Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful, playful and wonderful break. I can now say that I have spent a New Year's Eve at the bottom of the world! Not many people can say that. I feel very lucky.

Several people walked up to Hut Point to ring in the New Year and watch the US Coast Guard Ice Breaker Polar Sea cut a channel through the sea ice on its way around the point to dock at the ice pier. The ice breakers Polar Star and Polar Sea are both stationed in Elliot Bay and I got to tour the Polar Sea before she left Seattle. It's nice to see her in her "natural habitat".

I have had a few adventures since writing you last, hence the title of my next chapter...

Chapter 5: The Adventure Continues

My greatest adventure so far was getting to fly over the sea ice in a helicopter to one of the Dry Valleys. Yes, now I can say I have actually stood on the continent of Antarctica! Remember, McMurdo Station is on Ross Island.

I got to visit Lake Hoare, one of the fresh water lakes scientists are studying there. They have discovered that plant life does survive in these partially frozen lakes. It's very interesting. That red dot on the lake ice is me.

The researchers sleep in tents while they are there, right next to the Canada Glacier. It was a calm, sunny day when I was out there, but I imagine it is miserable when the wind is blowing. They have found mummified seals and penguins in the valleys hundreds of year old. No one knows how or why they traveled so far from the ice edge and water.
	That's me with the hilo pilot, John. He's pretty tall, isn't he! The mountain in the background is called the Matterhorn. You can see why.
On the way back to "town", we got to fly along the ice edge. I could see penguins splashing in the water below and scurrying along on the ice. I guess feeding time for the leopard seals and orcas was over or the penguins wouldn't have been in the water! We had a beautiful view of Mt. Erebus, the active volcano that towers above the island.
	I also got to see a huge ice berg trapped in the sea ice with the entrance to one of the valleys in the background.
Then we got a great view of town as we flew back home. That's Hut Point in the lower left part of the photo where Patrick and I stood on New Year's Eve. It was a great trip! That's all I will write today. I think my last letter was a bit long. I was so excited to tell you about everything that has been happening. I hope your 2001 is starting off well. Have fun! Love, Miss Talso

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