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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

The best journey in the world

Mindy, Thursday 29 April 2010

Temperature: -26.4°C
Wind Speed: 13 knots
Temp with wind chill: approximately -47°C
Sunrise: 11:06am
Sunset: 2:36pm

Inspired by accounts of the early Antarctic explorers man-hauling across the frozen Antarctica landscape, I desperately wanted to give it a go. With 3 other willing participants, we carefully planned and procured the necessary supplies and equipment.

The words ‘[Left]…a little before 11 in the morning after being photoed with our sledge in the dark by flashlight…’ could easily have been an account of our own expedition, but it’s really an extract from the journal of Dr. Edward Wilson, Chief Scientific Officer of Captain Scott’s 1910-13 Antarctic expedition. Wilson, Lt. Henry “Birdie” Bowers and Apsley Cherry-Garrard spent 19 days in 1911 on a superhuman journey to procure Emperor penguin eggs from Cape Crozier, (located on the other side of Ross Island).

Dr Wilson, Lieutenant Bowers and Cherry-Garrard before leaving for Cape Crozier on June 27th 1911 © H. Ponting, SPRI

Dr Wilson, Lieutenant Bowers and Cherry-Garrard before leaving for Cape Crozier on June 27th 1911 © H. Ponting, SPRI

Despite re-tracing a portion of their route, our mini expedition was nowhere near as ambitious. On a relatively calm day and in the dying light of the season, we covered the 12km round-trip between Scott Base and the Antarctica New Zealand field training site in 4 hours. Our loaded Nansen sled required us to pull a load of 50 kg per person. Comparatively, Wilson and his companions trekked 97 km from their base at Cape Evans to Cape Crozier in the darkness and bitter cold of winter, with 106 kg per man on two sleds.

Sunday morning departure - Bobbie, Hayden, Mindy and Nicola © P. Stewart, U.S.A.P.

Sunday morning departure - Bobbie, Hayden, Mindy and Nicola © P. Stewart, U.S.A.P.

It’s hard to measure up to those numbers. Reflecting on the experience, it’s humbling to know that we plodded through what Cherry-Garrard considered to be ‘the only bit of good pulling we were to have’ (The Worst Journey in the World).

If imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery, I can now fully appreciate how tough these men were.

The home stretch, with a view of the wind turbines and Crater Hill © P. Stewart, U.S.A.P.

The home stretch, with a view of the wind turbines and Crater Hill © P. Stewart, U.S.A.P.

Posted in Antarctica, Environment, Royds hut, Scott, Shackleton, Social life

6 Responses to “The best journey in the world”
  1. April 30th, 2010 at 5:49 am
    Rae says:

    Love that photo of you all with the sled! You all look a little like cartoon characters ;-) Are there any old sleds and harnesses or clothing still in the huts?

  2. May 9th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
    Becky says:

    Yay Mindy! Sterling effort old chap. _And_ you used your sledging flag on a real mission! that’s very cool : ) Becky

  3. May 11th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
    Mindy says:

    Rae: We’re really glad we were able to get some nice photos of our adventure. Good memories for sure!
    At the huts there are a few harnesses for dogs, ponies and a rare man-hauling harness (see Jane’s blog 16 April 2010). There are a few sleds as well - the Nansen sled we used really isn’t too different in design from the sleds they would have used in the historic era. Pretty neat actually! And yes, clothing as well - of all different types - hats, socks, mittens, and so on…

    Becky: Great to hear from you! It was great to get out and try out the Nansen - you would have loved it! I’m very glad I had a chance to use my sledging flag on an expedition (even if just a small one). Hope all is well!

  4. May 12th, 2010 at 11:46 pm
    Nick Mayo says:

    Mindy.

    What a great post. How did you find the sledges slid. I gather the expedition ‘In the Footsteps of Scott’ commented on the lack of slide in low temperatures with their plastic sledges.

  5. May 14th, 2010 at 3:17 am
    Mindy says:

    Nick: The sledges pulled pretty well actually. Snow conditions on the route weren’t too bad, and our modern Nansens have Teflon runners. Luckily our temperatures weren’t as insanely cold as Bowers, Wilson and Cherry-Garrard experienced. Might have to try it again later in the winter just to compare!

  6. May 17th, 2010 at 5:13 pm
    Jenny says:

    Hi Rae,

    Yes, Captain Scott’s base is crammed with about 8,500 artefacts – ranging from dog, pony and man hauling harnesses, clothes, boots and skis through to toothbrushes, sleeping bags and books. You can take a virtual tour through the Trust’s website by clicking onto http://www.nzaht.org/AHT/PhotoandVirtualTour/

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