Sunday 28 December 2008

A Quiet Christmas

Christmas is a low-key affair down here. It's not abandoned completely; we still have a few days off work, we stuff ourselves stupid on fabulous Christmas food and we have a drink or two to celebrate the festive season. But with no shops or retail outlets of any kind, there isn't the widespread commercialism and consumer exploitation that you lot have back home.
Basically, Christmas isn't rammed down our throats for weeks on end.
Those that choose to "celebrate" Christmas are encouraged to do so, but no-one makes a big thing of it.

One of the major attractions for coming here is that we have no television broadcasts here (Hooray!!!) so we have to make our own entertainment when we are not working.
On Boxing Day Jim and Danny the Boatmen organised a boat trip for some of us. All around here are small offshore islands, and we are allowed to go out and explore them.
Jim and Danny took us out to Lagoon Island, where there is a large colony of Elephant seals.

Before we can get onto the boats we have to put on a boatsuit.
A boatsuit consists of a thermal lined drysuit and boots, and a floatation vest. This is compulsory equipment because the waters around here are bitterly cold and without this vital survival suit we would die very quickly if we should end up in the water.
Unfortunately for me, mine wasn't "made-to-measure", but with a bit of tugging and pulling, and assistance from the boatmen, I managed to squeeze my little body into my suit.




Then it was into the boats and we were off.
Ryder Bay was beautifully calm and the weather was bright and sunny, but as the boats picked up speed I could feel the coldness of the Antarctic air on my face.





We passed by icebergs that had Crabeater seals basking on them. They looked quite indignant that these tourists were passing by in boats and disturbing them as they lazed on the ice.





As we got closer to Lagoon we could see the overnight cabin on the shore. This is a place of refuge if the weather should suddenly turn nasty and return to base would be unsafe. Inside there is everything you could need for a short emergency stay; food, beds, stove etc
Outside, however, there are Elephant seals!!!
Hundreds of them!!!
For such large animals, they are really quite timid. They let you get up pretty close before they give you a warning. We aren't allowed to get too close to any wildlife down here, but we had to get past, and the seals were too lazy to get out of the way, so it's just as well that they are tolerant of our presence.


One of the most memorable things about the visit, though, was the smell.
Elephant seals don't have very good personal hygiene habits. In fact, they don't have any personal hygiene habits at all, and so the stench is absolutely...well...unforgetable!!!
These fascinating beasts exist solely to eat, breed, growl, burp and fart!!!

This island is truly straight out of a David Attenborough programme.






We spent an hour or so exploring Lagoon and were just awestruck by the presence of the seals. Then it was time to get back in the boats and head home.
Lagoon Island is pretty impressive. I look forward to going back there soon, in spite of the foul odour!!

Christmas is over now, so it's back to "normal" here at Rothera.
This is a busy working community so everyday things for us include ensuring the power generators are running, we have a supply of fresh water and the heating is working properly. These thing must be maintained whatever the time of year.

I would like to thank all of you who have added comments to my posts and sent me emails with your festive greetings and best wishes. Your comments and correspondence are very important to me, so don't stop sending, ok?

Wednesday 24 December 2008

Season's Greetings From Antarctica


It's Christmas Eve here at Rothera. I'm pretty sure it must be Christmas Eve wherever you are.
I'd like to send to each and every one of you warm wishes and seasonal cheer.

Thank you all for following my adventures in Antarctica. Without you there wouldn't be any point in writing this blog.
I shall continue to try to make my dull and dreary existance seem more exciting than it really is.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, ONE AND ALL.

Sunday 21 December 2008

Ups And Downs

A lot can happen in a week; some of it good, some of it not so good and some of it baaadddd!

Last Saturday some us decided to go up Reptile Ridge to explore the ice crevasse. It is a series of beautiful natural ice caves that sink deep into the glacier.
We got kitted-up with jingly-janglies and crampons and headed up The Ramp to find the entrance, which had been buried by snow. Regular followers will know what's coming next....Yup!!...digging!!



Eventually the entrance was exposed, but before we were allowed to venture in we were given a safety brief. Most of the activities we do down here involve risk and danger, so the briefing was essential.

