My routine up to this point has been to write about the previous day’s activities the next morning and post the update as if I was writing it right before bed. However, this morning we did something so cool that I had to make sure I captured everything by writing it all down right now.
Last night when we returned to the galley after our failed Cape Evans mission we noticed a sign for a special trip out there this morning at 7:30am. These sorts of trips are usually reserved for night shift workers who can’t make the evening trips. Scott said he thought it would be good if Josh & I could get on that one since we didn’t have any meetings scheduled for the morning and he was going to be leaving for Pole. Josh & I discussed it and decided that we’d show up in our ECW but wouldn’t bump any deserving night shift workers. The last thing we want to be accused of is boondoggling.
We met at breakfast in full ECW gear and then showed up at the meeting area. The tequila lady from the night before walked by, saw us, and asked if we were trying it again. She said to make sure we had a bottle with us in case we had to turn around again. The thought was fairly repulsive so I immediately blocked it from my mind.
It turned out that there were only 6 people signed up for this trip, so Josh & I made a total of 8. Since the Deltas are designed to hold 20+, we were in for a treat. There are several nice things about having such a small group on a trip like this. For one thing, the driver stopped every 45 minutes to allow two new people up front. The windows in the back frost over very quickly and you can’t see a thing out of them. Up front, however, you get to see the long, endless white of blowing snow, ice, and green flags marking the route. The other nice thing about having such a small group is that at the hut itself you don’t have to wait, and people aren’t usually in your way for taking pictures. The larger trips have to take turns going into the hut. We were all able to get in at the same time no problem.
About halfway to Cape Evans we saw an object on the side of the road that almost looked like an overturned barrel from afar. As we got closer I could tell it was a seal. This was a great stopping point since we were ready to swap front seaters anyhow. The driver stopped the Delta, and I was able to snap a couple photos of the leopard seal from about 20 yards before it started moving. It was interesting to see it go, it looked like it was doing the worm, the old breakdancing move that I’ve perfected at wedding receptions.
Josh was fumbling with his camera and dropped his mitten. McMurdo Station was built at its location mostly because of the protection it receives from the weather. It’s surrounded by hills that block a lot of the wind and elements, but that wind picks up in full force once you get onto the ice. When Josh dropped his mitten it immediately took off, blowing across the ice. I started running after it and remembered the video about not straying from the flagged route. Luckily it was blowing directly down the route so I wasn’t breaking any regulations. There was a momentary lapse of the wind and I was able to dive on it. I, of course, in the excitement of seeing the seal still hadn’t put my gloves on nor zipped up my parka, so when I hit the ice my hands immediately started to freeze. I quickly threw my gloves on and made a mental note to remember that this is Antarctica, and it gets cold. Really cold. And really, really, really, really, really, really, really windy.
We got into the back of the Delta, and compared to the crowded nature of the previous night’s trip we were living large. There were just six of us in the back, and there’s room for 20. We chatted with the others back there and bounced our way on towards Cape Evans. The wind was intense, probably blowing 40 miles an hour or more, and therefore the snow drifts across the ice road had gotten bad. Every now and then we’d slow way down or bounce all over creation as we plowed through the drifts. I figured if any vehicle was capable of getting through snow drifts, it was a 42,000 pound Delta with 5 ½’ tires.
It takes about 90 minutes to drive the 13 miles to Cape Evans in a Delta. We arrived there about 45 minutes after swapping front seat passengers. We all bundled up in the ECW gear we had brought and got ready to get out. For this trip I wore long underwear, my thick lined Carhartt bib overalls, a fleece jacket, my ECW parka, a fleece balaclava face warmer, ski goggles, a stocking cap, gloves, wool socks, and my bunny boots. We piled out of the Delta and the wind was incredible – like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was easily blowing 50mph at this point.
To my left was an enormous glacier, and I recognized it from photos around the office. It’s a truly remarkable sight, arising many stories above the flat frozen sea ice. Directly in front of us, about 150 yards away, was Scott’s Hut. This hut was constructed by Robert Falcon Scott’s crew for use as a base camp during the 1912 expedition to the South Pole, the one from which Scott never returned. It was used by another British expedition shortly after that, but has remained here at Cape Evans ever since.
I can’t stress enough how strong the wind was. As we approached the hut it was blowing directly at us. The wind chill at McMurdo yesterday was 45 below, and here it was easily 55 below. This wind was quite a bit stronger than what we had on station yesterday. The hut was barely visible due to the massive snow drifts that had accumulated around it. We got to the hut and stepped inside the door, glad to be out of the wind for the time being.
The constant cold in Antarctica has kept this hut’s remains fully intact for almost 100 years. Upon walking in you see tools and supplies lining the walls of the hut. Near the front door was a large stack of seal carcasses, still perfectly preserved. Our guide explained that they were used for food, clothing, and the blubber used for oil. Across from that was a basket of adelie penguin eggs. Shovels, horse saddle equipment, and many other tools lined the walls and floor. We first went around the side, which was a stable area used for the expedition’s horses. In here was still hay, horse snow shoes, and many boxes of supplies. There was an open box right in front of me that still had perfectly preserved cheese among other things. The stable area had apparently also served as a storage area, for there were many boxes in here, all perfectly preserved.
