Antarctica: Summer 09/10

Heading Home 18/03/2010

2010-03-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well sadly the time has come for the boat to arrive and sail away for the big old land of Aus. Many a rich memory will be engraved forever in my mind and the Antarctic spirit will live on as I stay in touch with those that will remain for the experience of the Antarctic Winter.

Looking forward to seeing George when I get back and of course everyone else!

Friday 19th March

Well it has been settled and there is little room for a change at this stage but the ship is set to sail tonight as all of the cargo has been stowed and there is only one more helicopter to get into the hanger. It is very likely that we will be on our way within a couple of hours which is just great as the novelty of sitting on the ship has already worn off. Looking forward to a speedy journey home with the chance of getting in by the 28th of March.

See you all soon!

Last trip in the Inflatable Ice Breakers!

2010-03-15T08:43:00.000-07:00

What a lovely day to be out on the water! -120C in the sun when it was there and a light breeze as the three little IRB’s headed for the Sorsdal Glacier and Kazak Island for a number of little jobs. Knowing it was going to be cold I went in ready. Two sets of thermals, socks, gloves and then fleece pants and two fleece tops, neck warmer, balaclava, and beanie. Then over the top was an immersion suit and a pair of sunnies.

You can also see that I nearly got crapped on by a Skua!

The sea ice is starting to harden and make travelling in the IRB’s a little difficult at times as they are not designed to break ice! It is pretty amazing to see the ice as it is actually elastic at the moment and moves with the wake of the boat without cracking. It was about five centimetres thick. Here is hoping that it will not slow down the Aurora Australis too much on its way to get us.

Moving further south towards the Sorsdal Glacier we turned off the engine for about half an hour and drifted while the Soundman recorded the noises of the glacier as it meets the ocean. He did this with his hydrophone over the edge of the boat and really captured some amazing sounds.

We were also given the task of having a look for a piece of Antarctic heritage supposedly on Zolotov Island. It was getting a bit late and colder so we did not look for long. It is a rock cairn placed there or somewhere down this end of the Vestfold’s by a fella called Wilkins many moons ago and was one of the first landings in the area.

Soundman at Trajer Ridge

2010-03-15T08:39:00.000-07:00

The location was locked in for Trajer Ridge for which there were no complaints and we were off to spend a day recording ice forming and the sounds from within the ice or crevasses. After landing on the ice we had quickly had a bit of an exploration towards some of the known crevasses and dropped a microphone down to the bottom of the crevasse on a ten metre cable. The sound guy was very excited about this chance as it was a blue sky day with no wind. Something that he has not had very much of so was relieved and ready for all he could get his ears on! Leaving the microphone in place we headed for some fresh water ice on the nearby lake.

Gingerly stepping out onto the lake to see if it was strong enough I took out the gear and then got him to come out turn it all on after I was satisfied that the ice was indeed thick enough. Leaving it to in place there was nothing left to do but sit and wait quietly as the recorders did there thing. Coming back after a hot drink we moved on to a small stream of water trickling down a creek over ice and rock to another lake lower down the hill.

After getting to the bottom of the stream we found that the second lake was actually very audibly active and was really making a song and dance as it formed. Being a larger body of water it had been open water until recently when it started to freeze. Now it was about thirty centimetres thick and easily capable of holding our weight. The question was could I hack through it with an ice axe to get a hydrophone in?

After much swinging, hitting and chipping away at the ice I had managed to create a hole in the ice! Had I known about the likelihood of having to do this I would have just brought the sea ice drill with me, but alas I was destined to do it with my axe. In the process of doing this there comes a time when most of the hole fills with water and you still need to hack away at it so it can be a rather dampening experience and requires a full Gortex covering.

Job done! We recorded over 6 hours of sound for the day and the hole and the second lake were by far the most amazing noises that I have heard in nature. It did get me thinking about some of George’s music at one stage with almost electronic duff noises and the sounds of high tensile cable splitting and breaking. Good fun and very rewarding as a different way to know the place that is Antarctica.

Another clear night with the LIDAR on and an amazing aurora to boot!

Field Travel Travel Training - the last one! Day 3

2010-03-08T05:24:00.000-08:00

Waking initially as snow fell on my face in the early hours of the morning I continued to drift in and out of sleep. The night brought with it the dump of the summer and I had been sleeping with my bivvy bag open! Lucky me! As the snow fell and continued to build up on the outer surface of the bivvy the weight would compress your sleeping bag until the cold would get the better of you and you would have to shake like a dog until it all fell off to the sides and the process started again.

This is the coffin like trench where I slept! You can see the ground as that is what it looked like last night! New view from the camp at early hours.

The walk through the transformed winter wonderland was just great on the way back to Davis Station! SW Edge of Lake Collerson, Perched Rock (it is a rock that perches precariously funnily enough), through the Portals, NW to Lake Dingle and under Sentinel Knoll before finishing off on the old favourite Dingle Road. Arriving at 09:45 just in time to drop off the poo bag to the incinerator before smoko! What a great trip to get in before I depart within a couple of weeks!

Crazy and crumpy penguin on the way home. Obviously forgot his map when he went for a walk!

Field Travel Travel Training - the last one! Day 2

2010-03-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

Me having a bad hair day obviously! Below is part of the massive Sorsdal Glacier.

The hole that I mad with my ice axe to get water for lunch. The ice won that round as e adze broke off!

We were ready for bed by about 18:00 but I headed up the hill with no takers for a poo with a view! Looking out over the Ellis Fjord and out to the ocean with the icebergs on the horizon as the sun set. There was a solar pillar tonight which was pretty cool as a pillar of sunlight the width of the setting sun shone towards the cloudy sky like the Batman floodlight (without the bat on it!). Getting back down to the frosty campsite there was not a movement by 19:30 so I readied for bed and watched the golden light move up the western facing side of Tarbuck Crag. Beautiful night with your head out of the bivvy!

Field Travel Travel Training - the last one!

2010-03-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

To make up for the fact that I missed another golden opportunity to head off with good weather yesterday after SAR training (there are no helicopters for ‘Jolly’ purposes anymore) a plan was hatched yesterday. There were a few crew coming in the flight to pick up the SAR team to Trajer and we would walk to the untouchable SE corners of the Vestfold’s. Unsuccessful we formulated a trip in the name of training the only winterer not to do travel training yet.

SAR Training on the Ice with Live Victims!

2010-03-08T05:14:00.000-08:00

More SAR training today which was good to see how much had been retained from last week. Today we had the full contingent and I looked after the crew on the ice while Mike was watching a crew on the rock at Trajer Ridge. We collectively had the rock group lower a stretcher to the bottom of a 70m slope which put it in a position to be raised up an icy slope.

Packed up early as the Dr was off the station to drop a sick expeditioner to the Chinese to take home. This cancelled all field parties.

Amery for Data Downloads 2

2010-03-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

AMO5 in the middle of nowhere over nothing but 600metres of ice then water!

As it was the winds were picking up and the sun was setting. Starting our return leg home we had a bit of a tail wind and were hooting across the Amery at 156knots (I am not sure of the conversion but it seemed very fast) stopping in at a fuel dump near one of the Russian bases on the way home for fuel. We had stopped at an Australian Apple Samson Island on the way down and would have used in excess of 1000 litres of fuel during the course of our flight. I shudder to think what that fuel costs per litre after it comes down from Australia and is then flown out by helicopter to the dump sites where it stays to enable flights to go further afield.

Hanging onto the blades of the S76 so they don't flap around n the high winds!

The sunset on the way home was just amazing but also hard to explain or take photos of through the tinted windows on the helicopter. We touched down at about 20:00 after a long and cold day.

Another night on the LIDAR!

Amery for Data Downloads 1

2010-03-08T05:07:00.000-08:00

• Polar Pyramid (party style tent impervious to harsh weather)(25kg)

• Cook box with stoves fuel and all the cleaning and cutlery (15kg)

• Water (20kg)

• Fuel (10kg)

• Generator (20kg)

• Sleeping gear and mats (15kg)

• AMISOR Tech box full of computer stuff and some tools (30kg)

• Survival packs X 2 as there were two of us (40kg)

• HF and Satellite Phone (15kgs)

• Me (fully clothed about 90kg) + Adam(fully clothed 95kg)

• Total 375kgs

What a ridiculous amount of stuff to go on the helicopter for a four hour download! The download is from a site drilled with hot water last year that has a range of instruments at the bottom of the 600m hole in the ice. There are some loggers to record turbidity, temperature, salinity, conductivity and goodness knows what else. Most of these store their information at the device so the download takes a long time to retrieve as it is a very long cable, but some of them record on the surface. To complete the whole download at AM04 (Amery Ice Shelf sit 5) it would take about nine hours. We were dropped off for four and a half so could only get half of the data before having to return. With the unpredictability of the weather at the moment they are not prepared to leave people on the ice overnight as it is too close to the ships arrival to risk.

I had to set up the tent and make sure that the tech was comfy and had assistance with anything that was needed. So hot drinks food and making sure that the tent was sorted in the wind as well as a bit of digging to find buried cables. It was a very strange feeling as the helicopter left us in the deepest of deep field locations and stuck on the middle of a massive ice shelf with only limited supplies. Makes you feel just how small you are in this world of Antarctica as if the winds picked up we may have missed the boat!

LIDAR and Aurora Australis Just Amazing!

2010-03-08T05:03:00.000-08:00

LIDAR is on and visible for the first time this season! This is not the first time that it has been on but it is the first time that you could actually see the eighty to ninety kilometre beam of green laser light travelling straight up into the ionosphere! Bloody fantastic and amazing to see as it really does not go on that much as there is often too much cloud and weather interference to see it or even to bother turning it on!

While I was taking the happy snaps the Aurora Australis or Southern Lights started to shine which was a rather spectacular and radiated wave of green cloud across the sky. It was all a bit much really having a near full moon, the laser and the aurora going at the same time. They seemed to originate from the north and headed towards the west in a random nature that is hard to describe. How lucky was I to be out there taking photo and it just jumped into a shot!

Day after the melon!

2010-03-08T04:58:00.000-08:00

This is a part of Trajer ridge as you can see a very large drop if you fell off!

