Cape Evans Part II: Scott's Hut

Part of our field trip to Cape Evans was a tour through Scott's hut. There is a heritage group that is now working to restore and weather proof the structure, but basically all the contents are as they were left by the survivors of Scott's expedition party for future trips, but they didn't ever come back. It is really eerie walking through the hut as you feel like those blokes are going to come tromping back in from the field at any moment. The kitchen is still full of jars of bottled veal and other sorts of meat, cans of cocoa and chocolate. What was really neat was to see the area set aside for the scientists. Bottles of acids and solutions left on the shelves and all sorts of old scientific equipment. On this last trip of Scott's he brought with him many scientists (biologists, meteorologists, geologists etc) to research the Antarctic Environment while he made the trek to the pole. It's pretty neat to think that we've basically followed in the footsteps of these early researchers.

(Scott's Hut, Cape Evans, Outside being restored and weatherproofed by Heritage Team)

(outside of hut near entrance)

(barrels and rope... and an orb???)

(sign in entrance)

(kitchen still stocked with supplies)

(Dining table that ran the length of the hut. Bunks for most of the crew & hands ran along either side of the table).

(old lamp on table)

(box of lamp-oil stamped with the specifics for Scott's expedition)

(Crew bunks and all the pony tackle, including hand made snowshoes for the ponies. The stables for the ponies are adjoining the main hut but were under restoration so we couldn't see them)

(bits and bobs)

(Scott's bunk, with newspaper on table. The newspaper had a story about cricket on it)

(Evans and Wilson's bunks. Along with Scott's bunk, these were all in the back of the hut away from the sleeping area of the rest of the crew)

The Science Lab, circa early 1900s

Contrasted with our Science lab in the Crary building, circa early 2000s

j

So many blogs, so little time

I realise I have been blog-negligent over the last week. I am still alive, although barely, but still loving every minute of my time in Antarctica. Today was the last day of the course and it was spent attending (and presenting) in a mini science symposium where all the groups presented their research accomplishments. The long days leading up to this were packed full of lab work and fish sampling that had me at the lab until 1 or 3 am most days (and up again and on the go by 8 am the following day). Needless to say we are all sleep deprived, but glowing with the praise of our instructors and with the news that we were probably the best course they've ever had (in 20 years!).

I have many blogs floating around in my head and hopefully I'll get some time over our next few days here (between lab clean-up and last minute exploring) to get them posted.

For tonight, I'll leave you with this beautiful horizon I saw on the way home around midnight. There has been a noticeable change in the light, especially at night, during my stay on Ross Island. Midnight "sunsets" are just beautiful and full of colour. The pictures do not come close to doing justice to the view, but it's an attempt. It is a Fata Morgana ( a term I've only learned tonight): a bizarre temperature inversion that causes mirages or mirror images and duplicates of the mountain ranges and islands along the horizon looking south.

(Look just to the left of the person's head to see a ghost island of the dark land island on the far right. Also, see the flattening of 'Black Island' on the far left, above the green building)

(Double or even triple images of Black Island)

I also love the contrast between the spectacular, wild and rugged view on the horizon and the industrial, muddy McMurdo. Keeps it all real.

Field Trip to Cape Evans, Part I

Here's a picture story with a few words to show you all how fantastic our field trip to Cape Evans was on Friday. Cape Evans is about 10 miles from McMurdo station (10 minutes by helicopter). We spent the full day there, exploring and touring the inside of Scott's hut. I have a bunch of photos of the inside of Scott's hut, but I will save them for their own post. We were told by our instructor the night before we left that the going price for an Antarctic cruise that includes a stop in Cape Evans & tour of Scott's hut starts at $38 000!!!! I'm one lucky girl....


Arrival at Cape Evans by helicopter. Scott's Hut is the building in the centre. I have more photos of the inside but I think I'll post them on another day. The Barne Glacier runs along the top of the photo.

Dafne & Scott exploring the cape.

