The winter trips are an essential part of our ongoing Antarctic training. Although it was an enjoyable trip, it was a week of intense training and instruction in Antarctic survival and rescue techniques.
Ian, my GA for the week was constantly updating my personal knowledge database with an onslaught of information on every topic, from setting up camp to how to spot hidden crevasses; how to correctly identify and use our jingly-janglies and valuable tips on how to survive and stay alive in the hostile Antarctic environment.
For my first trip I went to the southern-most tip of the island. For my second trip I elected to head north. The north of Adelaide Island is notorious for sudden and extreme changes in the weather. Previous visitors to this area are known to have been trapped for over two weeks by sudden changes in the weather.
The trip again involved negotiating the notoriously dangerous McCallum's Pass and the Shambles glacier.
Skidoos ready and waiting. Note the frozen sea of North Cove in the background.
At first light we set off with our skidoos each hauling a Nansen sledge loaded with equipment and supplies for 30 days survival for two men.
For safety we always travel linked together, so my skidoo was tied to the back of Ian's sledge, and we travel as a convoy; just as well, because the visibility and contrast were very poor.
As we made our way through McCallum's Pass we encountered a newly-opened crevasse. Ian had to check it out to establish the safest place to cross it. It was only about one metre wide, but about 25 metres deep. We actually crossed this crevasse just to the right of the flag.We successfully cleared McCallum's and headed up the Shambles glacier, where we had to negotiate another crevasse. This second one was wider and deeper than the first, with a steep drop on our approach side. Again, Ian checked it out and got us both safely across.
After that the visibility started to clear and it was four hours of skidoo-touring across the most glorious terrain imaginable to our base-camp location at the foot of Bond Nunatak.
We arrived at our base-camp location in bright sunshine; fortunately for us the sunshine would stay with us for the whole week. But it was to be a very cold week, averaging minus 25 degrees C during the day, substantially colder during the night.
It doesn't take long for your beard to freeze in these temperatures.
The temperature out here in the open was substantially lower than back at Rothera. I awoke in the morning to find my beard had frozen and stuck itself to my sleeping bag. I checked the temperature; minus 16.... inside the tent!!! We estimated that it was in the minus mid-thirties overnight. Once we got the stove lit for some breakfast the temperature rose, but the temperature inside the tent never rose above zero for the whole week!
The morning on the second day; perfect weather, but this photo doesn't show how cold it actually was.
Frost on the outside of the tent shows how cold it was; on this occasion - minus 26 degrees!
On the second day we drove around the local area on our skidoos, then we'd stop and Ian would point out things of importance, things I hadn't even noticed, like concealed crevasses and other dangers.
You can see the crevasses on this glacier that flows between the two peaks. Ian showed me how to spot the more dangerous hidden ones. We rode up this glacier later in the week, when we climbed Bond Nunatak.
Notice the heat haze through the centre of this photo. The sun has tremendous heating power, even though it was minus 20-something.
Bond Nunatak, as viewed from camp. We climbed this, but not from this side. We used a route on the other side, but it was still quite a trek!!
The view from the summit of Bond Nunatak. The two little dots in the centre are our camp!
View from the summit of Bond.
Ian and I at the summit
(Photo: Ian MacNab)
Our skidoos, viewed from halfway back down Bond.
Antarctic scenery. Notice the sastrugi in the foreground
The only tracks in a barren wilderness.
The sun setting on the camp.
Skidoo and sledge
(Photo: Ian MacNab)
Me, loaded up with my
jingly-janglies.
(Photo: Ian MacNab)
Me on the 'doo.
(Photo: Ian MacNab)
Hmmmm.... Why won't it work???
(Photo: Ian MacNab)
Returning home on the Shambles glacier, heading towards McCallum's Pass.Stonehouse Bay, in the centre, is totally frozen.
All in all, I had a great week, although I was secretly a little disappointed that we didn't get the change in weather that would've meant us extending our stay at Bond, even though it would've meant being confined to the tent for the duration of the bad weather.
However, the bad weather has caught up with me now I'm back at Rothera. We've had a storm blowing non-stop for 4 days now, with the wind peaking on Thursday evening at a treacherous 68 knots!
What else is happening at Rothera, apart from the storm? Well -
"The Quest For The Golden Roll", our entry into the Antarctic 48-Hour Movie Festival won the best film award. We also won the Best Screenplay category and the Best Use Of The Elements category. We were runner-up in the Best Cinematography category and the Best Acting category. Almost a clean sweep.
Kirk has posted some links to some of the other entrants on his blog site, so you can check out our opposition from there. Some of them were actually very good and well worth a look.
Our feature-length horror movie that we are filming is coming along nicely, too.
This week we shot my death scene down at the Bonner Lab.
We had a whole lot of fun, with plenty of blood and gore and quite a few outtakes.
Oooooohhhh!!!! That's gotta hurt....!!!!
Icicles make entering and exiting buildings quite an adventure.Of course, we knock off the ones that hangover doorways.
It can be a harsh life living down here, but there are lots of compensations.
For example; some people just have a great view out of their office window.
Andy, our Comms Manager, has this view from the Comms Tower....
.... and Riet, our chef, looks out the window at this!!!
Despite the bad weather, we still get some glorious sunsets.
the bad weather means that the snow is drifting fast, covering windows again...
.... and it covers holes that you thought you knew about, but had somehow forgotten!!!
The sea is still frozen solid.
This is down at the wharf....
And these two are North Cove.
I bet your job isn't as much fun as mine....
