Winter officially began last week at the Pole with the final flight departure (above) and the last traverse, SPOT3 (below), leaving the station. The plane carried away the few remaining summer personnel, who did not want to miss that flight since the next one out wouldn’t be for another eight months or so. So, who’s left? Forty-three intrepid winterovers, that’s who. With a small crew staying behind for the winter, station operation changes a bit, including some shifting of room assignments as well as new “community” duties shared among the winterovers, like washing dishes and cleaning common areas. As tradition holds, after the last plane had left, the winterovers all gathered in the gym to view the three versions of “The Thing,” all in a row.