A lone emperor (I think this penguin may have beat the record for most photos taken in one day!)

Obligatory "penguin and me" shot. Notice I am observing the Antarctic Treaty: if the animal reacts you are too close. I'm pretending to ignore him and he's pretending to ignore me.

Emperor and Mt. Erebus

Zoom lens...broke the bank account before I left. Close up of emperor penguin... priceless.

Lunch overlooking the edge of the sea ice. There were minke whales cruising around out there but no sign of the orcas yet.

Another shot of Mt. Erebus

"Hey guys, there are seals and icebergs out here" (Sound travels FAR on the ice)

Seals love sunbathing just as much as the cats do!

WARNING: The following pictures will contain extreme cuteness and will cause obsessions with Adelie penguins. The pictures are in a series. I saw the little guys coming down the hill by the skua pond, so I sat down on a rock and let them do their thing... guess they weren't too bothered by me because they walked within arms reach! Now I'm wondering what a group of penguins are called??? Any suggestions?

Here they come!

Single file please

Penguins have the cutest shadows

Off they go! These guys totally reminded me of the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland "I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date"

This was my view as we chilled out on the beach waiting for our helicopter to arrive.

Six short hours later it's time to go home in our snazzy helicopter from the Scott Base (they had to bring in the Kiwis to help ferry us all to and fro that day!). The orange bags in the foreground are our ECW bags with all the gear we aren't wearing. The bags lined up by the helicopter are the survival bags (contain tent, sleeping bags, food, gas stove etc for two people). They are left with us in case we have to overnight due to bad weather.

Thankfully, our day was a beautiful one and definitely one I'll never forget. Do you think I could train the cats to waddle like Adelies? :)

j

Gone Fishing

Blogging in a different location today. I was invited to contribute to the official course blog: http://summerinantarctica.usc.edu/

Here are a couple of photos that didn't make the final cut:
(The temperature this day was above zero... so the down jacket and gloves were tossed aside. Makes for easier fishing!)

The gull hovering in the background behind George is a Skua. They are more brazen than the seagulls at home. This one was trying every means to get at our bait fish. They are protected by the Antarctic Treaty so technically you can't do anything that will interfere with them (the rule is if the animal reacts to your presence, you are too close). There may have been an accidental tossing of net in the general vicinity of the bird just after he snatched the bag with the bait ;)

Rumours of whale spottings out at hut point today. Must go check them out between doing the science and David Attenborough's talk this evening! It's a hard life!

j

100th Anniversary of Scott's South Pole Expedition

Tonight I attended another amazing historical lecture given by our course instructor, Donal Manahan, as the Sunday Science Lecture in the Galley. It was to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Scott's expedition to the South Pole. Scott actually made it to the pole on January 17th 1912, but unfortunately didn't survive the trip back. A mere 11 miles short of the hut in Cape Evans. Talk about heart breaking!

We have a class trip to Cape Evans on Tuesday of this week. This involves helicopter rides out and back and hopefully we'll be given permission to go inside Scott's Hut. All weather permitting of course.

Anyways, I just wanted to link you all to the official blog for the course that is being team written by the instructors and the teaching assistants. I had a look the other night and it's really neat and will give you a better idea of what the group as a whole is doing down here.
http://summerinantarctica.usc.edu/

Thanks for all the fun comments! It's great to hear some thoughts from family and friends at home (and past homes).

j

Hut Point

I've been wanting to write this blog post for a while now, but just haven't found the time to sit down and compile the photos and my thoughts. After a very full week, we have been given tomorrow (Sunday here) as a day of much needed rest. Some are choosing to use the time to run the 1/2 and full marathon that is being held tomorrow on the ice shelf. Me? I'm going to my time to catch up on some sleep, explore a little farther afield and do some more fishing with George and the group to replenish our experimental fish supply.

As the course progresses, we are learning lots about the biology of the continent and the research that is conducted here. The instructors are also taking every opportunity to bring in the history of the continent, past research trips and even the original expeditions to put things in perspective for us. I'm really enjoying these parts of the lectures as it really reminds me to look beyond my immediate surroundings on the station, which on the surface just look like a muddy, brown, work camp.

