Week 27 at the Pole

Group photo sitting/lounging among exercise equipment.
Kalvin Moschkau, IceCube/NSF

This group is all smiles, so it looks like they survived their 14-hour journey following Frodo and Sam from the Shire to Mount Doom. Well, “follow” in this case means doing cardio for the duration of the movies’ combined run times. This was their “Walk to Mordor,” which was preceded a while back by a “Walk to Endor.” Well done for both!

Last week at the Pole, they also celebrated Independence Day, with funnel cakes and line dancing. In the interest of winter entertainment, they also held a station-wide scavenger hunt, but with a twist. Instead of searching for objects, they were looking for information, trying to match a list of little-known facts to the particular winterover those facts belong to. Everyone had seven days to figure out specifics like who was born with one tooth, held three passports, or danced with Ru Paul at an LA nightclub. They work hard at the Pole, but they play hard, too.

Person facing camera, in the South Pole kitchen, wrapping themselves in a flag.
Kalvin Moschkau, IceCube/NSF