A Tundra Hike

I went off the base and explored for the first time this week. It was the first time I had the chance to go checkout the area. The Bay is completely frozen over as you can see from the pictures. It makes this spit of land feel much larger than it actually is when the bay appears to be a part of the land and not water. I was able to run quite a ways down the shore of the water like I was on solid ground. It was cold, but it felt good to get out and run. The lens flair in the picture of the sun sitting above he frozen bay is actually a rainbow if you are wearing polarized lenses. I was able to see my footprints forever on the ice. Other than the footprints of Haley and Nomad, mine were the only ones out there. Haley and Nomad are the dogs that live at the base. They have a good deal. They get to sleep of hang out inside and are allowed in most parts of the base with an exception to the galley, ET Shop, and the barracks. They are both sweet dogs and joined me on my expedition to the tundra.
I found this arrangement of circular boards. It looked like is was built to be a corral of some sort, although most of the crossmember were lost to the tundra. It made a cool picture and a break from the typical desolate beauty of the tundra. It is very beautiful up here, just different. The sun rises and sets in virtually the same place. It migrates over, but not 180 degrees like most places. Pinecrest and the other places that I have lived have had a green lush beauty to them. Up here there is a desolate almost lifeless beauty to it. The life just seems to disappear during the winter months.
The snow drifts change daily due to the uninhibited winds over the landscape. We have to plow up here to clear the snowdrifts, not because we get snow all the time. As you can see I got ways from the station. The tower in the picture is 1350 feet tall and the station is far enough away to be clear of it in case it falls. I Then cut over to the ocean side of the spit and watched as the piles of ice were reabsorbed by the ocean. I was not able to get any pictures because the -6 Degree temperature killed my cameras batteries. The water was a dark green like I had never seen in water before. Similar to the intensity of the deep blue of the water in the BVI. At that point my radio decided not to work and I headed back to the station, running over the tundra, which I found quite enjoyable. Other that that I am doing pretty good. It is strange to never really leave work or go home. We are given plenty of private time up her if we so desire it. It is comfortable, just very different that what you get used to living virtually anywhere else.