Log Entry No 18 - 22nd Jan 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

In the last blog, the yacht party was holed up in Mutton Cove waiting for suitable conditions to push on further south, whilst the shore parties were either collecting geological specimens or mountaineering on the Reclus Peninsular.

That evening we were joined in the cove by the famous expedition yacht Pelagic Australis. As soon as their lines were fixed, the crew kindly asked us over for a beer. Later, they spotted that our other partner in the cove, a threatening ice berg, was very firmly on the move. So we spent an hour, slipping lines trying to nudge it with the inflatable into the narrow gap between the yacht and the nearby cliff.

The next day we slipped out, to motor south between ever larger pieces of ice. Eventually at 66.06S, our way was completely blocked by thickly piled bergs. So, not wanting to spend the southern winter there, we turned back. 66.06S would have to do for this trip!

Impenetrable ice at 66.06S.

As I write we’re heading north, just passing the Chilean Base Gabriel Gonzalez Videla, to pick up the shore parties from the Reclus Peninsula this afternoon. We’ll then return to Paradise Harbour for 3 more days of geological sampling and, weather willing, more climbing.

Here’s the latest news from Ropes 1 and 2:

With best wishes, Andy Mills.

FROM THE MOUNTAIN

An early start again greeted the six man team. The sun soon increases in intensity and the snow conditions deteriorate making movement hard. Starts of 2-3 am have been common. The steep terrain also has its challenges, to minimise excessive steep climbs and decents the team must make traverses across icy slopes. Sam has maintained his position of point man, breaking trail and attempting to find the most efficient route. Wally Herbert’s ‘Dangerous Traverse’ has now been superseded by ‘Sam’s Cheeky Traverse’.

The Forbidden Plateau.

As the team eventually made it up to the edge of the plateau (after skiing up the equivalent of a red run) Mount Johnston loomed on the horizon, its twin peaks glowing in the bright blue sky. Rare perfect skies tempted a summit attempt. Still a good way off, the team picked up the pace. Just short, a camp was made, dinner taken, at a light order dash made.

The team climbed onto the summit of Mount Johnston at 1900hrs in dropping temperatures. They were rewarded with panoramic views across the Antarctic Peninsula, Brabant Island and beyond to the West and amazingly the frozen Weddell Sea to the East. It is an amazing thought that only a hand full of people have ever set foot on the summit of this mountain, but even fewer have ever had the awe inspiring views that we were treated to. After a very cold 10 minutes on the summit, a rapid decent was made to the relative comfort of the tents and de-hydrated army rations.

Across to Brabant.

After a fashionably (for us) late start we packed up camp into our pulks and headed back to a site we’d previously identified as ideal for snow core sampling. The equipment had been cached enroute to Mount Johnson.

James with the corer.

Yesterday’s kind weather now gone, the team battled with plummeting temperatures and poor visibility. Frost began to appear on beards! The first metre of snow was drilled in no time by James and Steve with Rob in the tent segmenting the core into bite size samples to be transported back to the Paul Scherere Institute in Switzerland for analysis.

Rob assesses the sample.

It took six hours to drill down to the 10m limit of the corer and prepare the samples.

{…….A rather abrupt end, I know; but, as I’ve just spoken to them on the ‘phone, I know they’re ok! Andy}

Team Effort