Finally it was time to go and we were on our way in twenty knot winds to Crooked Lake Apple and then onto Watt’s Hut where we were to be picked up by helicopter. It was offered as our plans had been slowed down due to the winds which stalled our progress back to base! Great walking, and good to see the small changes that have happened along the way.

Here I am "Skating on thin ice"!

Just a funky ice formation found on the walk.

A day in a Melon

2010-03-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

Whole Day in a Melon! A whole day in a Melon that is right a whole day due to the ridiculous winds blowing outside we were trapped in the small fibreglass hut built for three. It was rather cosy but would have been far better should the day have included a bit of a walk towards our original plan of Boulder Hill!

After dinner most of us went up to view the sunset and moonrise from the top of a nearby hill almost being blown up it as we climbed to the top. Great view but still very windy to say the least! This was followed by yet another howling night in the Melon. I will add that the mattresses are terrible in the melons!

Woop Woop as a Weather Tech!

2010-03-08T04:51:00.000-08:00

Another day of indecision! But wait I am going to Woop Woop, no going to go with the Scatman, but no actually to Woop Woop! OMG! How frustrating it is that the weather forecast seems to be all over the shop, it is just the Antarctic way.

It was a max of -40C while we were up there so it was rather difficult to do fine motor skill with your gloves off for long periods or with your gloves on for that matter. Still it was really nice working on the roof of the workshop out in the sun and just great to get another look at the Ice Cap that is the true Antarctica.

Above me excited about being off base again. Below is Nick working on taking down the broken generator.

It was actually good fun doing a little bit of work like this as it was just easy to see progress and have a sense of satisfaction when it all goes together and works! Our ride to and from the Skiway was rather full as we had the AGSO (Air Ground Support Officer) doing some grooming on the skiway that has finished being used for the season, and a couple of free loaders along for the ride. This meant that the helicopter was as full as full both ways. To be fair, they did manage to lend a helping hand to our little project and to the AGSO throughout the course of the afternoon.

There they are the twin 6watt generators to replace the 10watt one that was smashed over last winter! The smaller ones are supposed to be stronger and there is a chance only one will break at a time. Below is the helicopter after it has been tucked in for the night (tied down)!

Jade Berg Cruis'n

2010-02-23T10:26:00.000-08:00

Heading for a spectacular looking berg off in the distance we caught sight Jade iceberg which are not that common and just amazing to see due to their jade like colour (this is a little more glacial blue than green). Ecstatic onlookers went off with the sighting and it was nothing short of spectacular so we circumnavigated it and looked on in awe of it as though looking upon a mythical creature.

Jade bergs form underneath glaciers that are flowing out onto the ocean. They are refrozen sea water that percolates into the underside of the glacier and refreeze in doing this all of the salt is pushed out of the sea water that it forms from. It only happens on a couple of glacial flows in Antarctica so is a real find and worth a mention.

It was a very cold afternoon out on the water but well worth a bit of discomfort!

Berg Cruis'n Leopard Style!

2010-02-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

The Leopard was just amazing to watch and was a bit of a camera slut butting on a great show for all to watch. Being one of those things that you rarely get to see we hung out for a little while to see what he would do and he just worked the camera, sniffed the air, sussed out the boat and cruised along a magnificent berg. What amazing luck to see him out in the open water and in such a playful mood? It was lucky for that Emperor that he did not seem to hungry!

Cruising the Ice Bergs!

2010-02-23T10:19:00.000-08:00

Last of the Adele Penguins on Magnetic Island and the loan Emporer Penguin living dangerously!

Just call us a couple of cool chicks. Anyone know a good hair dresser?

Beautiful icebergs on the cruise!

Jolly Good Time Day 2 Continued

2010-02-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

Coming closer to our final resting spot we stumbled across yet another wonder of melt stream creation. This cave once had a flow of nearly two meters depth running through it and proved to be very hard to get around but has now been refilled with spindrift off the Plateau. Leaving a gap of about half a meter and with a few inches of ice over head it was irresistible to crawl through. Poses were struck and photos were taken by all before heading off again arriving at Platcha Hut shortly after the photo shoot where the adventures were just beginning!

Funnily enough our food and beverage drop had ended up in the right place and was waiting for us in the hut. What else should we do but knock over a couple of beers and a bottle of Champaign before dinner. This resulted in the first outrageous trip to the Heli-deck! Although not that far away from the hut the atmosphere had been set with toasting and posing for an arrangement of shots. At first, rather tame with the timer doing more of your traditional group shots. This soon morphed into a semi human pyramid with supporting crazy people. Then into a bit of acro-balance which I am not really sure how we got to that but it was very fun!

Reflecting back on our experiences of the day and the trip to date it is definitely a memorable moment to exchange the odd chuckle about in the future and the start of long friendships for all! Shortly after this we all crashed out in a blaze glory totally exhausted and satisfied with the Antarctic experience!

Jolly Good Time Day 2

2010-02-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

Once inside it was as if you were in a fairy tale, a very cold one but the light being dispersed through the ice was just amazing and an incredible deep glacial blue that you just couldn’t take your eyes off. The formations were a lot like your typical limestone cave but it did not seem to have been forming for that long as the growth of the stalagmites and stalactites seemed relatively new. The smooth edges could have been formed by running waters or by warmer air currents over the summer months but there was a fresh dusting of snow over the bulletproof ice floors and entrance.

The cavern headed in about six meters perpendicular to the plateau ice and then headed around another ten to the left before heading deeper into the plateau. On the low side of this left hand corridor the edge dropped way to a pool of water with a crusty grey (I think this colour comes from the rock flour that is created by rock being crushed up in the glacial moraine) inch of ice over the top of it. There was more of the dusty flour in small deposits higher up the walls but who could guess at how deep these pools were? As your eyes adjusted the colours intensity was heightened and etched into my mind as one of the truly amazing wonders of Antarctica.

What is a Super Frog doing in Antarctica?

2010-02-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Well you may well ask why there is a Super Frog strain of the endangered Haigh's variety but I have it on goo authority that it may be the first and last in a series of sightings. This was after catching the mythical creature! It was first spoted at the edge of a frozen lake.

Bu he quickly snuck off towards a frozen river just above a step icy waterfall.

Making the mistake of getting onto the Plateau I found my chance and caught the slippery little sucker. He was consumed and enjoyed but all on the adventure in the Happy Little Trajer ridge Melon and was a much appreaciated gift from Mum and Ian. Many thanks for Xmas!

Jolly Good Time Day 1

2010-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

We soon came across and irresistible and recently frozen fresh water lake. Finding great delight in walking over the submerged rocks we soon found ourselves walking on the thin newly formed ice just to see how strong it was. With clear vision of what was underfoot jumping, skating (on thin ice, ha, ha, ha) and moon walking our way to the other side before continuing on our journey.

It was not until we were well on our way into the wind scours that the tummy slides and rap dancing started. Shrieks of laughter could be heard by all abominable snowmen in the vicinity as we first started slipping and sliding across the glassy surfaces of frozen ponds. This soon led to break dancing and power slides after running and launching oneself at high speeds across the frictionless ice.

The trip back down the icy tongue of snow was much quicker than the death defying wind scour section of the days walk. However we were unable to resist the temptation of yet another flat icy frozen glacial lake. Back packs were off and the moves once again came out. The swallow dives were mixed in with a little bit of curling and mini golf but just as fun. Arriving back at our happy little melon in a state of euphoria the plans for the rest of the afternoon and evening were set.

Scatman and Poo Collecting!

2010-02-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Armed with some collection tubes and a spoon each I was off to scrape up the freshest poo I could get our spoons into without causing too much distress to the colony. I think that many of the birds have already departed and headed for the sea to fish and feed and fatten themselves up for the winter. They are still funny chasing around their parents and generally standing about making noise. I was even attacked by one savage little beast who nearly pecked a hole right through my Sorrell boot! Nah, not really but he was very inquisitive and I did think about picking him up and just squeezing the shit out of him into the sample jar but I checked myself as I thought that this may go against working with penguin protocol. Scats scrapped and it was off to Warriner Island for the same process and then onto a colony 2.5kms west from Bandits Hut as the wind was picking up!

Here is the little blighter that tried to attack me and then followed me around, that grey thing is my knee! Below just hanging out with the chicks who have not yet finished their malting. It was only a couple of weeks ago that they were little black downy balls of fluff!

Here is the scat man getting stuck into a whopper of a Weddell Poo! Mmmmm doesn't it make you hungry? Straight off to dinner after this!

SAR Training at Platcha Hut

2010-02-23T09:27:00.000-08:00

This was based out at Platcha for the day and we took six of the winterer’s who are the most likely to be involved in the extraction of injured people. Naturally it was a fly in and out day to maximise the training achieved. Platcha is right on the edge of the plateau and a perfect base from which to train. Steep ice walls, wind scours and ice cliffs although we would not dream of climbing those!

Below you can see the SAR Team resting after stressfull moments in boot chains!

The day aimed to;

• Teach the construction of snow and ice anchors including snow stakes, ice screws and dead-men.
• Linking these together so that they are all equalised to form a system of protection from which to lower and raise each other and victims.
• Use these systems to practice steeper/ slope ice travel techniques while on top-ropes.
• Use a variety of footwear and traction devices.
• Self arrest techniques and not dying!

Packing up at the end of the day.

Strapping in the Helicopters for High Winds and Fuel

2010-02-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is the Sikorsky or S76 as we call it in da business!You can see the brand new Hagglands and the Mack truck in front protecting it from the high winds which hit 60 knots so well over 100km and hour!

Below is one of the Squirel Helicopters which do most of the work down here with a hugemongous digger thing called and IT protecting it!

All the fuel drums are colour coded so that they can tell quickly what they should put in the aircraft. They will only use fuel that is under two years old for the helicopters and they get through a lot bt there is always fuel left at the end of each season. This gets used in the heavy machinery.

