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

sledge slightly differently, with the result that the load was longer and lower - and
the centre of gravity lower. It made quite a difference to the pulling, although the
surface was still very bad. We pulled to Reid Island without a break and pitched
camp about 3 o’clock. The day had been reasonable - little wind and the cloud base at
1,500 ft. Now a slight wind developed and it began to clear. Derek and Charlie went
off to examine ‘Castle Cape’ and I followed our tracks back for about 1 1 2 miles where
I got a resection near the large berg. I took a good series of rays before the sun went
down. It was a protracted business: I drew two or three rays and then paced around
swinging my arms to get hands and feet warm again - and then repeated the process
time after time until the work was done. I would need another resection between this
one and Pyramid Point.
The berg had a large concave face just above me and this produced a very fine
echo, which I tested repeatedly. A seal was blowing but I didn't investigate closely as
the ice looked rotten. I retraced my steps for about 1 2 mile and then, seeing Derek and
Charlie in the distance, I headed for them and met them half way down the East side
of the peninsula. We walked back to camp with cloud pouring over the col from the
north. A mirage effect due to the cold, advanced upon us like a wall and then
disappeared as we felt the colder air hit us. After supper there was a very fine lunar
halo - double with well-marked mock-moons and horns; a diamond parhelia was
formed at the same time and it felt very cold.
Again it was a very cold night, spent tossing and turning. That morning there
were many feathers of frost and hoar crystals in the tent. It was a clear cold day
(about -43°C we guessed), so I hoped to do some survey. Then Charlie and I would
pull number 2 sledge to the pack ice edge and with luck Derek would finish the
geology in time to help us to pull number 1 sledge back to base. Unfortunately he
was wearing sealskin boots and tore one on sharp rocks as he was collecting. In the
course of an hour or so snow entered the boot, his feet became frozen, and by the
time he appreciated the problem it was well advanced. He rejoined us and thawed
out his feet, but large blisters developed. He had no choice but to walk back to base
with us as we couldn't pull him on the sledge, and this didn't help his feet. Back at
the hut he retired to bed after I had lanced the blisters and it took several days before
he was able to walk again.
We had enjoyed our 3-week winter journey, although it had been cold and, with
our primitive equipment - particularly the inadequate footwear - it had been hard
work. We had not travelled far, but felt that we had experienced to some small
degree the hardships that the pioneers in the heroic era had coped with; but we were
very annoyed at having hauled the heavy, and as it turned out, useless radio
equipment and its batteries.
223