The Locals

While working in Antarctica you come across many people with unique stories of where they come from, what they do whilst on the continent and what they are planning in the future.  Two such people are Colin and Louise, aka the penguin gurus, who recently featured on 60 Minutes highlighting their penguin research and monitoring around Casey station and the nearby Shirley Island.

Coming in from a dip.

 

On Friday I was fortunate to be invited by Colin to join them that evening while they mapped the breeding areas around parts of Shirley Island.  The weather was clear and quite fresh so we packed our mandatory survival kits and photography equipment  and  off  we trekked to Shirley at around 8.30pm. 

Arriving at Shirley Island the party goes into sensory overload.  The sight is spectacular, the noise is like a children’s crèche at 8am in the morning and the smell is well, overpowering.  I don’t seem to be as affected by the aroma as others in the party so I put this down to sharing our house in Dampier with a few ducks and four chooks.  The Adelie penguins appear to have laid their eggs for the year so now it is time for the blokes to stand around and look after the eggs, keeping them warm and protecting them from the skuas and petrels.  The penguins will need to stand vigil over the eggs until Christmas when the first are expected to hatch.

Adelie penguins obviously happy to be sitting on eggs.

 

Shirley Island is a photographers dream with beautiful light and plenty of action to attempt to capture.  The Southern giant petrel flying low over the penguin rookery was a highlight as were the Adelies launching themselves from the sea,  landing on the sea ice in a bolt upright stance  any Romanian gymnast would have been proud of.  A lazy Weddel seal enjoyed the late afternoon sun on the sea ice while the Adelies happily migrated from the ocean back up to the rookery. 

Southern giant petrel

The time disappeared quickly and three hours and three hundred photos later we grouped back together, enjoyed a picnic of hummus, bread and some of Jarrod’s fantastic pecan pie , then strolled back to station quietly reflecting on a fantastic evening.  Special!

South polar skuas.

 

 

Louise the penguin whisperer.

 

An Adelie catching some rays.

A Weddell seal impersonating a rock.

 

An intruder trying not to look cold.

 

 

The Real Antarctica

The summer expeditioners have been in Antarctica nearing a month and are all getting into the day to day groove of life around Casey Station but are beginning to ask such questions as, So what is over that hill? and, Where are the magnificent vistas I have been told  about?

Suddenly on Monday morning a plain bulletin was placed upon the station noticeboard declaring in bold lettering "Field Travel Training."  After recently experiencing Survivor Antarctica the group were quite hesitant in approaching the FTOs (Field Training Officers) for more details of these imminent training days.

Our worries over potentially having to go through the whole sleeping in a twistie packet on snow and ice again were quickly laid to rest when the FTOs carried out their briefing the night before departure.  Field training is about helping the expeditioners gain the necessary skills to travel around the area between field huts and base and to be able to cope if the conditions turn against your travelling party.  Out of the field shed came five quad bikes fully loaded with our personal survival packs, bike retrieval kits, special bike bivvys (bigger twistie packets to be tied between bikes so you can shelter against the weather) and enough food to sustain five hungry men for a few days. 

 

 

Off into the wilderness we rode kitted out with radios,GPS and the usual map and compass to test our skills in navigating around the Mitchell Peninsula.  Ian our FTO was very patient with the group of lads who were all gobsmacked with what we had just been exposed to.  Out through penguin pass we travelled towards the obscurely named hut "Kenny".  The source of the name soon became apparent as we crested the hill to finally spot our lunchtime resting location.

Kenny is one of about six field huts which can be used for science bases or for weekends away from base.  Our party took some respite from the quads and enjoyed lunch in the most pristine environments imaginable.  From Kenny we continued to navigate our way around the peninsula practicing different survival techniques and improving our bike handling skills as we travelled.  Our destination for the overnight stay was Robbo's hut approximately 20km away from Casey Station so after safely arriving and radioing back to base that we had arrived safe and well we explored the area aound Odbert Island.  There were Adelie penguins everywhere on the island and snow petrels swooping all aound the skies.  Unfortunately the sea ice was too unpredictable for travel so we had to admire the scenery and the fauna from afar.

 

 

 The view from Robbo's.

