stillalbatross: Because you're in Brian Abraham's "VMC bubble": You'll see the high ground well before getting dangerously close to it.
Dingo: I'm not aware of any evidence about a left turn at the Byrd Reporting Point (or somewhere thereabouts).
PS: Here's the current version of the chart.
http://ortho.linz.govt.nz/antarctic/RossSeaRegions.jpg
If you look at both the main chart and the inset, it is clear that a track from Cape Hallett to McMurdo Station crosses Ross Island. But what if you only have the inset?