Isolation

When Lynn and I tell people where we work, they typically
give us reactions in three letter words starting with a
"W". Either WOW!!! or WHY??? Yes, we're at the bottom
of the world. One of the most isolated places on the
planet. However...McMurdo is the big city for Antarctica.
There are many places here on the Ice that make McMurdo
look like a victim of suburban sprawl. One of those places
is the CTAM (Central Trans Antarctic Mountains) camp,
located near Beardmore Glacier. This camp will eventually
have about 60 inhabitants, which is huge for an isolated
field camp. This photo is from the Basler that dropped off
the first group that was put in place to set up the camp.
Now THIS is isolation. They have a tent set up (which is
the mandatory thing to do first) and their gear is set up
in piles, ready to disperse. Other than this though, they
are all alone. Rescue for them, if needed, is several hours
away by small plane, and that's if the weather cooperates.
Now, when I think how isolated we are on the planet, I think
of this photo. It really puts things in perspective!