Jarrod the Chef and Dean.

Dean at Robbo's.

A little Adelie Penguin going solo.  Check out the glacier tongue in the background.

 

Survivor Antarctica

Survivor Antarctica has come and gone and I proudly did not get voted off the continent.  Survival training is a two day course to give all the expeditioners the skills they need to be able survive the harsh conditions they may encounter while enjoying the wild expanses of Antarctica.  We began the day being kitted out with more gear and given the selection of very tasty dehydrated food to carry for provisions for the next 36 hours.

 

As a group we proceeded to navigate through the the wilderness that surrounds Casey Station using a compass, charts and a GPS arriving in just over an hour at Shirley Island.  Anyone who was watching 60 minutes last month may recall the Adelie penguin colonies being monitored at Shirley Island.  Colin and Louise (penguin gurus), who were featured on the show, are back again this summer to continue their study into the impact the changing environment has on the Adelies.  We then drilled the sea ice between the continent and the island to ensure it was safe to walk across.  

Shirley Island is a pristine environment that we were very fortunate to be able to experience.  The penguins dance, sing and generally do anything just try to get the attention of the opposite sex.  The little man below happily sauntered past us to check out his options in another group of ladies who were positioned behind us.  They have no fear of Australians dressed as big bananas.

Are you looking at me? A curious Adelie penguin at Shirley Island

 

After 30 minutes of enjoying Shirley Survivor Antarctica turned serious.  We continued to develop our navigational skills whilst hiking another couple of hours to our camp for the night.  "Camp" is better described as a windswept snowfield just near a rocky outcrop and we were instructed to make the best out of it.  Out came the ice axes and saws and the scene became an Antarctic version of "The Block".    Some went for the minimalist look, yours truly went a little art deco while others such as Luke the sparkie went big is beautiful.  A great deal of fun was had in the construction phase though all the structures had to do was to protect you from the conditions we may face throughout the night.

 Tradesman of the week Luke the sparkie carving out his palace.

 

In our survival kit we were given a sleeping bag, a thin mattress, a bivvy bag and a pee bottle which are all self explanatory apart from the bivvy bag.  The bivvy is a light thin bag which feels like it is make out of twistees packet and is made to protect you from the wind.  The idea is to roll the bivvy out when the weather closes in on you, climb inside then make camp the best you can.  This sounds quite easy but when you have to climb in backwards to come out forwards and the breeze is starting to blow around 30 knots, easy tasks become more difficult.

 

So after a peaceful nights sleep in my version of the Taj Mahal and a piece of tin foil, we trekked for two more hours in minus 10 degrees back to the serinity of the Red Shed of Casey Station.  I've never seen a better looking coffee machine and danishes in all of my life.

Our party were preparing to drill the sea ice before we crossed it to Shirley Island so these guys cruised over to check us out.

Matty the diesel fitter drilling the sea ice.  At this point it was 1.3 metres thick.  It is still safe to walk on with caution when it is only 300mm.

Have a look at this good looking Rooster.  I don't know if it is a male or female and they are definitely not called roosters.  I'll check with the penguin gurus and get back to you.( I have since checked with the penguin gurus and they can't tell me what a male penguin is called.  All they knew is the non breeders are called losers. Seriously!)

Bob, Vicki, Luke and Andries enjoying a coffee at the Ice Cafe'

 

Blizz risk - HIGH

 

My first blizzard gusting up to 80 knots

 

The first complete week on station has been a mixed bag of experiences with the weather being the biggest player in this part of the world.  The week commenced with perfectly clear skies with the temperature hovering around minus 10 degrees.  This may sound cold but without any wind it is nearly t-shirt weather.  I knew something was around the corner when the BOM forecasters started to get a bit twitchy with the prospect of  change in the air.  The blizzard risk rating was to be HIGH on Wednesday and Thursday with winds expected to average around 65-70 knots.

Wednesday arrived and all on station were cautiously watching the windows and the live weather station in the mess.  Talking to the more experienced expeditioners the general rule about being outside when a blizzard is happening is that your body weight to wind speed ratio cannot exceed 1:1.  So if the wind speed gets over 75 knots it is more than likely I wont be able to walk against it.  In saying that I should be able to walk comfortably in 90 knot winds by the end of the summer down here the way the chefs provide for all of the crew.

