Yuri Night...

Every year on Yuri Gagarin's birthday, a group of winter-over Polies make the trek to the geographical South Pole and give him a toast. Winter 2010 was no exception so ten of us walked to the South Pole in the darkening skies of early winter.

Heading to the Pole to toast Yuri.

Making the toast.  Station manager Mel McMahon made a short speech and than we all toasted Yuri. Vodka is the drink of choice for this ceremony. Actually drinking anything outdoors at these temperatures is problematic. Cold liquid, 70 below temperatures, wind, cold cups on lips. Although many did make the toast, I hope Yuri won't mind that I brought an empty glass and made a symbolic toast to Earth's first man in space.