Castle Rock Loop

Last Sunday, our day off, I hiked the Castle Rock Loop with some friends. This trail is the longest trail you can hike here, being 7 miles in length. Off station travel by foot is limited to marked trails due to crevasses in the area. People have died in the past here by falling into a crevasse. Travel must be in groups of two or more, you must carry a two way radio, and you must check out with the fire house prior to your hike.






The trail is marked with flags and the distances are very difficult to estimate due to snow everywhere. Castle Rock is in the distance.










Castle rock is a volcanic plug that used to be at the core of an ancient volcano. The volcano has eroded away leaving the rock. Just beyond the hikers is an emergency shelter called an "apple".










This is one of three "apples" along the trail. They contain emergency supplies in case bad weather catches hikers on the trail. Complete "white out" conditions are not uncommon.










We hiked around the rock to an overlook but did not climb the rock. In better weather a person can scramble up the rock. We left the rock by sliding down the slope on the left of this picture.











There was an Igloo that had been made by one of the survival schools offered to people that travel off the base.












We then dropped down onto the Ross Ice Shelf which would take us to Scott Base (New Zealand Base). The black flags ahead mark a crevasse crossing the trail.










A bridge of snow covers the crevasse. A SAR (search and rescue) team member was with us and said they had dropped a roped climber through the hole at the bottom of the picture and the crevasse is over 200 feet deep.















We finally made it to Scott Base. We were treated by the New Zealander that hiked with us to an expresso and cookies! What a treat!











This is the trail map for the McMurdo Station area.




Best wishes to all my family and friends!

Bob