Briefing over, and we descended, one by one, into the tiny entrance hole. This was good.
Once inside we were met by a small chamber of stunning ice formations, with tunnels leading off to other chambers. All the accessible chambers have been fitted out with safety ropes by the GA's. This serves two purposes; it gives safe anchorage points, and we can find our way back out afterwards.



















We'd look up and see incredible icicle formations, then we'd crawl through the tiniest hole in the ice, into another amazing chamber.
We took lots of photos, but the cameras couldn't pick out the hypnotic ice formations and brilliant colours (mostly shades of blue and white). Shame, really, because it really was quite spectacular to see.
Some of these crevasse photos were taken by Paul Holding. Thanks Paul, great pics.




It was during a steep descent into the deepest chamber that I finally came a cropper!!
I was descending backwards down a sheer ice-face when my crampon caught on a small protruding lump of ice. My whole body-weight was committed to the descent but my foot was caught fast on the ice.
Something had to give....and it did!!!
My left calf muscle gave out with a mega POP!!! This was baaaddd!!!

Ouch!! Well...that wasn't quite what I said, but you get the idea!

It was pretty painful climbing back out through all those chambers, but with the best intrepid Antarctic grit, I toughed it out. This was not so good!!










When we finally got back to base Dr Matt (thoroughly nice bloke) diagnosed a badly torn muscle. He gave me some painkillers then packed me off to the lounge to elevate and rest the leg. No beers for me that night.Everyone on base was concerned for my well-being, and I must make particular mention of my good mate Jonny Yates, our wintering vehicle mech. He ensured that I was comfortable and that I had plenty of ice for my painfully swollen leg. Thanks, Jon. You are a diamond geezer.
For the rest of the week I've been hobbling around base; not easy with all the snow and uneven ground around here.
The swelling has started to go down now, and the bruising is coming out.
Yes, it was as painful as it looks!!

On a brighter note:
I went on another co-pilot flight yesterday. We had to drop some fuel drums off at Fossil Bluff depot. Whist I was there I had to service the fire extinguishers and take a look at the generator that wasn't working.
My pilot for the flight was Canadian Steve King, one of the most charismatic of BAS's air aces.


No-one has a dull trip with Steve.
We'd only been in the air for a few minutes when he let go of everything, picked up a clipboard and said
"Here you go, you're in control!"

"Whoah!!!" says I, in half panic!

Steve calmly pointed out the instruments and dials that I should pay particular attention to, then proceeded to fill in all his flight paperwork. I had complete and total control of the aircraft, but with Steve watching and supervising out of the corner of his eye!!

I am an electrician, flying a twin-engined plane full of fuel drums over Antarctica.

Brilliant!!!!


When we got to the Bluff Steve unloaded the fuel drums with the ground crew whilst I went off to the accommodation hut to carry out my tasks.

Fossil Bluff is a fabulous little place 150 miles south of Rothera, steeped in Antarctic history.
It was built in the 1960's, when four men would spend whole Antarctic winters there, totally alone and isolated.


Inside the hut are artefacts and personal belongings from those days gone by.
Nowadays Fossil Bluff is only manned during the summer months. I'm hoping that next time I go there I can stay for a week or so. That would be so cool.









Today the James Clark Ross made her first and only visit to Rothera this season. She was fully loaded with all the supplies that we are going to need for the next year.
We now have three intense days of unloading all the cargo and reloading her with everything that is to be taken away from here, i.e.ground-breaking and world-leading scientific stuff for Cambridge (and the world), and all our waste for recycling or disposal.This period is what we call "Relief".

The JCR also brought with her the final members of the team that are wintering this season. I haven't seen these people since Conference in September. Can't wait until they can disembark.
The team is almost complete.
Sadly, Brian, our wintering plumber will not be coming down after all.
We all send our best wishes to you, Brian. You will be missed down here, mate, but we'll keep in touch via this blog and also by email.

Friday 12 December 2008

What Is Normal?

Day-to-day life in Antarctica, and in Rothera in particular, is different from the reality that I used to know back in the UK. What is "normal" here is totally bizarre in your world.