From there we made our way back to the main entrance and into the living quarters. This was a truly remarkable experience. The entire living area used by Robert Falcon Scott and his crew was still completely preserved. The hut was split into two sides, with the middle area acting as the dining room. On either side were bunks, tables, work areas, shelves, etc., all completely preserved. I’ve never seen anything like this, it seemed as though we were looking at a museum’s display of what such a hut may have looked like. However, this was the ACTUAL hut and the ACTUAL supplies used by Scott in 1912. I was floored. I can’t describe the feeling I had walking through and looking at this stuff. It’s easily one of the most profound things I’ve ever done.
Towards the far wall was a work table next to the actual bunk in which Scott slept while here. On the table was a penguin carcass, still perfectly preserved. It looked like a taxidermied penguin. Next to it was a copy of the Illustrated London News from February 20, 1908. It cost “sixpence.” The paper was pristine. Perfectly preserved. On the other side of the hut was the laboratory used by the group, and next to it was another group of bunks. I know that some chemistry students from Sioux City East are reading this (go Black Raiders!), so I snapped a photo of the lab for you to see how far we've progressed. Inside one of the bunks was hand-written the names of three members of the expedition that had died. This was all too surreal. I’ve become a bit of an Antarctic History buff since taking this job, and to actually be standing in Scott’s Hut looking at the actual items he used was just overwhelming.
Continuing on we saw the pantry, which was still fully stocked with food. I was snapping pictures left and right, and my memory card was almost full. I figured I’d leave a few for more outside shots, so I put away the camera and just took a few minutes to soak it all in and reflect on what I was doing. When we first stepped off the Delta, got pounded by the irrepressible wind, saw the glacier, snow and ice everywhere we looked, Josh had turned to me and shouted (it was very windy, have I mentioned?) that we were in the middle of nowhere. I couldn’t have agreed more. However, we had a heated vehicle waiting for us, knew exactly where we were, and were in full warm ECW. Putting myself in Scott’s place back in 1912 made me appreciate even more how incredible that journey must have been. Seeing the blowing snow and wind on the movies and hearing “55 below” and whatnot is impressive enough, but actually being there, seeing it all, experiencing the same weather, seeing the same supplies, I can’t say enough how incredible it was. I’m not joking when I say it was one of the most profound things I’ve done.
There is supposedly still a dog carcass chained to the hut, but it was buried in the snow drifts. With the way the rest of the supplies and animals were perfectly preserved I'd imagine the dog would look just like a sleeping, frozen dog. I'm not sure I could have dealt with that very well.
After walking back out of the hut we saw a cross up on a small hill nearby. We asked the driver if it was ok to go up there, and he said no problem so we hiked the few hundred yards, into the wind, to the top. The wind was so strong that it literally blew me backwards a few times. The cross was constructed in remembrance of those who had died on Scott’s expedition, and from there the views were remarkable. The orange Delta looked like a tiny matchbox car on a never-ending bed of ice. The glacier was contrasted by a darkening, cloudy sky so that every detail stood out even more beautifully than the first time I saw it. The flags marking the road back to McMurdo looked like tiny green specs against the sea ice, and the top of Scott’s hut was just barely visible. One of the other brave souls who made the hike to the top of the hill snapped a picture of Josh and I standing there and it’s one of my favorites from this trip.
We hiked back down to the Delta and I had Josh climb in and hand me my backpack. I quickly swapped out memory cards so that I could capture a few more photos before the rest of the group got there. It seemed that I couldn’t take enough pictures of this place. There was so much I wanted to capture. The beauty of the glacier; the profoundness of the hut here in this insanely remote, cold, windy location; the vision of the snow blowing across the ice and its contrast against our red ECW jackets; the anchor left in front of the hut by one of the ships used to populate the thing, etc. If I had a video camera with me I’d have a good 45 minutes of footage. I couldn’t stop taking pictures.
Eventually, though, I had to and I climbed back into the Delta. We all were remarking on how incredible the experience had been as we started back towards McMurdo. A few times along the way we’d come to a stop and realize we were stuck. Yes, the snow drifts were so bad on the ice road that we had managed to get stuck in a 42,000 pound Delta with 5 ½ foot tires. We luckily were able to get out of it each time, but at least once we took out a green flag in the process. About 90 minutes after leaving Cape Evans we arrived back at McMurdo. It was around 12:30pm, just in time to grab lunch. However, I wasn’t hungry. I was still too excited and couldn’t wait to post this blog entry to share the experience with everyone back home. However, I still hadn’t written yesterday’s blog so I had to do that first – if it’s a lame entry, now you know why. I’m breaking my posting pattern by actually posting this the same day of the experience, but it was too cool to keep until tomorrow. I’m not sure what the rest of the day holds. Scott is supposed to finally fly out at 1500, so hopefully he’ll be able to make it this time, after being bumped so many times. There’s a little party for the IT folks at 1600, so that should be fun. I have no idea what it will be like, but that right there is the theme for this whole trip, and so far it’s been beyond my wildest expectations.
By the way, check out the photo album to see some photos from the Cape Evans trip.