Tonight we begin preparation for survival training which has quickly been dubbed "Survivor Antarctica".  I am led to believe the training involves hiking for about six hours using compasses, GPS and charts then camping in your own ice shelter that you have to construct out of solid blocks of ice.  I can't wait!

 

Sunset at around 10pm

Sauna and Spa to aid recovery after ski training

View from the lab.  The scientists are often found here day dreaming out the window.

Welcome to Casey Station

We have finally arrived at Casey after a few days as guests of the USA and we all keen to meet the locals and get into the groove of life on station.  The first couple of days have been getting familiar with the work environment and what will be required to do over the next few months.  Generally everyone will be working Monday to Friday with also a half day on Saturday.  Saturday afternoon everyone pitches and helps clean the station then it up to the individual amuse themselves skiing, trekking or going for a field trip out to the numerous huts in the area.

On Sunday about twenty of the expeditioners were out the front of the red shed taking their first cross country or "Nordic" skiing lesson.  The weather was a perfect minus 10 degrees and clear skies as far as your eyes could see.  Once you got going it was comfortable to be skiing around in a t-shirt and pants and I quickly realised a guy from the Pilbara doesn't take to snow like a duck to water.  At least I have a few months to get better at it!

Last night I joined the BOM observer and was fortunate to be allowed to release the weather balloon.  Mark the observer releases a 500gm Hydrogen balloon twice daily at 7.15 morning and evening which travels approxiately 10km into the atmosphere with a GPS tracker attached.  The movement of the tracker then provides the temperature, wind speed and direction and the humidity levels as it climbs at about 1000 ft per minute. 

Releasing a 500gm Hydrogen balloon.

Overlooking Crane Cove.

Practicing my expeditioners stance.

First sighting of the locals. (click on image to check them out)

McMurdo Station photos

Fire response vehicle USA snow style.



Inside the C130 Hercules from McMurdo to Casey.

Trekking up Observation Hill above McMurdo





We were invited over to New Zealand's Scott Base which is about 3km away from McMurdo

The "A" Factor

Mt Erebus!

 

Here I sit in the bowels of a C130 Hercules and we are all on the receiving end of the “A” or Antarctic factor.  We left Hobart last night at 11pm on the now named Penguin One, the governments A319 airbus and experienced the most magnificent flight to McMurdo Station arriving around 3am in the morning.  All on board were lucky enough to see an Aurora in the night sky then as the sun rose the beauty of the continent appeared up through the clouds.  There are mountain ranges and glaciers as far as the eye can see which no camera can ever do justice.  Mount Erebus was billowing a little smoke as we passed by on our decent into McMurdo.

As Penguin One commenced its decent the cabin in the plane burst into action with all aboard having to don their survival kit.  The kit comprises of a base layer of merino thermals, followed by a layer of polar fleece then the final fluro yellow outer covering.  As you depart the plane you feel like the Michelin man but when the environment gives you a minus 28 degree welcome you quickly realise you need everything you can layer on.  The air takes your breath away before you even see the majestic environment you have just stepped into. 

We had around a two hour wait at McMurdo airstrip while our Hercules went through their final checks so we had plenty of time to wander around like excited school kids waiting to go on the next ride at the show.  We were all amazed that the plane had just landed on sea ice which is about four metres thick and squeaks when you walk across it.  So the next ride was ready to board and forty lucky punters including myself squeezed into the C130 and strapped in to the most uncomfortable webbing seats that I have ever had the pleasure in parking in.  The flight across to Casey Station generally takes approximately five hours so we all settled in and enjoyed the US provided lunch bag including the iconic peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  We were about to commence our decent into Casey when the C130 started a banked 180 degree turn.  This is where the “A” Factor has come into play for the first time in our adventure.  The weather at Casey had suddenly changed making it impossible to land the big bird on its skis hence turn around and fly another five hours back to McMurdo!  Maybe we will be having Halloween with two thousand Americans.  Yee Hah.

Discovery Hut built in 1902 by Capt. Robert Scott

The US McMurdo Station at around 9pm.