12/9/2016
Yesterday we decommissioned one of the skidoos. Since we are unable to leave the immediate area around camp, we used the one working skidoo to shuttle to the bottom of the ridge overlooking camp and changed our agenda to a hiking mission. The goal had been to skidoo all the way around the outer ridge, sampling along the way. Instead we hiked straight to the top of the nearest peak. We did not cover as much exposure as we would have liked, but we probably accessed better rocks than we would have had access to from below.
Looking out, we had the best views of all of Lillie Range. It was mesmerizing. Unfortunately the Prince Olav Mountains were cloud covered. What a life we lead. We may be the only people to ever climb that peak. It was a rare and peaceful moment. As we hiked back to the skidoo with our packed weighed down with rocks, I felt like I was on another planet, stumbling around an unknown Martian paradise.
Today is our last day in Gabbro Hills. The weather was beautiful today, but with only one skidoo there was nowhere we could go. We are mostly packed up and ready for our flights tomorrow. We are headed back to Shackleton Camp and then to McMurdo.
Elizabeth Erickson 