Another Day at the Old Wallow

2010-02-23T09:12:00.000-08:00

A couple of Weddell’s were sighted on the way home and were both rather photogenic. The first was all alone and of a healthy size and shape while the second was just a pup and was in the company of the biggest elephant seal we had seen for the day. Very, very quite the little Weddell but the monstrous elephant was just imbedded in the seaweeds that had built up along the coast. So much so that from a distance you could only notice the lighter coloured Weddell but up close you could see the enormous beast submerged in the pile of seaweed and just loving it! He really did look like a big rock and it was not until we were nearly at photo range that we saw his eyes just above the seaweed. Fantastic walk and great to see so much life out there after being in the open cut landscape of the base.

We also made it to the top of the lookout which was good to see. If you look hard you can see legoland in there behind Hardimann Bay.

Survival Training for V3 Expeditioner's

2010-02-12T02:09:00.000-08:00

Well it is starting to get colder and darker again as the sun is actuall setting these days which is a bit of a novelty. As you can see it is often rather spectacular as the above shot was taken on the sandy beach of Lake Stinear (eastern side). Below are some of the windswept shapes that are created on Lake Dingles northern shore.

The Fjord ice is starting to refreeze as flat Gris Ice as the shorter overcast days reduce the melt and start the reforming of a solid platform. Below is just a very cool textured rock with grains of sand stuck in its cracks!

Another sunset this time from just outside the Mess looking South over Marchants Landing and the jetty.

Crab Eater Bashed by Elephant!

2010-02-12T02:02:00.000-08:00

I was also delegated the job of guided walker for the afternoon to get some of the overnighter’s (tourists) off the base and out into Antarctica proper. This was done in the form of a walk to the Old Wallow to look at the Elephant seals and their old, old pile of poo. Great spot but a bit on the nose and we made sure to stop downwind for a cup of tea and a biscuit. While down there we also saw a little Crab-eater seal that was bashed up on the beach near the station a few days ago by a much bigger Elephant seal. Bashed is an understatement and it was thought that the bigger seal had probably broken his jaw by engulfing his head and smashing him into the ground. It was feared that he would already be dead but he seems to be healthy and just relocated after feeling a bit sorry for himself. Here is hoping that he goes through his malt and makes a speedy recovery. It really was stupid to attack something that is at least ten times you size though. Gotta admire his courage but he was likened to a little Jack Russel fighting a German Sheppard.

Some washed up crustaceans on the way to the Wallow and a camoflaged elephant seal hidding in thousands of years of piled up poo and fur!

Art fellow recording the sounds of the Old Wallow. You could do the same at home by just burping, farting and general load groaning!

Spawn of the Sea Urchin's

2010-02-12T01:56:00.000-08:00

Here in the Lab Mel is looking at Baby Sea Urchins which are being studied as they are a good indicator species. Below are some of the cut up Urchin's that they have removed the sex cels from to make more baby urchins.

Urchin's are dried out and then stored which is a little smelly! Some are preserved in alcohol but it is not a good idea to drink it and below are some of the baby Urchin's that are being photographed under the microscope.

The baby Urchin's are then subjected to more acidic mater to see what happens to their shells and development this is best likened to burning them with acid! The acid eats away at their shells which would not be that much fun. Does anyone think they would like to be burnt alive for science?

Rock Star for a Day!

2010-02-12T01:48:00.000-08:00

‘Rock Star’ for a Day! In the Helicopter by 08:10 and off for a half day whirlwind walk and sampling tour from Crooked Lake Apple to Watt’s Hut via every lake and piece of moss we could find. I say ‘Rock Star’ as that is a little like how I would imagine it to feel for the best of the best having helicopters on standby waiting for the call to extract the ‘Rock Stars’ from one place to another over and over. Above is that a Rock Star or Conan the Barbarian? Below some funky Lichen that was sampled.

More Funky Lichen and below is some of the Moss. Unfortunately there are not many actual Rock Star photo's as I was busy being the Star!

‘Rock Star’ back on centre stage as the chopper came in for our extraction again under full power heightening general anxiety of the scientists but getting them on board safely with all of our kit! On the way back the pilot took us over another sight that was something he had a question about as it was a lake that was literally red in colour. Possibly from the algae but we seized the opportunity to get a couple of samples whilst out under the spinning blades! Keeping scientists out of harm’s way while under spinning helicopter blades can be likened to herding chickens. They don’t always do what you think is safe, or realise that they make the pilot very nervous near the back of the helicopter! Anyway samples and scientists on board and off to Davis again touching down at 13:45 under full power before the helicopter took off again with its next load of passengers. More chicken herding and back to safety feeling a little high strung and not exactly in a relaxed teaching frame for SAR training of mechanical advantages and hauling!

Still winding down after a big day on the stage with true ‘Rock Star’ status gained (please note that this status is self appointed and only to be used in the context of making a good story). A very successful day on the whole, completing a fast and furious science sampling program before the arrival of the boat on Voyage Three.

Off the Island and onto Mather Peninsula

2010-02-02T05:11:00.000-08:00

Above is the view from where the helicopter droped us off and below is the spectacular lunch spot just near a moss bed.

Here is the best moss bed that we had found to date and the life in their was just amazing! There was heaps of glopitty glu and sloopity slop. It was a jackpot of life. Below is some hairy looking lichen that was also a first.

Below I thought I should just let you all know that I have found a pram and getting in some practice for when the baby comes! I am ready for it but is the baby ready?

Death Squad on Survivor Hop Island

2010-02-02T05:03:00.000-08:00

As we neared the pond we heard the familiar noise of fast flying birds diving in for attack, those bloody Skua’s. They were being very persistent and we were aware that they may be protecting one of their babies but they were very close to having a trowel put directly in their path of swoop. After dealing with the onslaught of several angry Skua’s we had made it through their perimeter guard line and could move on to the lake.

One of the infamous swoopers! Below a Skua hangs over the colony like a shadow of death waiting for the next little bundle of fluff to destroy!

Skua chicks are usually the reason that you get swooped but often you do not see them untill it is too late! How many can you see in this photo?

The Grim Reapers of the island go through part of their devil worshipping processes and make a fearful sound while they do it!

Our first stop was at a site that we have likened to a Roman bath house. In this case for the Skua’s who bathe in the fresh water to get the blood of their penguin prey off their feathers after a good feed of baby fluffy, cuddly and cute penguin chick. Apparently the adults are too tough and you need to organise a side salad of seaweed! Back to the Roman bath that we had sampled the day before. On arrival we had noticed a dead Skua that had not been there the day before so an official autopsy was required!

No obvious signs of a struggle or abuse other than the fact that its eyes were missing! From here we could only hypothesise about the nature of its death and present condition! Why do you think it died?

Survivor Hop Island Continues

2010-02-02T04:55:00.000-08:00

Above a nice freshwater lake that we were sampling and below the black waters of the 'Pond of Death'

Yes from a distance it looked like a luscious green pond surrounded by the multitudes of baby Adele’s who are only concerned with where there next meal comes from. On closer inspection it was not a mirage but a ‘Pond of Death’ (In a deep voice to make it all the scarier) which was black with the rancid filth of goodness knows what in it. There were more penguin carcases than you could imagine and all in different states of decomposition. This in itself is unusual as there are no bacteria or decomposers in Antarctica but they seemed to be breaking down. The ‘Pond of Death’ may just lure its prey down from the rookery or they may attempt to get rid of their dead or all those who touch it ultimately die!

To top off the day I went for a little pre bed stroll that just took my breath away! Sitting at the Fulmar colony not too far from the Smartie I was able to watch in peace as they all went about their business. Some of the older chicks were unattended but far from helpless as they would sound the alert as fast and loud as they could. Their parents returning from time to time to feed them and see what all the fuss was about, Cape Petrels are also mixed into the cacophony of sounds that are the northern sea cliffs of Hop Island. Their chicks seem to be the ones that are at times unattended so I can only assume that they are older than the Fulmar chicks. Of course no bit of wildlife ever goes undetected and care free. The Skua’s are also there with their spawn of the undertakers never far from the action.

2010-02-02T04:49:00.000-08:00

Up early for a radio sched to get us out of this god forsaken island! It feels like I am on a survivor series. Survivor Hop Island although in this case I have to make sure that everyone makes it out the other side of the adventure. Back to the radio, we found that in fact the game had only just started as we were effectively left on the island to fend for ourselves for the next two to three days. Primarily due to the helicopter demands being very high at the moment with the AMISOR crew getting their stuff off the Amery Ice Shelf, assisting the Russians in the Vest folds and slinging dirt out of the fuel spill site. Well what were we to do but go out and explore some more!

Fortunately for us the island started to show off all of its hidden beauties such as more previously not sampled lakes that could expand the research being done, seals, penguins and a sleeping Leopard Seal. This was of course after we had seen a few other little gems such as a Weddell Seal trapped by drifting pieces of ice and the multitudes of funny little penguinni’s.

Well after an extra day on the island I feel as though I got that little bit more of it. It would have been a pity to leave this morning and not see what we did today. Although this does make it a bit harder for the scientists who are on a tight schedule to get things done before V3 gets in to take them away! A bit selfish of me but I am glad that it has worked out with a couple of extra days.

Day 3 Hop Island

2010-02-02T04:45:00.000-08:00

Bouldering Antarctica was something that I had not really imagined but when the opportunity presented itself it was taken on one of the most spectacular boulders I have ever seen. Obviously very old and not like any of the other boulders in the area it was striped black and white. Possible because of different layers of sediments building up over time and then eroding to form a vast array of contour lines that were solid as a rock so to speak. Just awesome and impossible to pass up as a detour!

Just an awesome rock as far as I am concerned. A lot like a clam Naomi(my sister)!

Fully sick sunsets!

Another amazing nite with pink sunsets and the sounds of the penguins as the sun sets and a ripper of a full moon to boot! You may ask where the moon is? I did only see that one when I got up to go for a pee without the camera and was not going back outside into the cold wind again! Sorry you will just have to come down!

Hop Island Day 2

2010-02-02T03:57:00.000-08:00

Here I am with my Silva ADC weather station that Jimbo gave me getting wind speed and temperature to go with some of the invertebrate sampling that we were doing near the peguin colony. Very handy little gizmo!

