Off the plane went...no fly by of
town, no dipping of the wings...just way off on
the horizon. I was lucky my camera captured it at
all, let alone get a close up. This plane had
places to go, things to do...a friend to take to
civilization for medical attention.
Exactly six months and four days earlier, almost
100 people gathered on this deck to see the last
plane leave the Ice. Leaving the Ice for a very
long time. "Old Antarctic Explorers" with the
knowing look of many winters under their belts,
FNGs looking happy yet distressed at the same time,
couples hugging, friends smiling. All for a plane
that was leaving. Today, there is no love for a
leaving plane. The deck is empty, the plane is
headed north. Life goes on.
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