AntarcticDoctor

Yes, it’s been quiet here on the blog, but not due to my untimely demise (no matter what some people wish for, I have thus far resisted joining the Choir Invisible).  Rather, we have been very busy.  Most recently, we made a 6-day foray to the coast to assess conditions, equipment, and depot containers.  I’ll try to write something of our experiences, but here are some photos to whet the appetite:

Challengers heading northwards towards the coast.

A pair of Skuas on the ice shelf at Blaskimen Bukta.

Morgan in the old ramp cut into the ice shelf, with a large polynia (area of open water in the pack ice) visible behind.

Composite satellite image of the sea ice conditions north of Queen Maud Land, courtesy of the University of Bremen Institute of Environmental Physics.  The approxiomate edge of the ice shelf is marked in green.  The polynia visible in the previous photo can be seen at 70S 3W.

We had some of the best quality snow we’ve ever experienced at SANAE today – the miserable weather of yesterday disappeared leaving fresh snow, but without the usual wind to blow it away.  Today was bright, calm and clear, and we made good use of the blessing of 5-20cm of soft powder.  While we work hard at the base, we don’t miss a good oportunity to play.  A couple of pictures – video hopefully to follow:

Sanki and I skied cross-country around to the northern windscoop to meet up with the others.  It’s about a 5 km trip all the way around, but  with the temperature at only -7, and no wind, it felt deliciously warm.  Pairs of Snow Petrels wheeled through the sky above us, courting and seeking nests.  Here I am, making no attempt to hide the resultant grin, with the northern buttress of Vesleskarvet in the background.  Yes, Mom, I was wearing sunscreen.

At the buttress the snow was deep and soft, and soon everyone was carving down the perfectly concave slope.  It’s a great place to learn to ski and snowboard, because the slope gradually levels out in a safe windscoop, and with the lovely powder falling was amusing rather than painful.  Some, of course, were more graceful than others – here’s a picture of Sanki styling on her snowboard:

Last one is a gratuitious picture to shamelessly promote First Ascent, a South African company who make top-notch outdoor clothing.  I’ve been a fan of their kit for as long as I can remember, and it’s treated me very well here in Antarctica.  I call this my ‘Ski Ninja’ outfit – all that is missing is the black balaclava (yes, I really do have one, made by First Ascent, of course!).  More kudos to my mate Moose for lending me those ski’s.  You’re rad.

Writing is a funny thing.  The Muse has been absent of late… or perhaps the small voice of inspiration has been drowned out by the hubbub of the mundane.  I often feel required to write, but the necessary compulsion, or gumption, is absent.  Yet, without the creative drive it is worthless; I would simply turn out the dry and technical writing of the proposals, guidelines and reports that across my desk on a daily basis.  Oddly, the best of my writing is not a matter of keystrokes but rather scrawl on a page of real paper, as if the pen itself has some mythical power to induce prose that the sterile computer screen does not.

Time is a funny thing.  You would think that, isolated as we are, one long day stretches before the next, hours and minutes waiting in dusty rank to be filled…. but time is not linear; it is dynamic, logarithmic, compound, complex.  Moments, in love, lust and desperation can fill an eternity, and when distraction and thrill is rife an age can pass all too swiftly.  I admit to having great plans for my time here in Antarctica: studying, writing ‘the’ book, creating a course for wilderness medicine, turning out articles to turn journal’s heads.  When I compare that to what I have achieved I am ashamed, yet every moment has been filled.  Granted, spending time with the people here, having long and wonderful conversations over wine and dinner has taken more time than I believed I ever could, and little distractions â?? watching the odd movie and too many series â?? has stolen hours. Yet, I know that time has not been wasted, but lived, and life moves on.  We must value our small successes, hold true to goals, and not feel remiss for time well lived.