Blue Team Blog

Success! It seems like only a few minutes since I was writing an email to tell you that we were heading out on our journey to try and cross the Avery Plateau and that we would be out of contact for the foreseeable future, yet it was nearly a month ago and I am now sat on our yacht Australis with the rest of Blue Team having successfully completed the trip.

We arrived back into Base Camp 48 hours ago, all very tired and all some 8-12kgs lighter after the physical demands of our journey. It was great to see Red Team and their welcome back was enough to uplift all our spirits after what has been a real adventure albeit one that has truly tested us every step of the way. Over the next couple of weeks the team will be updating the blog and letting you know what we are doing as we progress our science projects further, they will also be putting extracts from their diaries into the blog as well so that you can find out exactly what our journey has been like. These will be accompanied by photographs and videos that we have taken during our travels and some of these are absolutely amazing I can assure you.

So how was our crossing of the Avery Plateau? Well, it is difficult for me to find words that adequately describe what we have experienced. There have been moments of real drama such as when we were sat in our tents watching a huge avalanche race towards us and not knowing if it would reach us (it did but we were hit by the very edge of the pressure wave and and only got a small 'thwack' from the snow it contained). There have for me (at least), been moments of real apprehension such as when we had to navigate through a massive crevasse field with zero visibility and we found ourselves having to cross a snow-bridge that sank each time one of us crossed it. There have been moments of desperate exhaustion such as when we found ourselves having to dig the tents out of spindrift in the worst weather you could imagine; in 80 knots of wind with two people digging for an hour then changing over with the two in the tent for hour after hour as the tents were steadily buried. On the other hand there have been moments of such awe inspiring beauty that our efforts have all been rewarded beyond anything we could have hoped for; such as when we looked across the Larsen Ice Shelf on the far side of the Plateau and stood in silence while looking at two amazing peaks poking through the ice we referred to as the 'Horns of Asgaard'.

For me though, despite all the danger and all the beauty, the most amazing thing has been the team I have had the privilege to be part of over the past month. Steve Riley and Sam Butterworth have guided us unerringly and safely through the most difficult of terrains imaginable in almost constant nil visibility. Given this terrain has generally alternated between crevasses that could swallow the entire team whole, the threat of overhanging Seracs tumbling down and creating an avalanche to sweep us away, or both together, this has been an awesome feat. Martin Densham has been almost saintly in his observance of his duties as the lead science man, his stoicism while collecting the various data and samples has been breath-taking, so much so that we have worked the science projects through in even the worst of weathers and when fingers and toes have come perilously close to getting unsuitably chilled. The end result though is that the science has been completed successfully so far, even though it would have been easy on many an occasion to simply say it was too dangerous to achieve. Jez Stemp has been brilliant in offering me the advice and guidance I needed every step of the way to keep our plans working. His quiet words in my ear to let me know how our logistics were panning out against the objectives has stopped me from taking any decisions that could have placed us in jeopardy; he has furthermore been a constant source of morale when things got difficult. Simon Hornby has been totally steadfast in every aspect of his medical duties but more importantly he remained steadfast when I told him we would have to drag the lorry battery back from the far side of the Plateau. If someone had told me that the 50kgs of dead weight I had just dragged over the Plateau at risk of life and limb now needed to be dragged back again, I would have simply deposited it into the nearest crevasse, but to his credit Simon simply smiled and got on with the job! Steve Marsh has been there as the constant 'fatherly ear' for the whole team, ready to offer words of wisdom and counselling to keep all of us mentally balanced - a pretty tough job given that most of us were actually pretty unbalanced before we started! Toby Stedham, well I don't need to say anything about Toby's efforts as you will see them in picture and video form over the next few weeks; awesome is a word I use a lot but in this instance it is apt to describe what Toby has shown me so far! This obviously doesn't describe what everyone has done but what I can say is the team have been superb and everyone has been amazing in their fortitude and resilience as well as their determination to make this a fitting tribute to the Scott centenary and achieve our science projects.

Since we got back we haven't stopped. First we helped with the move of our Base Camp to a new location as the calving of the glacier at our original site was endangering the Australis and also our ability to send our inflatables to and from her. This was a necessary but time consuming task, though thankfully the new Base Camp location looks absolutely awesome in terms of exploration into the surrounding area. Then, having left Red and Green Teams yesterday morning, we headed across to Horseshoe Island and set up the GPS transmitter at what appears to be a brilliant location. It was somewhat a further trial of endurance again though, because no sooner had we landed on Horseshoe than the biting wind got up to some 40 knots and made the wind-chill a major problem. Despite the problems though we did manage to drill the rock and set the system up effectively so that it appears to be working. Hoorah!!! So the first of the GPS systems is now in place. After that we set sail for Rothera, which is where we are now, but the strong winds made the passage really quite uncomfortable and a couple of times we found ourselves being thrown around the yacht along with all our kit. We finally arrived at Rothera at 1am this morning and are now in the process of sorting out some of the science equipment before we head back out to sea to conduct the marine science phase and try to place our second GPS system.