For example:
We don't see the moon very often, so when we do we take photos of it;

I go to bed at any time and it is as bright as when I got up that morning;
when I get up I have to dig my way out of the accommodation block to go for breakfast;
at breakfast I could be sitting next to a doctor and a mountaineer, at lunch I could be sitting next to a pilot and a plumber and at dinner I could be sitting next to an ecobiogeochemist (???!!!) and a diver. It's not everyone who can claim to have good friends from such a diverse range of backgrounds.

After breakfast I make my way across the base to my workshop, where I have to dig my way in. Once inside I find that I cannot see out of my window because of the snow at the rear of the building!









Another thing that is different to the UK: making deliveries of equipment to the beakers out in the field.
Now, I've made lots of delivery runs in my time, but none like this. We had to deliver a skidoo and some scientific equipment to a field party out on the Larsen Ice Shelf.
Back home the accepted mode of transport is the van.
Not here...oh no! Here we use a Twin Otter!
Back home I've been the driver's assistant/mate. Here I'm the co-pilot!! I flew with Doug Pearson, one of BAS's most experienced pilots. This is his sixteenth season in Antarctica.
It was only a short flight (just under two hours) but it gave such incredible views of this amazing continent. I can't begin to tell you how exciting that flight was.
The drop-zone was only about 150-odd miles from Rothera but the scenery couldn't be more different. In fact, at the Larsen there is no scenery at all. It is totally flat for as far as the eye can see.
I did a full 360degree turn and all I could see was the plane that I arrived in!!! It was the most fantastic view of absolutely nothing that I have ever had!!
After dropping off the equipment we had to make the return flight; more breathtaking views and jaw-dropping moments.
Just as we were coming into land I remembered that I could take video on my little camera. I've included it here for your pleasure.



I shall be making quite a few more co-pilot trips this season. One of the flights will be to our refueling depot at Fossil Bluff. I shall have to spend a few days there, checking out and repairing the cabin and equipment that's there. I'm looking forward to that trip.

Another normal thing here is the wildlife, and I don't mean all the hairy wierdy- beardy people that roam freely around the base.

My favourites (and everyone else's, I think) are most definitely the penguins. They are soooo addictive. You can never EVER tire of getting up close and personal with penguins.



The most common penguins around Rothera are the Adelie penguins, but this week I was fortunate enough to see a Chinstrap penguin. Chinstraps don't come around here very often so I was pleased that I got to see one up close.
As is usual for penguins, he was quite happy to pose for my camera. It's almost as if they know what they are doing.











I Also met Bubba the base head Skua again this week. Where else in the world can you have a tame sausage-eating Antarctic Skua wander into your aircraft hanger for a free feed? Is this normal in your life?







We don't always have howling winds and blizzards here. Sometimes we get a few hours of sunshine and good weather. That's when you see the awesome beauty of Antarctica.







However, when it snows we have to dig!!!
We use shovels for doorways and windows, and bulldozers for access ways.







And we get the sun at midnight!!
I've been here four weeks now and I've taken over eight hundred photos.
This is my favourite one so far. It was taken facing south over the wharf. In reality it is bright daylight, but somehow I got this effect by fluke. The sun dips towards the horizon, but doesn't disappear.


In six months time we won't have any sunlight at all.
But down here in Antarctica, this is "normal".

Wednesday 3 December 2008

Back To Normal

First off, I have to make a correction to my last post.
After consultation with some knowledgable people here (beakers, they're everywhere), I discovered that I was mistaken when I identified Dave.
It turns out that my new mate Dave (as opposed to my old mate Dave, my good mate of many years standing) is not a Crabeater seal after all. He is actually a Weddell seal !
Sorry Dave, for misidentifying you, and sorry to you, too, Dave, for offering your name to the wrong type of seal. I hope this one gets your "seal" of approval. (sorry, couldn't resist it).

After Monday evening's super weather it didn't take long to get back to normal.
Woke up Tuesday morning to a bitterly cold wind, but no snow, at first. As the day wore on, though, the wind dropped and the snow came....again. We have now had snowfall on the base for twenty-three consecutive days!! We've had eight to ten inches of snow fall today alone.
Well, this is Antarctica, I suppose.
Guess I'll be digging again tomorrow!!

