Even from this altitude, the pilot could see the crystalline spires of the tallest mountain peaks far off in the distance as they reflected the rays of the perpetual summer sun looming low on the horizon. Elevated high above the glacial moraine that wound its way randomly through the mountains of east Antarctica below them, the surface of the perennial ice extended for as far as the eye could see and then for thousands of miles more beyond that. It was an extraordinary view that gave testament to just how vast and untamed a wilderness the Antarctic continent truly was. The highest peak in the region—about 14,000 feet—was much farther inland from the Ross Sea, but the pilot was only concerned with locating the target area along the Mulock Glacier that was spread out below with its eternal finger-like grip across the mountainous landscape. The drone of the turbo-prop LC-130 Hercules transport plane vibrated the inside bulkheads with a steady rhythm, the tremendous horsepower pulling the heavy machine through the frigid Antarctic air, fighting a fierce crosswind so strong that it tossed the aircraft about like a leaf in the breeze.
