Down to the wire ... the end of the beginning
The past week has been a blur. As of last Thursday morning, we were still trying to get to Tall Tower to get the last of the work done at that site. Friday was our planned departure date to begin heading north for the long trip back home so this was our last chance to get everything done. By 8am Thursday morning, we were the backup mission for the Twin Otter, with the primary mission headed to the South Pole. The weather at the South Pole wasn't ideal though, so they delayed the flight decision until 10am. At that time, they would re-evaluate the weather at the South Pole. If it still wasn't good, we would get to go, otherwise, we would be cancelled and the primary group would head to the South Pole. All the other Twin Otters (there were a total of 4) had left for other camps around the continent so this was the one and only chance to get to Tall Tower. At 10:15, the weather had cleared enough at the South Pole that our flight was cancelled. At that point, we began to make plan