We initially gravitated towards the Adele Penguin colony which was just chockers with the fluffy little black chicks of downy goodness. All seemingly as big as their parent they stand in groups like children in a crèche. The crèches are minded by a couple of adults but have upwards of twenty chicks. Tens of thousands of the birds are spread along the length of an elongated piece of land that has multiple scattered groups. Overhead more skuas’ circle ever hopeful for a weak or unguarded chick to make a fatal mistake leading to lunch. The carcasses of those that have not made it scattered the ground and many of the birds now nest on the bones of their brothers and sisters. Many of them watch as the weak or the young that have made the mistakes are consumed within feet of where they were taken.

We did have an interesting conversation about the anatomy of the Weddell seal that we saw just before lunch. My science friends were adamant about a belly button looking thing that had a few scars nearby. It was about a third of the way up the seals belly and I pointed out that I thought it was a penis hole. Anyway to cut a long story short the debate lasted a few minutes while we watched the seal lazing in the sun. Penis, scar, penis, scar, penis, belly button, penis, belly button, penis before the seal proceeded to relieve itself right before our eyes revealing that it was in fact a penis! Ahah, “I told you so” and a great sense of satisfaction that comes from being right. Newly inflated all knowing status of biologist and all knowing FTO and experienced Antarctic expeditioner!

The biggest most bed to date and sampling in a salt lake

Hop Island

2010-02-02T03:50:00.000-08:00

Finally a break in the weather at about 14:30 and it was on. Get it all to the heli pad and get out while we could. This was complicated a little by the amount of equipment that we needed to take. After loading it all in it was found that there was too much for us and the gear so another flight was set to take us spread over two flights.

The rest of the day just got better and better as we walked along the northern coast of the island and found a number of the Fulmar (type of petrel that looks a little like a sea gull) colonies that were also surrounded by the nesting areas of Skua’s. Egg upon egg seemed to be scattered and open on the ground where the skua’s had cracked open the eggs of the Fulmar’s. The fulmar’s nest on the ground but also seem to be only on these northern facing cliffs of Hop Island. Skua’s wait eagerly for their chance to seize any and all opportunities to feed themselves from others misfortunes.

Above are some of the Fulmar nests the closest one has a visible chick under her belly. Below is the Smartie the Apple of Hop Island and below that well I will just leave it to you!

Australia Day 2010

2010-02-02T03:33:00.000-08:00

Fantastic Sunset for the day, a gret way to cap off the day.

This is one of the little obstacles that was just a part of the beach cricket. At about a tonne nobody was going to hit the ball near this little Elephant Seal!

The swim was on and nearly everyone dared to enter the water. Above a disappointed surfer and the head of the marine science who was on beach safety. You may notice Nessy in the background and below is the last group of swimmers for the day and you can see why all were not too sure about it when the mankinni came out!Scary times!

Warren the Rubbish Eater!

2010-01-23T04:38:00.000-08:00

That could be seen as false advertising s Warren is really an incinerator that burns all of the burnable rubbish on base. He is getting pretty old these days and is due for replacement. Warren does a bit of a session a couple of times a week and takes a couple of hours each time. He is a part of the Plumbers domain but everyone takes rubbish over for him to eat.

This is warrens home where we all take rubbish. Below you can see Warren warming up with a full belly ready to go. On top are all of the scrubs and my appendix from the other day in a biohazardous bag! The door will get closed and when the top burner is hot enough one will start up in the chamber with the rubbish.

Fire Drill in the Field Store

2010-01-23T04:31:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the smoke coming down from upstairs it was another full dress rehersal this week. Although I am not in the Fire Team it was good to see them in action and I really didn't have the option to carry on work as they smoked up my office! Two smoke machines totally filled the upstairs rooms to the point where there was no point taking photos.

Here are a couple of our Fire Team Standing by at the business end of the Hagglands. The vehicle is the fire truck and purpose built for the job complete with water, pumps, breathing apparatus, axes and big power tools! Below two more are prepared to enter the building with all of their breathing gear on. They have beeber thingy's that go off when they stop moving for too long which are very effective.

Dave's Appendectomy Was a Success!

2010-01-22T08:54:00.000-08:00

At lunch I found my answer which I thought would just be a quick fix! If the plot is thickening I volunteered to have my appendix removed at 14:00. I volunteered to be the patient for the surgical team to practise an appendectomy. This is one of the more common procedures that may need to be completed over winter with no external assistance. Obviously there is a doctor down here for winter but they like there trained medical team to have had some practice before the real thing!

Here I am having my appendix taken out!

You may notice that this was just a practise and there was absolutely no penetration of David Atkins at any time during the lengthy and extremely risky proceedure! That little blue thing is my appendix which happens to be filled with curried egg!

More of the Hard Training

2010-01-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Platcha Hut with the Russians after a long day in the boots. We had dinner with them and they were very hospitable with the scotch as the Vodka had run out! Below is the view from my bivvy sack.

After the late finish last night I let the crew have a bit of a snooze to recover from the long day so it was not until 09:00 that we all rose. Not really fresh as a daisy the aches and pains of the previous day set in after a night of strong winds. The winds have the effect of whipping the bivvy bag into your face so that you are frequently woken with this cold slap to the face! This does not make for the most relaxing of nights as I am sure you can imagine!

The waters run red with the concentratioon of iron in the lakes. We walk over some amazing ice features and caves. This one slumped in the middle under the weight of the dirt ontop of it.

This little Oyster is a rather uncommon variety for the location and the first of its type that I have seen.

More carnage! This Elephant seal is years old and still maintains its shape after having its eyes pecked out and a large amount of holes down its sides.Still has a satisfied grin on his face as he is a long way inland for this sized animal!

Field Travel Travel Training

2010-01-22T08:37:00.000-08:00

Above you can see footprint from a week ago where we crossed and now it is a little sketchy to say the least! Below, yes that is actually me in the Lawrence of Arabia getup!

From Trajer Ridge Melon we headed NE under the spectacular ice cliffs stopping for a few brief photo ops and a bit of healthy and harmless seal impersonation t o the Plateau. It was not that easy I might add as there were numerous melt streams that were coming down at a great rate of knots. These varied between balancing delicately over thin ice as water rushed below to punching through and having freezing water come into your boots from the hole that your foot is in! Brrrrr!

Every now and then it was possible to feel a moment of weightlessness as you jumped to the other side of a stream only to have what seemed solid on the other side crumble beneath your weight. Once we were on the Plateau we were able to travel at a far greater pace as our feet were already wet through so they could only get colder from this point on. We did go past the ice cliff at GR003958 and ventured back for a closer look! Heading to the western end we found our way into the large cliff and the depression that was being created and walked through travelling up over moderate terrain at it northern end. Great bit of viewing and off for more boot wetting obstacles.

This was while I was pointing out the advantages of not having your boot chains on! This is the be closest thing I have had to gettcng some downhill runs in that I have had!

Here I am about to head over that Ice cliff down to Platcha Hut at the end of the day. the Fjord Ice is really getting a little poor for travel as you can see (still looks great).

Survival Training Take Two For The Week

2010-01-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

This nBeast is the Mill-8 Russian Helicopter which is very agricultural but also very large and capable of lifting shit loads. Weighing in at 7 tonnes it has a Gross of 12 tonnes. Notice that it has three engines and five blades.

Above is walking along Shirokya Bay and the view afterpoint from our campsite at Deep Lake.

Fuel Spill and Near Miss!

2010-01-22T08:14:00.000-08:00

The Squirrel that came into view was slinging a load and it seemed to be having a hell of a bad time with the load to be honest. The load was fuel drums hanging off a thirty meter sling and appeared to be a little uncooperative as they swung around and backwards and forwards. With each swing it seemed to get worse for the helicopter and appeared as though the 700 odd kilos under the helicopter were doing the driving. Precariously it kept rocking as the helicopter jolted around attempting to get the load under control.

Below is the site where the drums hit, you can see how smashed up they are!

It got to the point where the pilot feared for his own safety and jettisoned the load while some couple of hundred meters in the air almost instantly stabilising the helicopter back into control and a sigh of relief could be felt by all concerned as the 600 litres of SAB (special Antarctic Blend) sailed through the air unaccompanied by the helicopter. Looking on in total bewilderment we watched as the drums burst on impact with the ground and exploded fuel and drums lids in three different directions. Lids went flying over 50 metres from the impact site and the drums were literally flattened to the ground just like a tin can that has been jumped on after the ends are removed. The tangled mess of drums and sling cables was still almost as fast as it was airborne. This is really not something that I hope to ever see again out on a bushwalk!

Above is a close up of what the fuel looks likem when it is floating on the surface of the water. Below you can see what the large booms look like when they are employed onto the surface of the water. These are fuel absorbant and float where the fuel is likely to gather.

Mossel Lake

2010-01-17T01:48:00.000-08:00

Here I am at the waterfall that feeds Mossel Lake and you can see the cloudy water. It is the Rock Flour from the Sorsdal Glaciar that is crushing and grinding the rocks into dust. Below is the local mossbed which is not nearly as healthy as that at Lichen Lake but still another place that very few get to as i t is a sensitive area.

Scientists collecting fresh water macro-invertebrates with a small drag net, not a bad spot eh! Below if you look really hard you might see some of the little critters that are in the water as they look like little red lice but are a crustacean!

Wh can guess what these are? They were actually from Lichen Lake area but did not fit in that blog entry.

Lichen Lake

2010-01-17T01:41:00.000-08:00

Scientist collecting moss from Lichen Lake which is a sensitive area and really not visited without a environmental permit. Below is some of the moss which is the greenest thing I have seen apart from Penguin poo with bile as they are hungry. Very juicy and looked great as it was giving off gaseous bubbles.

The infamous Lichen Lake was pretty sweet and it would be great if you could walk there but it would take about four days from base! Here is some of the special and sensitive lichen growing against the odds in Antarctica.

The Last Piece of the Walls and SAR Training

2010-01-17T01:34:00.000-08:00

Team Trades is very excited as they were able to put the last fibreglass piece onto the new building which means they will be onto the windows and sealing it all up. The panels are more than 1000kgs each and have a lot of fancy stuff inside them including carbon fibre sheets to discharge static electricity built up as the wind blows across the surfaces!