I'm not posting any photos today because all there is to see is deep snow, snowdrifts and footprints in snow (plus the odd beard-print, where I've fallen over... again!).

Talking of footprints, I've noticed a bizzarre phenomena; when you are walking behind someone in deepish snow, if you look in the snow-hole that their foot just made, it looks blue... very blue! White snow on the surface, blue snow in the hole, and if you try to dig the blue snow out it isn't blue anymore, it's turned white again!! Hmmm... !
I can't seem to get any good photos of blue snow, but when (or if) I do, I'll post them.
We also get blue icebergs float by.
And icebergs that have blue and white layers in them.
So much for this being the white continent.

I've been having a couple of good jam sessions in the green room lately. We could have the makings of decent house band, although I've never played in a band that had three bass players before!

I'll say it again; Antarctica is a wonderfully crazy place!!!

Monday 1 December 2008

A Rather Splendid Evening

This morning, when I was digging out the runway lights again, the hole was filling up faster than I could dig.
You can fight against Mother Nature but you'll never win, so... I gave up!!

This evening, the wind had dropped, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, revealing Antarctica in all her breathtaking beauty.


After dinner (another superb feast. Thanks Al and Nicola) some folks went skiing or snowboarding on the ramp, while some of us went for a stroll around The Point.
I take my camera with me everywhere "just in case", and tonight was no exception.
The views were truly magnificent. This is why people fall in love with this place.












I was picking my way round the coastline, looking for a secure footing in the deep snow, trying to avoid falling face-first into a drift (a beard full of snow is not a flattering image)
when I came across a cluster of partially buried rocks.
I was about six feet from the rocks when one of them moved; it rolled over and reared up, startling me, somewhat!!
It wasn't really a rock (I bet you guessed that already).
I had just got up close and personal with a Crabeater seal.
After informing me of his presence, he made no effort to get away. He just laid there, right in front of me, and let me get right up close to take some photos. He was a pretty laid-back, cool kind of guy, so I named him Dave, after my good friend... Dave.












After my close encounter with Dave I carried on with my walk in the glorious evening sunshine.
Just around the headland I came across a small group of Adelie penguins who were quite obviously on a day trip to the seaside. They were having a good ol' time swimming in the sea and playing about on the snow and ice-covered beach.

Now the thing I've found with penguins; if you get too close to them they retreat and try to keep some distance between you.
If you act uninterested they become inquisitive.
So...I just stood still and ignored them and, lo and behold, one of them became curious.
She came right towards me, sledging along on her tummy,
wings flapping for balance, and stopped
just three feet from me!
She just stood there, preening herself and posing for the cameras
that had all gathered round to watch the fun.

I named her Ruby, cos she was a lot
of fun and full of character, and she
reminded me of a very special little girl I know back home.






I left Ruby showing off to the crowd of cameras and carried on with my jaunt, admiring the views, clicking away with my camera.
I've tried to take good shots, but they only show a small glimpse of the stunning scenery here. They don't capture the detail of the landscape or the smell of the cold, crisp, clean air.






Still further round The Point the sun was starting to set in the sky.
I climbed up the rocky, snow-covered hill to watch the glorious sunset.



I made my way to the Rothera memorial area and had a few moments thinking of friends and loved ones back home.






Time to make my way back to base, and civilization as we know
it here.

But the evening wasn't over yet.

A call came over the VHF radio...
Killer whales had been spotted in Ryder Bay.

I was joined by others as I ran down towards the wharf. Whale sightings are always popular here on base.
We got down to the wharf and we were told that there were about six of them quite a way off shore.
We could see their fins as they broke the surface for air, but unfortunately, they were too far out for my camera to capture them properly. You can just see their breath in the centre of the photo.
It was so exciting to see these magnificent animals in their natural environment.

The thought entered my mind yet again, what a privilege it is and how wonderful it is to be here to witness, first hand, this unspoilt continent and fabulous wildlife.

We stood at the wharf for ages and watched the pod of orcas swim away into the sunset.
They'll be back again, for sure. I hope they'll come closer next time.

Now it really was time to come back, but instead of going to bed, I sat down to check out my photos and write this post while everything was still fresh in my mind

All in all, a rather splendid evening.