(I found this shipping container pretty amusing)

This brings me to the topic of Hut Point. It is a small peninsula just on the outskirts of McMurdo Station, with a wooden hut and a cross on the hill. The first few nights I just thought of it as a lovely walk to get some fresh air and a nice viewpoint over the seasonal ice. Also a good spot to see Weddell seals lazing on the sea ice.

(Some redcoats, as we are called, looking out on the ice from Hut Point)

In one of our morning lectures last week, I became enlightened on the significance of the ground upon which I take my evening strolls. Hut Point is the point of landing for Robert Scott's Discovery Expedition of 1901-1904. The Discovery made it as far as McMurdo Sound on February 8th, 1902 and the crew decided it was a good, sheltered location for overwintering. They built a wooden hut that was originally intended for shelter, but became solely for storage due to its draftiness and the crew lived on the ship instead. It was off Hut Point, that the Discovery was allowed to be frozen into the sea ice. The following spring, it was on the same ground that I walk upon, that Robert Scott, Ernest Shackleton and Edward Wilson (the doctor/zoologist) set off from for their first attempt for the South Pole! Discovery Hut still stands in perfect condition and there is a simple, yet beautiful, wooden cross in memorial to George Vince, one of the crew members that drowned in the bay.

(Discovery Hut, built in February 1902, still in its original state January 2010)

(McMurdo old and new)

(Vince's Cross with McMurdo Bay and Trans Antarctic Mountains along the horizon)

(10:30 pm January 16, 2010)

Midweek, the Swedish icebreaker The Oden smashed its way through the annual sea ice, making a channel for the fuel tanker & cargo ship that are due in on Monday (they will bring in the supply of fuel and stores for the winter, and ship out all the waste).

(The Oden in action)

(Heading back out to the ice edge past Hut Point)

This channel now connects McMurdo sound to the Southern Ocean. It has also allowed many more seals to find sunning spots on the ice in the sound and much to my delight, with the open water come the comical gangs of Adelie penguins! Rumor has it that the orcas will not be far behind (the fashionably late dinner guests). Today they were spotted further out in the channel close to the ice edge by some of our group that flew over the ice in helicopter to reach a field site.

(Weddell seal checking me out as he swam by the point)

(Adelie Penguins)

These bunch of clowns have been hanging about the station all week. They have been spotted checking out our ice fishing holes and the divers that go down under the ice to collect invertebrates. It was probably a couple of these Adelies that made the footprints and belly sliding tracks tracks in the pop quiz photo, which was taken along the path to Hut Point. I'm declaring it a tie between Ian and Tina for the correct answer :) I just need addresses to send the postcards!

And now, just like the penguins I saw at Hut Point earlier this evening, I'm calling it a night!

johanne

Pop Quiz

The past few days have been a whirlwind of lectures and safety training. I'm now approved to drive a snowmobile, dispose of waste properly, and safely walk on sea ice. Lots of neat things have been happening around the station too, so I'm trying to get some of the photos organized and post on a particular topic rather than just daily events. In the mean time I'll leave you with a few cool photos/facts and a pop quiz!

j

(Fully outfitted in the ECW gear... standing on the annual sea ice!)

Fact: The US Antarctic program ships over 300 containers of waste back to the USA every year. Of that, 60% is recycled. This means we have to sort EVERYTHING we throw out into the craziest system of garbage bins I've ever seen. And I thought wet/dry sorting was nuts!!

Fact: Antarctica is not only the coldest, windiest, and highest continent. It's also the driest. We're talking Sahara Desert dry. I had no idea. It is being driven into our brains to drink loads of fluids to stay hydrated and clear headed. How much is loads? They suggest 6 litres a day!!!

POP QUIZ: The first person to correctly tell me what the picture below is all about will receive post card from Antarctica. :)