As with everything Antarctic, our plans are having to flex every moment to accommodate the new information we receive with respect to sea ice and its non-disappearance this year. The early onset of winter conditions seems to be another factor we hadn't counted on and temperatures and winds remain quite difficult to deal with but we remain focused on our commitment to science and the memory of Scott. I have to finish now as we have work to do but I will leave you to see with amazement the picture evidence of our journey across the Avery Plateau and back - the first we are aware of on our route and with our science and research programme.

Paul Hart – Deputy Leader

Another day in the most beautiful yet unforgiving place on earth. Every day you lose yourself a little as you are consumed by Antarctica's enchantment. You step on the deck of the Australis in the early hours of the morning, your eyes drawn by the most captivating almost magical ice features. Deep blue seas, surrounded by towering mysterious mountains which seem to appear as if from nowhere through the sea mist, like a protective mantle to all of the secrets concealed in this magnificent silent land.

Each and every day for the team has been so unique. This morning was no exception. Our fantastic Australis crew rising early to drag the heavy anchors from the ice in order to get us underway and to the next part of our adventure. With the most amazing confidence, our boat captain Roger extracts the 75 foot vessel with ease and perfection from the thick sea ice and manoeuvres her into open sea. Assisting Roger is both 'Mags' and Sara, who diligently work with the team in every aspect of our somewhat more than 'innovative' plans, contributing at every stage carefully adding their years of experience, building on the rich tapestry of knowledge that sometimes leave you thunderstruck, but always deeply thankful.

With our big new plans for the day, we wonder with cautious optimism, at what the day will engender: will the weather hold? Will we get back through the ice? Can we find an accessible landing point? And perhaps most importantly, will the team find a rocky point to fit our criteria for mounting the GPS transceiver…which has been so elusive on our journey so far? Well, we were about to find out!

The team decided to push the boat towards Cornish Rock, a small island which our Captain Roger advised as a very appropriate location and was usually accessible by boat. Upon arrival it became clear we could not reach it by means of our vessel due to over a mile of thick sea ice blocking our path. Therefore a plan was devised to insert a small team via the ice and make an attempt to find a location for installation on foot/ski. With all the kit involved, including that rather large HGV battery we have all become rather fond of during our journey, the option required two pulks to be used. These would be pulled by Martin, our eccentric scientist in the making, and the ever enthusiastic Jez. Steve Riley and I were then left with the navigation and technical aspects of the crossing in the non-visibility.

The remainder of Blue Team helped launch the team for the days activities with Paul and Simon remaining on board, stood ready to deploy should an incident arise such as a member of the team falling through the ice. Steve Marsh and Toby were also tasked with another important project, which is now running parallel to our journey, conducting more Algae samples. As we were all about to find out, the weather was about play its hand in reminding us what a cruel mistress she could be. Winds picked up and no sooner had we departed than heavy snow started to fall, while the rest of the team watched the GPS party disappear into the mist.

After a short ski over the sea ice (approximately two miles), a small rocky outcrop appeared. As the temperature dropped further, the increasing driving snow took the team a little by surprise and we wondered if we could do the installation at all in these atrocious conditions. Firstly, we needed to get off the ice shelf and up onto the rock. Second, the installation of the GPS would involve hours of drilling the securing holes and bolting large parts of equipment into the ground, all whilst still hopefully being able to feel our hands and feet at the end of the process!

Meanwhile, back at the edge of the ice shelf, Australis had torn herself clear of the ice and was briefly drifting free. The crew and team quickly began trying to move Australis back to the same point in the ice. This involved members of the team jumping from the boat to drag the anchor further up onto the ice to allow the best purchase to hold the boat in these 'interesting' conditions. During this eventful time, the GPS team were spurred on with Martin's enthusiasm and were busy deploying a tent in order to allow a brief respite from the weather whilst drilling in the howling conditions. At this point certain moments pass through your mind…like: "are we all crazy?"…to "what an awesome adventure" the day had become.

Despite the terrible weather, the hours quickly passed, and the installation was taking shape. This involved the team getting very cold and wet, but we were working diligently to deploy the equipment as directed. Each team member took turns to drill while others warmed hands and changed between tasks. Big smiles quickly appeared across the team when we finally finished and were able to return to the boat successfully after all the challenges. The GPS team arrived back at the boat to see the other team members enthusiastically waiting for us, eager to help unload and stow our gear. However, one final hurdle remained: the boat was bow onto the ice! Once we had climbed up the anchor onto the front of the boat as the final challenge we could relax in the warmth of the boat. Hot soup awaited the team and we were glad to be able to thaw out and change from our waterlogged clothing. Bliss.

Now what will tomorrow bring? Adventure? Of that I am sure

Sam Butterworth