Storm

So our spell of good weather did not last forever.  Yesterday evening the wind started to pick up and at the moment it is a complete whiteout, i.e. when you look out the windows you can not see the ground which is maybe 10 meters from you.  The building is elevated on stilts of maybe 4 meters which helps with the unwanted buildup of snow around the base.  In some parts of the building you can feel the structure vibrating under the stress of the wind, which is around 55 knots with gusts of up to 65 knots at the moment.  I am very glad I did not attempt such an expedition 100 years ago.  I like the fact that we are cosy inside a 3300 square meter, 1990's state of the art building.  As a matter interest this building is designed for winds of up to 160 knots.


Here is a short clip of the wind whipping around the structure, just to give some idea of the conditions.  

At the moment, I do not really feel like pitching a tent.

Valterkulten

The day before yesterday I was lucky enough to join the geomorphologists on a field trip to one of the nearby nunataks, namely Valterkulten.  

A nunatak is a rocky outcrop, basically a mountaintop protruding though the ice.  It included a helicopter flight which obviously sweetened the already sweet deal.  

Geomorphology is a branch of science I have not heard of before this trip and as I understand it, it analyses the characteristics of a landscape and try to make predictions on the way it was formed.  On this field trip we therefor assisted the scientist in taking samples of smallish rocks and also taking measurements on rock sizes, orientation and hardness.  The weather was immaculate once again and I hope it will last.  It was such a nice day.  We had nice sandwiches, we each had a beer, I even made myself comfortable on the rocks and had a nice afternoon nap.  

Side note: In the Antarctic, against all your instincts, you try and keep beer warm.  To cool it is never a problem.

Handy man Jo

Few things in life are free and my expedition to Antarctica was made possible by accepting employment with our beloved government.  As you probably know, I am trained as a mechanical engineer; my career, however, could  thus far best be described as denial of that fact.  It felt like bit of a risk to accept employment in that capacity, especially since I am the only mechanical engineer on the team. I am relieved to report that the first few (of probably countless) challenges we have met could be surmounted.  We have two very experienced and  easy-to-work-with diesel mechs in our technical team and their perspectives and hands are obviously unmissable.  Wikipedia, Google and OEM (original equipment manufacturers) manuals also helped of course.  These tests included the setup of a generator's actuator and PLC-like controller, troubleshooting and fixing of a warm container fridge unit, replacement of a few pumps, servicing of two diesel generators, adding some functionality to another PLC (programmable logic controller) etc.  They probably only served as appetizers for the year ahead; so I might regret this blog a few months from now. As in cycling: a strong finish is more important than a strong start.  It is, however, good to know that while juggling fun, growing up and training at school and varsity a few things do stick and if nothing else, maybe just the way in which you think.

"Training"

Sometimes training feel like simply having fun.  If you think about university or school for instance you wonder whether training or fun enjoys priority.  Well today, fortunately, I had such a training session.  Seeing that we are surrounded by ice we probably need to learn how to move over it so we were taught how to walk with crampons, use an ice pick, secure a rope in ice and how to belay and ascend a rope on a steep icy incline.  It was a very well received break from life on base as the four walls started feeling a bit cramped.  It was great fun to roll and slide on the slope learning how to arrest your descent with the use of an ice pick.  We are being spoiled by immaculate weather at the moment so we tend to forget what the dangers and risks are of this continent.  Towards the end of our day however we were shown what a smallish crevasse looks like.  It is scary to think that this amazing amount of snow that would seem like an absolute playground for snowboarders or mountaineers are riddled with cracks up to 100's of meters deep, all of which could end your fun very abruptly.

"Wherever you go, there you are"

3 weeks into the journey.

Blogging was a bit difficult the last few weeks, so I guess the rather small audience might have shrunk further, but for the few die hards I will try and give a update of what I have experienced since I left.

