Cold trip in Antarctica a long time ago.

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

This cold weather we're having has reminded me of a 4 day trip four of us undertook on the Antarctic Peninsular across the sea ice during the late winter of 1981, I recently came across the written up travel report and thought some of you may be interested.

We used four skidoos pulling sledges.

I didn't take many photos as it was so cold!

Here's a map of the route.

Day 1.

This is a pic of Blaiklock Hut (although this is a summer photo) where we stayed that first night.

Me tucked up in bed in the hut

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

Day 2.

To the abandoned base on Horseshoe Island.

I remember the wind turned and came screaming off the plateau as we drove across the mouth of a fjord with our faces tuned away from the cold.

My carburetor iced up, I knew it would be too cold to take my mittens off even for a minute but I had a spare carb stuffed under my jumper to keep it warm.
It was a fiddle with big leather mittens over woollen mittens although thankfully we were soon on our way to escape that biting wind.

We arrived at the old Horseshoe hut, found some coal out side and soon had a fire going.
There were tins of food perhaps 20yrs or more old which we sampled.

I thought it would be perfect if I could get the old Enfield generator going to have some light.

Enfield engines are not dissimilar to our own GS engines in that they're a flat twin, except these were hand started, after a few unsuccessful attempts, I found some blocks of wood and two blow lamps.
These could only be here for one reason!
A few minutes later the warmed cylinder heads allowed the little diesel engine to breath life into the hut as the lights came on.

The combination of a coal fire, light and ancient apricot jam on our sledging biscuits whilst a blizzard raged outside was blissfully cosy.... so cosy in fact we reckoned to have enough supplies to last 6 months and the prospect that the sea ice might break up preventing us from returning, so having to wait until late summer for a rescue wasn't particularly daunting, in fact secretly I think at least a couple of us thought that may be a good thing

That was all perhaps fantasy, the sea ice did hold.

Lord Snooty · Mar 1, 2018

Tim - you have had an amazingly rich and varied life, these brief glimpses into your past just make me want to hear more. One day I hope to share another beer with you and learn more.

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

Lord Snooty said:
Tim - you have had an amazingly rich and varied life, these brief glimpses into your past just make me want to hear more. One day I hope to share another beer with you and learn more.

That's very kind of you to say Mike, but less of the f'kin past tense it ain't over quite yet

Bem · Mar 1, 2018

great story and pictures Tim. Funny how opposed twins have been a part of your life....... and that Blaiklock Hut looks more like the privvy.

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

Day 3.

Dicking about doing geology stuff.

I'd spent part of the previous evening in front of the fire cleaning out the iced carburetor in case we had further problems, it's much quicker and of course safer to have a spare one instead of trying to de ice the jets with frozen fingers.

Rupert, who lead and wrote the report was a talented mountaineer, great leader and very understated particularly in dangerous situations. So for him to make the decision the ice was unsafe was a great relief to the rest of us!

Waiting with my skidoo while Rupert go's off to hit rocks with a hammer.

The spectacular ride between two icebergs.

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

Day 4.

More dicking about before heading back to base.

In the bay not far from the hut on Horseshoe island there was a lovely iceberg which had grounded, we spent some time having a look around.

"as we passed Dogs Leg Fjord we could feel a really icy wind coming down off the Plateau"

As ever, Rupert was the master of understatement!

I remember praying my carburetor, or anyone else's, didn't freeze. It would have meant pitching a small tent on the sea ice in that wind to get some shelter while it was fixed up.

I'd spent the previous year at an Antarctic station much further south than here where the temperature dropped to below -50C, although -40C with 40 knots of wind was the most painful cold I'd ever experienced these few miles across Dogs Leg Fjord seemed to take forever and we were grateful to make relative shelter.

Rupert was also an enthusiastic geologist keen to collect samples which would corroborate with those from much earlier expeditions in this area.
It was cold waiting as we listened to the clunking of his sledge hammer but when we hear the welcome sound of his shaft snapping closely followed with ensuing curses us three felt great relief

Rupert mentions a solar halo with four parhelia, this was a B&w print I took of him at the time.

Eventually we picked our way over the pressure ice near the shore line on Adelaide Island where our base was and headed straight to our small bar where we were met with four very large measures of single malt whisky

DaddyPaddy · Mar 1, 2018

Fascinating read and pictures, thanks for sharing :thumby:

Davey B · Mar 1, 2018

Great read Tim, cheers for sharing :beerjug:

earthmover · Mar 1, 2018

Nice one Tim! Did a double take at the picture of you next to the generator, you certainly can't deny that Seb is yours!

Mark

digga · Mar 1, 2018

Top man Tim

some great pix there... all on film as well, no fancy digital cam's then.
did you keep the film up ya jumper as well?

Chris · Mar 1, 2018

Many thanks for sharing this blast from the past, Tim.

ShakeyBMW · Mar 1, 2018

A great read Tim. Thanks for sharing.

Micky · Mar 1, 2018

Great ... thanks Tim

JohnnyBoxer · Mar 1, 2018

Stunning, an excellent read and cool blue of the pics is very mesmerising

Spider · Mar 1, 2018

That's pretty impressive stuff, cheers !

steve hughes · Mar 1, 2018

Great content for a modest -6 deg C day , to read what a true cold and windy day is like.
Thanks for posting Tim

MikeO · Mar 1, 2018

Excellent Tim, thanks for posting :thumb2

How did you navigate? Was a compass much use that far south?

Timolgra · Mar 1, 2018

Mike O said:
Excellent Tim, thanks for posting

How did you navigate? Was a compass much use that far south?

I may write more about navigation that far south another time Mike, yes we used Silva compasses pre set with the correct magnetic deviation which if I remember correctly was 12 deg for that latitude.
During my year at a previous base which was located on a featureless iceshelf we never went out without a compass in your pocket.

Hand drawn maps were suprisingly useful as they'd be accompanied with noted geographical features, little use in very poor visibility of course but as on other trips I did in Antarctica, if the visibility deteriorated then we'd pitch a tent and stay put although pitching on sea ice is a last resort so we'd find some land for a lay up.

MikeO · Mar 1, 2018

Timolgra said:
I may write more about navigation that far south another time Mike, yes we used Silva compasses pre set with the correct magnetic deviation which if I remember correctly was 12 deg for that latitude.
During my year at a previous base which was located on a featureless iceshelf we never went out without a compass in your pocket.

Hand drawn maps were suprisingly useful as they'd be accompanied with noted geographical features, little use in very poor visibility of course but as on other trips I did in Antarctica, if the visibility deteriorated then we'd pitch a tent and stay put although pitching on sea ice is a last resort so we'd find some land for a lay up.

Thanks - I'd certainly be interested to hear more... :thumb2

Cold trip in Antarctica a long time ago.

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