Once more into the breach

After only a few days stationed at Byrd, I was directed back to McMurdo for the PIG camp put-in.  My 4pm flight ended up getting delayed on enough occasions that the LC-130 didn't end up touching down until 1:30am.

The crew appeared a bit more frantic than I was used to when off-loading one of the pieces of 'heavy equipment'.  Perhaps it had something to do with the rapidly deteriorating weather we had lied to them about.  The overland traverse had left the previous day with all the tracked equipment; due to the coming storm, camp management was eager to receive the shipment of a new 'tucker' snow machine.

After the uneventful evolution, the other passenger and I were shuffled over to the passenger entry door of the aircraft [with the props still spinning nearby] and told to buckle up as quickly as possible.  I asked the load-master if he was in a hurry because of some weather coming in. 'The weather is acceptable, its just that we're running out of fuel.'