Camping out in Antarctica

Waikato University student Tanya O’Neill is spending eight weeks in Antarctica as part of her PhD on soil sciences. In a series of occasional columns, she shares some of the highlights and lowlights of life on the ice.

Clothes washing? Definitely not. Toilet facilities? Well, that depends on your take on such amenities. Baby wipe baths? Absolutely.

Happy 2010 from Team K026 at Vanda Huts, Wright Valley, in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (MDVs). I’m touching base from the shores of Lake Vanda, site of the old New Zealand Vanda Station, decommissioned and removed in the summer of 1994-95. We are on Day 11 of our three weeks in the field and things are going really well.

Our team of four spent seven days working around Marble Point, site of the present day US Antarctic Program (USAP) helicopter refuelling station (refuelling hub for the MDVs and sites north) and former site of the 1957/1958 Marble Point Camp. In the late 50s through 60s the US funded geotechnical exploration and investigations into the potential for a “North Base” (north of McMurdo Station), and the construction of a 3km-long airstrip, capable of accommodating a variety of aircraft including Boeing 747. The airstrip was to run from Gneiss Point in the north to Marble Point in the south and could potentially allow commercial travel via the poles; a much quicker option to current long-haul flight paths.

Marble Point is a paradise for groups such as us who concentrate on landscape disturbance and recovery, as much of the area shows scars of late 50s bulldozing, experimental tarmac mounds, geotechnical explosion pits, and you can even see the outlines of former Jamesway buildings which were the sleeping quarters for the late 50s and early 60s Camp. We sampled and observed many sites, noting recovery in some areas and persistence of visual disturbance in others, such as bulldozer cleat marks and winrows dating back to the inception of the Old Camp.

Our party had a very luxuriant Christmas Eve dinner with “Crunch” and Bill, the resident Americans at the nearby refuelling station. It was completely unexpected and rivalled home; prune and apple stuffed turkey, broccoli with cheddar cheese sauce, garlic mash, and fresh salad (yippee!), finished with a tipple of cognac and Grand Marnier chocolate truffles. We had a lovely evening returning to our polar tents and eye masks (24 hour sunlight) at a reasonable hour of 10pm.

Camp life is routine now. Like any camp where tent space is premium and living quarters are very confined, cooperation and patience is key. By Day 2 I knew everyone’s breakfast drink of choice, so at 0645 my feet hit the floor, the billy is on, we make breakfast together, a quick tidy and we are out the door.

So to the toilet situation – have to mention it – ALL waste must be taken back to Scott Base and sent on to New Zealand. A picture paints a thousand words here – let's just say the view of Mt Erebus and the grounded icebergs in the foreground was stunning at the Marble Point facilities. Switching camp so often has both its ups and downs – “freshies” (frozen meat and vegetable) at re-supply means that dehydrated foods are kept for emergency only (fine by me); another plus is the contrasting vistas that Jeronimo (my Spanish supervisor with vast Antarctic Peninsula expertise) and I are experiencing as we are McMurdo Dry Valley first-timers.

A negative of course is the setup and takedown of camp – and the “hurry up and wait” – an extremely common phrase in Antarctica – it may be blue and a tropical -1 degrees where you are but more often than not Scott Base and Pram Point are clagged in and we are on standby for the next helo shuttle. When you are in “hurry up and wait” mode no one can venture far from camp as the helo could take advantage of a window and arrive at any moment. So this is where John Dawson and David Henshaw’s “Whitebait and Wetlands: Tales on the West Coast”, leftover Christmas cake and tales of previous personal bests in transportation waits around the polar realms keep the hours ticking by. 

Back on Base, Ice Stock, the annual outdoor music festival took place over the weekend of January 2 and 3. Preparation also continues for the all-important rugby match, the Ross Island Cup, Scott Base versus McMurdo Station. The match will be played on January 10, on ice, and the Kiwis won the inaugural match last year. Keep an eye on the news! Fingers-crossed the Cup will be back where it belongs in the Scott Base bar, amidst victory celebrations come Sunday night I am sure!

Signing out and wishing you all safe travelling and happy times over the New Year’s break.

Waikato University Earth and Ocean Sciences student Tanya O’Neill is in her second year of a PhD looking at the impact human activity is having on Antarctic soils.