SAR Training this week was at the climbing wall and expeditioner's had to rope up for glacier travel and then prussic up and down the ropes. It was not always done with great ease!

The Boat is Back!

2010-01-17T01:27:00.000-08:00

V2 was here and things go a little crazy.

Down at the warf the crane unloads the barge! This was all I saw on the Monday as I felt soaked to the bone after absorbing some 70+ sink loads of water throughout my hands and arms not to mention a good dose of every dish that was served up for the day. I am staggered when I actually reflect on the fact that aside from 14:30 to 15:30 I literally washed dishes continuously for the day. There is no way in Hell that I ever want to come back as a full time dish pig.

Another Walk to the Old Wallow

2010-01-17T01:23:00.000-08:00

A shadow as fast as a speeding bullet gave me a bit of a fright to the point where I went into the duck and cover mode. Why is it so? Well I was heading towards a small fresh water pool of water where there were several Skua’s bathing themselves. They are really ugly birds and think that they are at the top of the food chain as there is nothing that eats them. I guess they are right with no predators! Swoosoohhhh, there goes another I was under attack so instinctively went for the camera first. After taking a few shots of the over confident birds swooping at me I went for the next move. A rock opening return fire (that was just the internal thoughts I did not actually take to trying to harm the scavengers of the Antarctic).

Skua just taking flight

Elephant Seal catching some rays.Moving onto the wallow I found that the seals had actually moved around a little which involves a hugemongous amount of effort on their parts. Getting their big bluberous bodies about is quite a sight! Slightly grossed out and satisfied with a few photos I moved on back towards the station but not via Skuaville.

On the way back I stopped in at the resident Emperors who are well into their malting at the moment and look rather funny with big patches of feathers missing. They appear to be very irritable and look like they have been sleeping in the gutters after a few big nights. The big patches of malt look like something has taken some bites out of them in a few places and then stripped all the meat of their streamlined flippers. They are likely to be around for a bit longer at this rate and based on the nuclear green poo around the place they are rather hungry to boot! So much to see before lunch!

Looks itchy doesn't it?

Popped in for a Coffee with the Met Team and Played with Balloons!

2010-01-09T05:19:00.000-08:00

One of the Weather Observers is a red hot Barrister so I had the second coffee since leaving Oz and settled in for a chat! Back out there at 16:00 as they release weather balloons every twelve hours (04:15 and 16:15). I was even able to do the release but only after donning the special flash suit due to the extraordinary dangers that I would face!

The weather balloons are filled with hydrogen just like the Hindenburg Airship (blew up in 1937) which is made on site. They are highly flammable as a result so there are some safety procedures to follow. This is where the Hydrogen is made by passing an electrical current through water to seperate it out into oxygen and hydrogen (the O2 is released and the H2 used in the balloons).

Here is one of the forecasters, forecasting for the Casa aircraft that are trying to get about with the Treaty Inspection Team at the moment.

This is one of the observers who useually releases the ballons and monitor its travel up into the atmosphere for about 1½ hours and have GPS, air pressure, air temp, wind speed and some other stuff to record. The balloons are not that expensive but by the time the unit is on the bottom it is all up about $400 a shot ($400 x 2 per day x 365 days a year x 40 years of observations or more = $11,680,000 to date which does not account for the 2-6 that don’t work or get caught up on stuff or just smash).

This is their building and surrounds on the station.

Swimming and Closure of the Fjord Ice

2010-01-09T05:09:00.000-08:00

Here we are walking along the Tierney River on the Way to Crooked Lake Apple.

Not a bad day at the office!

This was not me but a Taswegian who felt the need to do. I had my fingers crossed that he would not go into cold shock as I did not want to go in after him with the ice still on the lake.

The Fjord ice is on the way out and was officially closed today. This was close to where we crossed in Ellis Fjord and looks hideous which is why it was closed after we returned to base. The last ones to walk on the ice for the summer. No more boot chains and ice axes from here on!

High Fashion in Antarctica

2010-01-09T05:02:00.000-08:00

Who is that masked man?

A big day in the sun and heat much like it was last time although I did bust out the Frill-neck that it is not really a fashion show down here but some images have to be maintained and is really crossed several fashion rules of mine. Really more like putting a bag over your head. Thank goodness no one knows who you are once it is on. I did have many flashbacks to the torn pillow cases of New Zealand at the start of last year with George. The pillow case does have a little more panache!

This is what it looks like under the ice, under one of the large windscours. Using this highly complicated technique of stepping through into the water you are able to then pu the camera in for a better look. Notice how it is thinner closer to the rock but that it also slopes away or undercuts the area that looks solid. This is a common trap for young clacial walkers who end up with wet boots.

Just some funky bubbles in the ice under the surface. No ide how they form like that!

This is just one of the many glacial lakes that can be found at the bottom of depressions or in this case a windscour. I love the glacial blue it just makes you want to dive in!

Another Day of Pirates on the High Seas

2010-01-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Perhaps one of the funniest things that I have seen so far happened today! A penguin jumped in the other boat while we were sitting next to it. The poor little Adele had his first shot at it and failed miserably as he bounced off the rubber boat as if it were a jumping castle. Undeterred he had another go with a bigger run up and cleared the side of the boat landing in the lap of the passenger. Both of the people in the boat had very little idea of what was going on so it was a great surprise when they realised what it was. I believe that shit scared was the initial reaction and leopard seal is the first thing the dive crew think. Adele is funny though. Initially it was very short of breath and a little terrified as were the crew. However, it squawked about and had a bit of a look around the boat before getting up onto the side of the boat and walking to the front before jumping off. Loads of laughter and a few photos to boot!

Here are some of the fish and yes they do look a little like flathead but I am told they are Antarctic Cod. Apparently they flap around for about five minutes after they have their heads chopped off as they have very slow systems due to the cold. Did I mention that the water down here could be colder than Hugh Gorge?

The Starfish of the day. What a whopper!

Cirrostratus clould is very common down here but it does not usually mean much. I do like how it looks i the sky though.

First Day of Boating

2010-01-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

The silver pole is not for pole dancing but is a Daviid arm! The other thing is a little like a rabbit trap when it is set but it snaps shut when it hits the bottom. Ideally it gets sediments off the bottom without getting wet!

Back to the boats, there were just four of us going out to do some sediment sampling which as it suggests is getting some sediment off the bottom to see what is there. Not a very glorious or sexy (sexy science are things like tagging seals or weighing penguins full of glory and danger) piece of science but far better than the shed. Two boats have to go out each time so Mike and I were boat hands to help with the Daviid arm which is just a bent pole stuck in the boat that helps to get samples up and out of the water. There is a bit more to it but the rest of the scientists were cutting up sea urchins again so were unable to go out for the afternoon. We were able to get a few funky worm like thingy’s out of the sediment and the description of what they could do was far scarier than the sight of the 10 cm worms! The best finds for the day were some big fat juicy sea cucumbers that were bigger than tennis balls and were caught with the anchor. This is not the preferred way of catching them but they just came up on a large piece of kelp when the anchor was pulled from the bottom. An opportunistic find so in the bucket they went!

There is the fatest and juciest sea cucumber I have ever seen!

Its Been a Hard Days Work

2010-01-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

An important part of getting things done and being the all knowing guru of the outdoors is really just preparation! Yes some may say that it was not really needed to do practise sessions for ropework but it does help to know the areas that you are working in. Below is Mike with our cluster of ropes set up for a SAR trainning exercise that we will have them do later on in the year.

This is a photo of my boots while waiting for the taxi to arrive and take us back to the base with all of the rock climbing gear. It was actually very heavy comprising of a couple of 20-23kg (this is not an exaggeration as it had to be weighed) plus our survival gear. You can see that the one and a half hour wait for the taxi was a bit hard to take.

Here is the taxi landing which is just to the other side of my pack!

As glorious as it may seem we had also been down to a depot (that is just a big box full of emergency gear) to clean out unsuitable items. What luck some questionable fuel and a pee bucket with a couple of floaters bobbing up and down (yuk)!

Walk to the Wallow

2009-12-30T08:23:00.000-08:00

Well I was having a bit of a day off today as it had been deemed needed. Who am I to argue, so I found myself twiddling thumbs and getting antsy to go and do something. These are the main highlights of a 3hr walk out the the Old Wallow. The first pair of characters being these two Emperor Penguins that are a long way from any colony. How imbarassing for them!

Next stop was at the Wallow where the stence of the Elephant Seals started to get to you nose a good half a km away. They just think they are so cute and soooooo sexy lounging about on the beach in the sun! Check out these hotties, Hubba, hubba!

I didn't really like the way that this one was looking at me. They are constantly burping, belching and farting and it was a lot like being at home really.

Some red sea weedy stuff that was floating in the water was really just a nice colour change!

This little guy nearly landed on top of me when he launced himself from the water.Making the most of it he put on quite a show for the camera. Adele's are just wackers arn't they!

SAR Training and a Room with a View

2009-12-29T02:25:00.000-08:00

This was just a little session the Dr and I ran on the Oxi-viva, medical kits and secondary surveys. It was just a part of the SAR training schedule that will be happening once a week.

This photo is the current view from my room. It is much nicer with the snow outside for a change. Currently has been snowing for 3 days and it really makes it all look a lot nicer than it usually does.

A Symphony of Sounds

2009-12-29T02:18:00.000-08:00

The sound of the fresh water lake ice was a real hoot. As you walked across the questionable surface protruding ice pieces broke off creating a little musical as you walked. The sound of the ice scattering across itself sounded a little like a gordy chandelier in the wind just tinkering over and over. It was a little hard to drown out the sound of the boot chains as they wreaked havoc with the crystal structures of the lake.

Boxing Day Trip into the Wilds

2009-12-29T02:11:00.000-08:00

Spectacular ice cliffs, wind scours, hallucinations, ridge lines, melt streams, frozen lakes, sunscreen in eyes and more to cap off the walking. Arrived at the Melon at 18:30 and collapsed inside out of the sun. What a relief! Bloody hot in the sun, in fact sweating bullets would really sum up the afternoon! Great view as we skirted along the Plateau but the sun softened snow really is annoying!