The journey on the SA Agulhas was very comfortable and rather special in a way.  She is visibly an older ship but she has the charm and silent reserve of someone who has served her crew faithfully for her whole life.  As you might also know it is the last ice journey of the SA Agulhas I since SA Agulhas II will be delivered in 2012 and the voyages to Antarctica will be handled by the newcomer.  I shared a small cabin with two of my team mates and it worked surprisingly well.  I guess it is a good sign for people that signed up to work together in Antarctica for a year.  The journey lasted for two weeks.  We managed our way through the roaring forties and furious fifties with ease, I think the biggest swell we encountered was maybe 4 meters so we could feel we were not on solid ground but I expected the 40's and 50's to live up to their reputation.  The wind was quite strong and cold but for a 100 meter power boat that caused little trouble.  It was only when we ventured onto the deck to view the ocean that we realised that the climate was changing.  As we started to encounter ice bergs and pack ice the sea calmed down further and it felt like we were sailing on a lake.  Life on the Agulhas consists of eating, sleeping, socialising, watching movies and attending the occasional briefing.

When we eventually made landfall (or in this case icefall), me and one other team mate needed to get ready to help the drivers to receive our cargo on the ice and to get ready to haul it 300 km to the SANAE IV base.  To put it into perspective the 300 km relates to 36 hours driving in good weather.  Our journey evolved into a nearly 72 hour slog.  On Christmas morning we woke up to stormy conditions but it was decided that we will start the journey in any case, the driver team leader probably anticipated that the weather will improve over the next day, it didn't.  The vehicles we use are designed for agricultural purposes and with load you can look at maybe 12 km/h top speed, the problem is some are older than others and have less towing capacity.  So when we started off on our journey these lessons of which vehicles will not be able to tow their loads still needed to be learned.  So when the first vehicle got stuck and when the weather worsened we probably should have guessed that we were in for quite a ride.  At some point I got very frustrated with the whole process.  The old hands, however, always kept their cool and taught me that things are always more difficult that you expect in Antarctica.  Some even say that there is no such thing as time in Antarctica, only weather.  The weather eventually cleared and we reached the base on an immaculate day.  The surroundings and base completely blew me away.  The mountain ranges are absolutely beautiful.  Everything is so white and so pristine that it is in a way quite sad and ironic that we can only truly experience it by being here; and us humans despite our best intentions, by default, tend to pollute where ever we go.  When everything is so clean and white the smallest drop of oil feels like sacrilege, we obviously try and pick up whatever we drop but we can also miss.

After arrival at the base we needed to start getting cargo into the base.  This is hard work, no matter how you look at it, and we are still not done.  I am also trying to learn as much as possible of the systems on base from the old year team members, so there is a lot to digest and I sometimes feel a bit daunted by the tasks at hand.

In my mind I have probably not accepted where I am yet, everything I experience still feels a bit dreamy, but I hope today, which is a Sunday will allow some rest and reflection and the past experiences and on the brand new year ahead of me. 

When does a journey start?

Different people experience the start of a journey differently but I believe everyone has some point where they realise they crossed the point of no return.  For some the final day's packing brings that point home, for some maybe when their luggage are checked in.  For me it was when the pilot ships pulled the SA Agulhas away from the pier.  

For me it was a very strong metaphor of my loved ones receding into the background while I am being pulled into my next voyage.  The fun, laughter and safety of being together with your loved ones has now ended and the reality of the path you chose sets in.  On this voyage their companionship will not be possible and for me it hinted at the ultimate solitude of one's life and that some experiences cannot be shared.  

The good thing is that on this journey I have a new family and a new life, new adventures and new things to explore...(and of course there is blogging, internet, telephones, whatsapp etc.)

4 days to departure

No matter how much time you leave for planning, training and preparation, eventually it will run out.  Eventually your commitment or lack of it will be rewarded.  

The world's knowledge is pretty much accessible anywhere. Although experience and specialist knowledge are more difficult to google, you can still phone or e-mail someone more experienced than yourself.  Seeing that SANAE is connected to the web and has a good telephone connection I will have enough resources of knowledge and experience.  The resources of bodies and hands to implement what needs be is limited and therefore potentially problematic but what really worries me is that panic stricken yell of: "We forgot to bring: ......!!!".  

No shops or DHL or Fedex for 14 months.

On the one hand I relish the thought of 14 months of absolute marketing cease fire.  No commercials of the-next-really-essential-item-you-never-needed-until-now and no telephone marketers who religiously believe they will convince you that you need a second cellphone.  

But there is a lot to be said for convenience.  Our lives have evolved into convenience whirlpools and I am not sure how I will adapt in the absence of it.  

But maybe I should stop philosophizing about it and run through my "What to take" list one more time....