Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

was fitter than the others because my work on the seals was strenuous and took me
out from base more). I brewed tea and lit the lamps for when they arrived 15 minutes
later; we had taken 2 hours over the return and it had been a very good day. We
talked and smoked during the evening and I worked up my pencil notes into a
drawing of Iceberg Bay to be painted later.
A few days later low cloud invested Coronation Island, but it was thin with the
sun shining through, so we expected the weather to improve, and we decided to go
to Cape Vik. Ralph's ankle was painful and he elected to stay behind, which
unfortunately gave Derek and me increased loads. The surface was good as far as
Balin Point where we looked back and saw a colourful fogbow which Derek
photographed. The ice became broken and we threaded our way through it, until we
were past North Point where it gave way to a level surface stretching to Cape Vik
across Marshall Bay. There were good views of the crags of Robin Peak showing the
different rock types. Crossing the strait we met patches of very sticky snow where
sea water had percolated through and the salt made the going hard.
When we were near Cape Vik, a great roaring of seals came up from the tide
crack around a berg and an immature Dominican gull was flying around. The noise
increased and at intervals seals' flippers and heads appeared, but then it became
quiet. When we reached Cape Vik and looked back through the theodolite, we could
see a large male Weddell hauled out near the berg with a large bleeding wound on
its neck - so probably two territorial males had been fighting underwater. A 3-year
old male elephant seal was blowing in the tide crack. I plane-tabled while Derek took
a round of angles with the theodolite and then collected rocks. I drew Wave Peak in
the last of the sun lighting the summit and West face - a beautiful mountain it is.
A penguin rookery with red excreta extended over the coastal spits of scree
origin and I found a dead chinstrap penguin, so the rookery was probably mixed
chinstrap and Adélie; an elephant seal was snorting in the tide-crack. As we returned
there was a gorgeous sunset behind the Sandefjord Twins. It was very tiring on the
sticky surface and we took 2 hours back to the hut. We exchanged loads halfway and
encountered broken ice which made the going more difficult. Derek fell two or three
times. We had a very lazy evening. I developed a film, which had some good photos
from Reid Island and one of Ralph holding a large fish. We went to bed feeling very
tired.
Next, 23 August was a fine day so we opted for a climb to the top of Cape
Hansen, taking a theodolite, tripod and plane-table. Ralph didn't want to come
although I pressed him, so consequently Derek and I were each carrying 50 lb loads
when we set out on ski over the sea ice. The surface was very patchy with sticky
areas of snow of the consistency of wet sugar. After passing Starfish Bay the surface
improved slightly. It took us just over an hour to get to the western corner of Cape
Hansen. Weddells were coming up to breathe at tiny domed breathing holes in the
ice; underwater they were vocalizing, making a noise like hammering water pipes.
Here we stopped to examine the rocks and Derek nearly fell into the tide-crack at
one point where there was a pronounced 3 ft ice-foot. I found a route and went over
the broken pack ice on ski, while Derek collected rocks. We went on round the coast
to the West end of the Cape Hansen dyke. Derek collected specimens while I did a
sketch of the Cragsman (Cuillins) Peaks from there, with isolated rocks in
continuation of the dyke in the foreground. The dyke was of dolerite and with lovely
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