The above photo is along the southern side of Trajer Ridge looking west towards the Melon. Below is a photo of just one of the many cool rocks in the Vestfold Hills.

The next couple of days proved to be more of a winter paradise as the wind and snow was constantly driving into our faces.

However I did find time to pose as an Xmas Star in brief moment oif clarity. Watts Hut is just out of sight behind the rock at knee height on my right hand side!

Santa's Here and Tucking in the Penguins!

2009-12-29T02:03:00.000-08:00

As we all gathered outside with the chill in the air, Champaign flowing and the pancakes of leftover sea ice floating along the beach we heard the distant rumble of a Hagglands racing across the rocky ground. As it came into sight Santa was seen hanging out of the escape hatch on the roof! As it drew nearer there was some general concern growing in the crowd as the overzealous driver realised that the Fire Hagg with its 1 tonne of water (The sleigh) was a little heavier than expected. Having difficulty stopping due to the downhill facing weight it drifted through the crowd towards the cliffs! These were narrowly missed as Santa pulled his head in very fast and it continued down the road. Circling around and stopping Santa got out of the Hagg along with his Elves. Santa was dwarfed among the Elves as they were the tallest people on station and he was the shortest.

At the end of the day many kicked on into the night but it was all quiet on the western shores as these little fella's caught a few Z's to get over their Xmas feeding frenzy!

Xmas Eve

2009-12-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

A great looking after noon and night wth the pancake ice hanging around out the front of the station! The best time for photos seems to be around midnight at the moment.

Xmas Eve drinks were shared by many in the new Living Quarters (LQ currently under construction). I am sure you can see what a struggle it will be sitting up here when the rest of the building is completed. There are all the pancakes in the background.

Snow Petrel in Flight

2009-12-24T10:56:00.000-08:00

These birds are great to watch but hard to get a photo of as they are all over the place chasing the winds. They will come in for a look at you and cut a couple of laps until you are ready to get a shot of them. Then they take off until the camera is away and you are walking again. Cheeky little sods! This is really for that twitcher "George Landy".

Wake up Grumpy!

2009-12-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

I have had a couple of nights out in the Antarctic wilderness avoiding snoring, sweaty socks and group farts.

"Believe it or Not!" This is what I look like at 03:00 after waking up outside on a rock ledge thinking that I have slept in and am getting sun burnt. The cure for this is far easier to just zip yourself into the bivvy bag and pretend it was just a dream unless you need to pee. "Where is the damn pee bottle anyway?"

Trajer Ridge

2009-12-24T10:43:00.000-08:00

This is the 'Happy Place' known as the Trajer Ridge Melon. Standing on this small rocky outcrop that is alongside a massive 7km tongue of ice that stretches off the plateau. Put in for science in the late 80's it has simply just managed to hold on as it is a great spot to come for field trips and recreational persuits.

All work of course! This is just one of the smaller cracks that you have to negotiate along the way it is about two feet across at this point and it has only a thin film of ice before a botomless drop to your death!

Still working, following the group as we come back down towards the Melon. We are actually walking along the tongue of ice from the plateau. It is steeper and sliperier than it looks.

More cool bubbles frozen in the ice of one of the small water pools along the way. Must be the Antarctic frogs farting (ok blowing bubbles) under the ice and then getting stuck in time.

Chinese Visitors

2009-12-24T08:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, even in Antarctica you can get the occasional visitors from another country. The Chinese came to visit for a day this week as they were in the area and thought they would pop in. There voayager's felt very lucky to be just inside the first 2000 Chinese people down here. To put this in perspective though it is only the second year they have come. Insidentally that is a very large boat!

Marine Plain Apples and Melon for Lunch!

2009-12-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

This is what the Apples and Melon look like at Marine Plain!

It may have been the only time that I will get out to the Apples that were originally put in for science research in the area. Marine Plain is a large Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) just south of it; this is due to the fact that there have been a number of sightings of fossilised dolphins. Not special in itself but they are dated before the time lines have placed dolphins and are extremely well preserved as they have appeared to die in the water and fall to the bottom being covered over by the sediments and etched into history. Unfortunately that means that you need a permit to go in there so it was not to be today. The Apples have been in for a number of years and have just hung around as they provide something good to head for and have their own little bit of history.

First Fatty Boomba Elephant Seal of the Summer

2009-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Here it is a young elephant seal doing what they do lying around on the beach waiting for all the hot chicks to come and play. Although he is close to the water here there will be hundreds of them arriving over the next few weeks and they will hang out on their own accumulated piles of shit!

These date back hundreds of years and scientists actually come and get core samples of it! Close up it resembles a bunch of manky old doormats all piled up. It was a bit on the nose now but it will get far worse. You can see the piles of poo and poo juice below!

Yummo just as well we were stopping for lunch as I was getting hungry!

Sea Ice There one day Gone the next!

2009-12-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

A day is all it took this week to go from sea ice as far as the eye could see to a beach resort! Pretty amazing that 1.7m of ice can break up and dissapear overnight.

Satelites and SAR

2009-12-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

Amazingly these are the same thing above and below, the ANARE Satelite dome and dish which makes it possibly to talk to all those people back home and to send any other info that is needed like this blog update. Friday Drinks was had on the inside of the dome and the below photo is of the outside of the dome.

Search and Rescue Training kicked off on Saturday morning. This is one of the heli pilots making sure that nothing delicate gets broken while getting the stretcher into the tight space of the Squirrel. That is with the passenger seat and rear seats removed!

The sights of the last of the sea ice!

2009-12-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

Here is an Adele Penguin up close and personal.

Weddell seals hanging around their hole in the sea ice.

The pool of water they were hanging around. They do actually get in every know and then to break up the ice and cool of after sunbaking.

Weddell seal sunbaking and soaking up the rays!

A Weddell seal just keeping a watchfull eye on what is going on in the world.

Tide Cracks Can Be Hazardous!

2009-12-19T05:42:00.000-08:00

The next task is in a way the least favourite, most nerve racking but also rather exhilarating. Coming to a stop at a safe distance to survey what the tide crack has to offer I confidently get off the quad with ice axe in hand ready to poke and probe. This process is supposed to make me and the expeditioner’s feel safer as though it is an exact science! When the tide is out this process can be done with some confidence as you can walk the tide cracks without getting wet but when you cannot see the bottom and you cannot walk the route it is a bit of a stab in the dark as it were. The first crack that I came too was deeper than the length of my ice axe handle and already had the surface 1cm refrozen just to make it a little more interesting.

Gulp (large gulping noise)! Should I hold my breath (option one)? Cross my fingers (option two)? Look like I know what I am doing (option three)? Break down and cry (option four)? I lock in, look like I know what I am doing then start the engine and find 2nd gear.

Icy Chess Pieces

2009-12-14T05:01:00.000-08:00

I spent the afternoon coming back down Iceberg Alley a couple of nights ago and it was just amazing!

In disbelief at the sheer number of icebergs we weaved our way through them just like mice through a maze. Each of the icebergs stood like a solitary piece from a chessboard that was made of the purest crystals. Many of the icebergs had the resemblance of castles from medieval days of old when knights protected the virginity of the women they desired (maybe I should write a romance novel while I am down here). The deep blue colour of the sky and recesses of the icebergs cracks mimic each other as though they were looking in a

mirror.

This is not always fun and games as it is often that the quads get a little stuck in the driffs of snow. This is usually just a bit of huffing and puffing to get it out but in this instance I decided to watch!

Has anyone seen a gas station?

2009-12-14T04:52:00.000-08:00

Although one may think it unusual to find both bottled gas and 600 odd litres of petrol this is a common sight at each of the huts in the Vestfold Hills. These are sling loaded in by helicopter and were freshly painted last year before these were put out there. I guess the fresh sea breeze is not as good as you think. This particular drop is about 1/2 a tank of fuel away from the station so it is not such a bad idea to fill up before returning.

An Odd Couple!

2009-12-14T04:47:00.000-08:00

These guy's were spotted a couple of days ago and clearly seem to be a little out of sorts. A David and Goliath type relationship I think! The little fellow is and Adele which by himself makes perfect sense as he is very close to an Adele Rookery, but the juvenille Emperor is just miles away from any hope of mating. Somebody will get a surprise if this unlikely couple gets together!

Gone Fishing!

2009-12-11T04:02:00.000-08:00

I managed to get onto a fishing/wading collection of marine life for the aquarium today and found it rather interesting to see the scientists with their dry-suits on and their child restraint harnesses. These were to stop them being swept away by the current and were held onto by their dive assistant. They collected a large number of sea urchins, a couple of starfish and a small fish along with a few other little critters. The tide crack is where I went fishing with my ice axe. It was very gently to collect sea urchins from the bottom without getting ridiculously cold. I do not have any photos of this as it was my head down the hole! We got there in the local taxi/ helicopter service (the public transport system takes you where ever you want to go down here). The other photo is of the sea ice edge as it is breaking off. These pieces break off each day with the rise and fall of the tide!

Training Trip Survival Training and Quad Travel

2009-12-11T03:52:00.000-08:00

As you can see from the rugged appearance and the large numbers of icebergs in the backgound I am still down in the great southland. Having to pinch myself sometimes when i wake up in the morning as George is not there to do it! Had a great trip with a crew of 6 people doing their survival and quad training. The picture of the quad was part of the recovery section of the quad ridding training. It shows 3 ice screws in sea ice with a 3:1 pulley system. There were 3 people pulling and they were ablbe to drag the quad with its breaks on and the person on top (total weight approx. 350kgs) more than 10 meters. Great fun and we then took out the best 2 ice screws and found that it was still strong enough to pull the quad off 1. Thge photo of me is around the Bandits Hut area which is as far as we could travel in a day of quad training and area familiarisation.

This is a shot of one of the expeditioners after there night out in a bivvy bag. Would you believe that there was 3-5cm of snow on that person, the lake and the surrounding hills at 01:00 that morning and I had thought I will just get a photo in the morning, but by 06:00 it had all but disappeared. The snow in the background are semi-permanent snow patches left over from winter.

