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Mirounga leonina, southern elephant seal. Although seals spend a lot of time in the water, they evolved from a land-dwelling ancestor over 25 million years ago and still have to come back on land to breed.

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Antarctic conservation blog archive

First trip to Discovery Hut

Antonia, Friday 29 May 2009

Weather on day of visit: -15°C; wind 10 Knots; some cloud
Weather today: -33°C; wind 5-10 Knots; pitch black!

I was recently asked to give a talk to the Americans based over the hill at McMurdo Station (40 minutes walk from Scott Base) about the Trust, the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project and what we have been up to out here.

This got me thinking back to those halcyon days when we still had sunshine, and to our first trip to the hut associated with Captain Scott’s 1901-04 expedition.

Discovery Hut as approached from McMurdo © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Discovery Hut as approached from McMurdo © Antarctic Heritage Trust

It was such a thrill to finally see the setting for some of the objects Mindy and I had been working on for the past 6 months back in Christchurch, New Zealand. And it gave us an idea of the type of environment the material had come from that the 4 of us would be working on for the next 6 months.

A small part of the collection © Antarctic Heritage Trust

A small part of the collection © Antarctic Heritage Trust

We finally had a chance to experience the magic of the location and the feeling of history associated with the huts in February. It is impossible to describe the effect that the sights and smells have on your senses, and how they help to take you back in time. I can only describe it as incredible, and I can’t wait to visit Captain Scott’s second base at Cape Evans (associated with his 1910-13 expedition) and visit Sir Ernest Shackleton’s base at Cape Royds (associated with his 1907-09 expedition). The visit to Cape Evans will be of particular interest, since that is where the objects we are currently working on have come from.

The team inside Discovery Hut © Antarctic Heritage Trust

The team inside Discovery Hut © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Posted in Antarctica, Cape Evans, Cape Royds, Conservation, Discovery Hut, McMurdo, Scott, Shackleton

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