Antarctic conservation blog archive

Mindy, Monday 3 August 2009

Weather: -40°C and 10 knot winds (N) = wind chill temperature of -60°C, slightly hazy

July 15th was a day of excitement. Ewan, the Scott Base Field Support Co-ordinator, announced that a short walk was now open on the sea ice in front of the base. This route marks the opening portion of the 8km-long Cape Armitage Loop (named after Lieutenant Albert Armitage, Scott’s second-in-command on his 1901 - 04 Discovery Expedition).

Having travelled most of the locally available recreational routes over the past 6 months, it’s exciting to think we may soon have access to this historic walk.

The Cape Armitage Loop runs around the southern end of Hut Point Peninsula. Throughout the winter the sea ice has been slowly reforming and safety guidelines mean it must be at least 0.75m thick to allow for travel. Now that conditions have been deemed acceptable, flags will be placed along the rest of the route to mark the way. Combined with skills and knowledge gained through our Antarctic field training, we can follow the flags and safely navigate our way over the sea ice from Scott Base to McMurdo Station.

Flags on bamboo poles marking a recreational route © Antarctic Heritage Trust

Travelling over sea ice (or anywhere for that matter) in early 20th century Antarctica was much more of an unknown. Established routes were marked by cairns on the landscape or as lines on maps, but much was yet to be discovered, and one wrong footing in uncharted territory could find the explorers in a deep crevasse or falling through cracks in the sea ice.

The Western Party crossing the ice to the ship © Royal Geographical Society Ref S0004829

During an average year it should be okay to travel the Cape Armitage Loop until mid-summer (with continual monitoring for safety) but our team won’t be here for much longer. If the stars align and our luck is good, the route will be ready before the summer conservators arrive in just over a month. Fingers crossed!

View of Observation Hill from the Cape Armitage Loop © Margaret Auger

Posted in Antarctica, Climate & weather, Hut point, Scott, Scott Base

3 Responses to “Marking the way”

1. August 4th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
   Amrita says:
   

   Hi !

   Walking on the sea ice must have been an amazing experience, isn’t it?
   You have mentioned that “one wrong footing in uncharted territory could find the explorers in a deep crevasse or falling through cracks in the sea ice” . I would like to know the necessary precautions or the safety measures that you take while moving on the sea-ice of such thickness(0.75 m).

   With Regards
   Amrita

2. August 5th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
   brown mammal says:
   

   I have no idea how any red blooded mammal survives in such climes

3. August 12th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
   Mindy says:
   

   For the most part, walking on the sea ice is the same as travelling anywhere in the Antarctic in the winter. We only travel on marked routes that have been approved as safe for use, and…

   1. We are required to sign-out for a specific time period and state our destination. We also need to radio the base when we leave and arrive at our destination (and the reverse when we are returning to base). On the sea ice you will also have to radio in at regularly scheduled intervals (usually hourly) to let Scott Base know that you are safe and sound.

   2. Some recreational routes can be travelled alone, but sea ice travel is always in pairs (at least) even if the route is familiar.

   I’d say those are the biggest differences. We always have to be aware of the weather, ensure that we are adequately dressed (carrying, if not wearing, all of our ECW gear – “Extreme Cold Weather”) and are have the required safety equipment with us (personal first aid kit, head torch if needed, copy of the field manual, etc.). It’s also really important to be aware of your surroundings (noting anything new and strange and potential hazardous – and remember to report it), to only follow the marked route, and obey all safety warnings (e.g. black flags indicate a hazard or dangerous area, so stay away from those…). Being super-prepared is always really important, and we all had to complete a field training course. All told, this keeps us pretty safe, and able to enjoy the wonders of being outside in an Antarctic winter (except at -60°C, that’s actually too cold to be outside for fun…)