Observation Hill is a steep rocky slope (750 ft/230m) intimately connected to both USA and New Zealand research sites in Antarctica.
It overlooks McMurdo Station (WAP USA-22), the main United States facility in Antarctica as well as Scott Base (WAP NZL-Ø1), the major New Zealand Station.
As the long Antarctic winter approaches, the historic cross on Observation Hill has once again been carefully covered to help protect it from harsh winds and UV exposure.
Erected in 1913 by members of Scott’s British Antarctic Expedition, this wooden cross stands as a powerful tribute to Captain Robert F. Scott, Edward Wilson, Lawrence Oates, Henry Bowers and Edgar Evans, who tragically died on their return journey from the South Pole in 1912.
More than a century of extreme Antarctic weather has left the structure wind‑eroded and its once‑clear inscription Tennyson’s iconic line from Ulysses, “To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield severely worn.”
The seasonal cover helps slow this ongoing deterioration, ensuring this poignant memorial endures for future generations.
A small but meaningful act of stewardship for an important piece of Antarctic history.
Check : https://www.waponline.it/memorial-cross-at-observation-hill-mcmurdo/ and
https://www.southpolestation.com/obhill/obhill.html
Picture above by Scott Base staff member Jean Christophe Varnier