Slippery Stuff on the Ski's

2009-12-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

A very busy weekend saw me take to the continent using two of my favourite forms of transport. Although they were not always cooperative!

'Tour de Antarctic'

2009-12-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

In true track racing style I was out of the seat pushing the biggest gear I could in an effort to get a really great shot on the camera across a broad ice section and up what looked like a solid snow bank on the other side. After crossing the ice with low angled sun reflecting off it I smoothly made the ascent of the small snow wave (more like a dune of sand for the desert dwellers)before the sickening feeling of the front wheel being pulled towards the icy depths below the snow. Stopping over a far smaller distance than it had taken me to speed up I stopped as my entire front wheel was swallowed by the soft drift of snow. Not having enough time to even consider what had happened I sailed for what felt like an eternity through the air landing with all of the grace of a seal as its body slothfully lands on the ice when getting out of the ocean. Looking back my bike was exactly where I had left it!

Unlike the sand where your bike falls to the ground it was still upright as the snow or either side of the wheels held it in place. Gathering my thoughts I found myself removing snow and ice from the inside of my shoes and gloves, up under my bike knicks, between my eyes and sunglasses, down my back melting into my bum crack (incidentally this later started to refreeze)and between the holes in my helmet! What a stack in true ‘yard sale’ (this is a term commonly used by skiers when they see a total beginner having a big stack and leaving items of equipment and clothing all of the slope in the process) style.

The rest of the ‘Tour de Antarctic’ was relatively tame and after a gruelling 15km in nearly 2hours we returned to base with a broken chain, buckled rim, sore coccyx and deflated spirits! Nah, everything but the deflated spirits and I might add that I had no mechanicals and was not harmed (nothing but pride that is) in any stages of the ‘Tour’.

Out to the Amery and the Land of the Never Ending Sunset

2009-12-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a ripper but had a bit of a slow start as my day was due to start at 17:00 with a helicopter flight out to Zhong Shan the Chinese base to drop off some BBQ gas fittings, Sansom Island where there is an Australian Melon Shelter and fuel depot, on to the Amery where the AMISOR drilling project was running to drop off cheese, newspapers, extra sleeping bags and a bannana cake! Really we were there to go and survey the next drill site with a couple of the team members. After the all clear it was back to the base finising by 02:00 for a late dinner.

Although I did go out on the sea ice monitoring program to have a look at the progress of the deteriorating conditions. Here is one of the guys pulling out the 2 meter long drill bit. You can see some water coming out with it. Funilly enough there are also krill coming out in this spout of salty water. It does stop and settle down but looks good when it first happens.

My Room in Antartica (This is really for George!)

2009-12-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

Well it is not much and most likened to a dog box office and bed combo for two! Thank goodness there are not two in there as that would be the pits. Not much but it is my mess. At the moment I have just got back from one trip and about to go on another. The door does not open all the way as that is where my dirty jocks and socks are! I have only just done my first load of washing this evening so it does open a bit more but there are heaps of things hanging on the back of the door to restrict this too! I really use the floor as a low shelf and that seems to work for me but I occassionally regret having multiple ice axes on the floor.

Beached As in the Antarctic

2009-12-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a busy few days here in the cold! Started trianing of the expeditioners three days ago and didn't stop until now. It was quad/ survival due to time constraints the first day with a half day quadding trip looking at navigation and travel then half day walk and bivviy out on an Antarctic beach. Yes Beach that is 51 meters below sea level, so the lowest and saltiest in the Southern Hemisphere and maybe the World. Anyway there were some Adele Penguins there on holidays from the ocean. I guess it is like the ocean to them as it is far saltier than the water of the southern ocean and will not freeze until -18 degrees or something ridiculous like that! You can see the petrified seal that really didn't taste very good but softened up after an hour in your mouth! Changeover at lunchtime then another 24hr trip for familiarisation for crew that had come from Mawson and Casey. Plenty of things to see and do and heaps of really cool rocks. That is really all there is to look at other than a few dead things and the ocassional penguin. No I lie there were a few Wilson's Storm Petrels which nest under rocks and make a very odd noise if you are near the nest. No such luck as to spot one on a nest as they are well hidden. They were heard on the way up Mt Lied at 126m above sea level you go from the ice straight up and have panoramic 360 degree views out to the icebergs and to the plateau which extends 4000km to the pole and beyond.

Another Week and More Experiences

2009-11-28T23:06:00.000-08:00

Here out at Woop Woop I have spent the last three days in Isolation.
It is up on the Plateau and was reasonably difficult to get to and is the location of the summer skiway. The Groomer is a monster and there are lot of fuel drums and a hut

This is the infamous Sprunky Van named after its maker. It was very cosey when three of us were stuck in it during a blizzard. You can see the Hagglands Blizzed in to the right. It has a radar ontop of it and the skidoo is on its right.

Here I am after the blizzard in the true Antarctica which goes on for 4000 kilometers behind me, all exactly the same on the Plateau. You can also see what happens when blizz gets into your skidoo and what the task of getting it all out before starting work for the day must involve. A lot of hands in cold snow to get the Blizz out of the engine bay to start. We were all picked up after the day of the blizzard via helicopter and returned to the base in time for the Saturday Night Dinner!

It's Hard to Believe That I use a Helicopter to Get to Work!

2009-11-23T07:29:00.001-08:00

This was the view over the Plateau from Woop Woop (This is where the two Casa aircraft will be based for the Summer operations. It will be their runway!). It is a long way away and I had to look at all of the terrain to take up the groomer and a Haggland. You'd spend hundreds and thousands doing what I have done in a week in Antarctica. love it!

Aerial views are a great way to suss out which way you are going to go. We just stopped in all the dangerous spots for the vehicles and went and walked it! Giving it a good probing makes everyone feel more confident!

Today was a real struggle as we had to use the Helicopter for the first time. This will be the main form of transport for me over the Summer when the Sea Ice breaks out. Well Choppa out and walk back! Don't worry about the tax payers as I am paying enough tax for a whole workplace to make up for it.

Day 3 Quading and drilling!

2009-11-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

Penguin walk foir the Crew out to Gardiner Island. I finished work today at 10:00pm!

Standing outside Bandits Hut. This is one of the more remote locations and took most of the day to get there an back.

Quadding in Antarctica down the Long Fjord.

Helmet Cam! Slick ice in the bckground, even at speeds below 30km the quad can do all sorts of nasty things due to no traction.

This was early in the morning wile testing the sea ice for safety to support up to 20tonne vehicles. 80cm is good and less than 60cm would be questionable for the heavy trucks.

Day 1 & 2 - Antarctica

2009-11-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

This was a long day! The flat green thin is the fuel line coming from the ship 3.6kms to the shore! I had to help set it all up in 200m sections then drive a quad up and down for the day to make sure there were no leaks.

Day 2 was being the "sllushy" or dishpig and there are no photos of that as you should know what someone washing lots of dishes looks like. Try doing it for 123 people and see if you want photo's of it!

Land Ho!

2009-11-21T09:44:00.000-08:00

It had been a much anticipated vision to see the base and final destination. Although it was also frustrating as it would be another 3 days to get there through the thick fast ice which the boat had some difficulty with. Often becoming stuck or stopping to let the helicopters off.

It does look like the ship is not there yet but at 3.6km off the shoreline it is parked in at a distance but truly stuck! All of the heavy machinery can drive over the ice to get the 100's of tonnes of equipment and supplies off the ship! The ice is up to 1.75cm thick that is almost as tall as me and as hard as reinforced cement.

Natural Wonders from the Voyage

2009-11-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

The birds are really for George but I hope everyone else likes them too.

Super dooper sunset that just kept on going and going!

Emperor penguins jumping into the water in front of the boat!

Leopard Seal with her Pup. A very rare sight indeed as the use the sea ice to raise there young away from any colonies. Very scary looking and antisocial although sometimes social I guess as that is a baby!

Weddell Seal -pronounced Wedd ell Seal is just seal siting on the ice and in the process of loosing fur! These guys were everywhere as we got closer to the continent.

Very hard to catch when surrounded by snow! These are Snow Petrels which are a lot smaller than the GT below

Fantastic Bow wave from the Bridge! This did happen a little too often in the open seas as the boat was chockers.

GT or Giant Petrel taken from the boat. They are amazing to watch as they can ride the wind uplifted from the waves just as eagles ride the thermals.

Another amazing night which I can not really explain!

All Hail King Neptune!

2009-11-20T10:25:00.001-08:00

Initiation by the King! Yuk! Well a wise women (sister Naomai) asked me if I had crossed over to talking pirate. Funny as it seems me hearties she was right on the money. There had been a number of instances where the activities resembled the days of old. Where Parrot's were for your shoulders, hooks replaced your hand and a wooden stump made do for e peg leg!

Let it be known - That from the salty, salpy depths we stir.
Your ship makes good speed, but time is ours.
And all that cross the veil of South
Must stand before the Ocean's Law.

It is declared that Dave Atkins has paid humble and due honour to this passage and is o sound but watery character.That I, Australis King Neptune, Ruler of the Southern Ocean and its winds, shall take the right to cast an eye upon all those of sodden feet, who wish to cross this Southern realm, and land on icy shores.So, if pleases us that the holder of this certificate be now dubbed a South Polar Sea Dog, to take pride in the brine that will now course through their veins. And that the same South polar Sea Dog be seen to be a true and trusted salt, respecting all, and will know the snaggletooths and sea devils as friends.

This is probably the worst I have smelt for the entire trip and was after I had already cleaned up with some paper towel. The stench of the old fish guts, kitchen scrapes and juices, Vegemite and goodness only knows what else was enough to make some people vomit when the seas were almost calm!

You really cannot see the fish scales and all of the juices down the back of my neck in this photo. to cap it off the crew turned off the showers for a little while very, very funny!

All is quiet in the Southern Ocean!

2009-11-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

These were the conditions that brought many a stumach unstuck on the high seas. I have maintained food going in and out of the appropriate orafices throughout the Voyage. There was some outside assistance in the form of 6 kwells tablets in total. Many did loose the contents of their stomachs on a number of occasions and looked rather green for about a week in the middle somewhere.

Some of the Icy Bits of the Voyage!

2009-11-20T09:22:00.000-08:00

These are just a few images of the ice on the travels of the Aurora Australia on the V1 trip to resupply the Davis Station. These offered a mild source of sanity during the day to day voyage. It is a big ocean and I would not recommend sea ice travel in a ship that is actually rather small.

If you are after a comparison have a look at the Yamal, Russian nuclear powered ice breaker for serious bugger off and was that an iceberg or just a speed bump that we obliterated.

This is a shot off the back of the ship. you can see that the safety fences have been put down flat as the helicopters had already done some work. This is really to show the path of destruction behind the ship. Full ice breaking mode has made that channel through the fast ice(has contact with the land and is locked in). It took the whole day to do that small bit from the open water!

This is what a 'lead' looks like. Leads are what the ship tries to find with the help of satelite imagery. If there are plenty of lead the boat uses them to go through the ice faster. Sometimes the leads run out or the boat has to find another way around. It was great fun to go up the front of the ship as it ramed through these more open areas. Heaps of things to look at. Icebergs, penguins and seals which was such a relief after having more than a week with just water!

This is a piece of the sea ice that has been flipped over. The brown muddy sludgy stuff is a type of algae. The krill and the photosynthetic bacteria feed on this and then the penguins and heaps of other things eat the krill. If the brown algae were not there then we would not have any penguins or whales in our oceans. Global warming can reduce how much of this algae there is as it only grows under the sea ice. No sea ice = no algae = no penguins or whales!

This is me standing on the 'Monkey Deck'(the highest deck outside) with loads and loads of pancake ice in the background. The ship is able to push through this stuff at 8-10 knots without too much trouble.

This is what it looked like when the ship was looking for leads through the ice. At times we went around and around and around or backwards and forwards and backwards and forwards just to get through it without burning through 1000's of litres of fuel.

This is a type of ice that forms on the surface of the water and is really like a slushy! You can see it moving in waves from the wake of the ship. We came across this in the early days of moving through the first year sea ice.

Departure Day (Arrrgh!)

2009-10-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

I must admit that I am feeling a little queasy to say the least! After sitting in a room for the morning really not taking anything in. That was after the added stress of having weight limits close to the maximum allowed also in the back of the mind (30kg on the boat, 10 of which are in a pelican case and laptop)!

Anyway it is off to a good greasy BBQ before setting sail. Just the type of food to settle the stomach!

Last Days in Hobart

2009-10-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

This was a project for today! Putting up a tent that resembles a hot house which is huge as you can see. It has a door that does not come attached so we had to cut through the end of the tent to attach it today. Very stressfull when it is a 5 figure ($) tent!

This afternoon I spent my last evening on Australia eating some fish and chips and watching as the Aurora was getting loaded. It really is a big boat! It is all coming to a start now and tomorrow is the departure day. No turning back now!

The Cat is Out of the Bag so to Speak!

2009-10-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

As you can see most of the family managed to get together over the weekend and had a number of great meals over many days. "The Cat" as it were is that George and I are going to be parents! The baby of unknown sex is due shortly after my return to Australia around early May. This is very exciting and perhaps bigger news than heading to Antarctica.

Week 6 Pre Departure Training

2009-10-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

This week of training has been busy as always with the trade off of a public holiday (Hobart Show Day) in there to boot. I have been involved in running training sessions for many of the expeditioners that will be going south this Summer. The areas that have been covered with them are, Radios, stoves, clothing, survival, fire, medical and how to get on the boat.

The photos of the rather sad looking Haggland are as a result of a fire last year after the vehicle was run constantly for a number of weeks to stop it freezing up! Some fuel in a spill tray was able to ignite after it reached a rather hot temperature. Anyway a good enough reason to learn how to use fire extinguishers effectively!

Must apoplgise for the lack of photos in this week but the camera was never in the right place at the right time.

Gnome and Andie in Hobart

2009-10-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Well it wasn't long before the girls got into Hobart that the festivities commenced.
Staying at the exclusive studio apartments at the Henry Jones they lived the high life in Hobart for a couple of days. Fine food and wine on the cards we were also able to give Gnome and Andie a feel for things down south. Brief encounter with penguin spotting and it appears strangling as there were no clubs available!

A trip to Hasting Caves. Which were mapped by by my farther's mother's sister's husband old Uncle Roy Skinner. Enough of the family history lesson. It was great to see them while they did there whirlwind Tassie tour and many good times were shared.

Week 5 of Training

2009-10-15T22:29:00.001-07:00

The highlight of the week has been the Haggland Training. They are a $750,000 vehicle as a fully reconditioned jobbie and at nealy $40,000 for a new track something that needs a bit of special attention. This one used to be at the Falls Creek Ski Resort but AAD got it for a bargain $20,000 a few years ago just as a training vehicle. Kingston has the capacity to fully recondition and upgrade these vehicles on site which is pretty unique.

As you can just see it was a little muddy after a little bit of circle work and bending races between poles 7m apart. They are suprisingly good in reverse as the steering comes from hydraulic arms between the front and back cabins.

Weekend in Launceston with Simon, Rails and Stanley

2009-10-12T04:11:00.000-07:00

After the hectic week in Freycinet I thought a restfull weekend was in order so hitched a ride in the back of an Abulance and found myself on the doorstep of some great friends in Launceston. Great food and conversation was mixed with a speed ascent of Cradle Mtn, Climbing in Cataract Gorge, watch kyaks float upside down through rapids and walks wit the ever alert Stanley (a Border Collie and family member for Rails and Simon). It was great to catch up and was thouroughly shattered upon arrival back in Hobart after 10pm on Sunday.

There was a significant amount of snow on Cradle Mounain which was a dampening experience as it soaked down into our boots. Many of the snow slope were rather steep and the photo of me haming it up just looks uncoordinated anyway loads of fun, sweat and sunscreen stung eyes.

SARINZ Training at Freycinet Week 4

2009-10-12T03:28:00.000-07:00

SRAINZ stands for Search and Rescue Institute New Zealand who run a 5-day intensive verticle rescue course for the AAD which is just fantastic! For those of you who are wondering what these bits of rope mean I will let you know why they look out of shape! Day 1 started with the setting up of a 9:1 haul system to gain a mechanical advantage over the tasks and testing we were about to do. The photos below are the before and after shot for one of the prussic loops from my harness.

TECH Heads only for nthe next bit - The green rope is an unused 10.2mm Marmot Dynamic Rope of unknown age with a 5.5mm spectra prussic (well loved for 5 years on my harness) snapping at 9.280kN or a force eqaul to 928kg. I was suitably impressed and now regret putting it through the test! Anyway I still hve 2 more on my harness and will use them with confidence.

Below is a stretcher and Nick (another FTO) going over the edge of a granite cliff at Freycinet to pick up and unconscious (acting) patient or victim (which ever you prefer). The next shot shows how much rope and hardwear was used to safely facilitate his lowering and raising to safety.

Below are a few extra shot of a carrying exercise on steep slopes (hopefully a video) and some of the native wildlife. This currently under threat from the spread of 'Cinnamon Fungus' which causes root rot in the National Park.

Georg in Tassie Yipee!

2009-10-12T03:18:00.000-07:00

I was very lucky to have a visit from a special lady for more than a week which was just great and accounts for my slackness on keeping you all informed. Anyway it was great to hang out and we caught up with friends and family in the process. Not to mention did a little walk in Freycinet to see Wineglass Bay and Hazards beach.

Although we did find that the water was a little on the fresh side of things. But like all invigorating swims we continued along walking as you do (see the above demo of George casually walking on the beach!

Week 3 Training In Hobart

2009-10-12T02:44:00.000-07:00

Well it was a week to remember as the rain just kept on coming! Some 21 weekends with rain ticked off for Tassie. All that aside it really didn't matter as we were goin to get wet and muddy regardless as dirt, grit, mud and water laden soils flew in all directions as we embarked on a 2-day ATV (now known as quad bikes) course run by the Honda Trainers.

Good Fun was had by all with only a small amount of damage caused to the front wheel of a quad. The benefit of doing a course with the mechanics, diesel gurus and fella's that all live with quads is that a star picket and some fencing wire can quickly remedy most large scale damage due to being a little keen. And you simply just role them to where you want them and stand back for the masters to do their best.

Next on the list was off to the Helicopter Resources Training where we found ourselves running through the helicopter roping sessions so that they can take us and our gear out into the field. Just to let you know it is not the most comfortable feeling as a helicopter almost lands on you while you hook up a couple of 44gallon drums and make sure that you do not put the sling over a ski as it could result in 'dynamic rollover' (that one is for you ARDA) and a helicopter parking on top of you upside down very quickly.

2009-09-20T03:44:00.000-07:00

Well the first week of life in Hobart has been a whirlwind of information and equipment. All starting as the Taxi from the Airport made its way into the city centre to reveal the 'Aurora Australis' in all its glory. There is some suggestion that it adds an extra post code or city centre to Hobart when it is docked! I have been very fortunate to be put up in a single apartment in the centre of town just walking distance from the ship.

Life at work started with copious amounts of information from computer access to waste management down south. The equipment that is issued is nothing short of extreme, massive carhartt boiler suits that make you look like an Eskimo, down jackets, 2 pairs of sorels for cold and colder, safety sunnies by Bolle and knee high socks. Of course there is more!

Catching the bus each morning and afternoon means that you do actually knock off on-time which seems a foreign concept after the last few years of teaching although there is not that much useable light at 5:30pm.

I finally got my bike out of the warf compound on friday and proceeded to go on a little mission after putting it together. Thank goodness for Ay-Ups as being the newbie in town I don't know where any of the tracks go or finish. Anyway after a late muddy night on Friday I enlisted some local advice from the Avanti Plus store down here. A couple of the boys took me out on the hill (Mt. Wellington) and gave me the heads up, again a muddy experience. I went back for more today and headed to the hills again but had my ride cutshort of the summit by SNOW! Yes thats right it is still falling down here and after emptying the holes in my helmet turned for the bottom.