Monday, December 1, 2014

66 - Ticking boxes Antarctic Style, Sansom Island and work.......

Hello Friends,

so after getting over the resupply I found out that I needed to refresh my survival training. Now this is a box that needed ticking. Kind of frustrating as i did complete survival training in Hobart last year for Macquarie Island. Apparently Macca field training doesn't transfer to the continent. A little silly if you ask me as its really no different with the exception that there was a little more snow here than there was on Mt Wellington and here we drilled the ice to find out how thick it was but other than those two things exactly the same.

Anyway shrug the shoulders and move on and to be honest I think I had the best night sleep since I've been here that night, chip sack and all. When we get down here before anyone goes anywhere we need to be issued with out field survival packs. This is the basic needs for survival in the field if hell was to break loose and we needed to hit the ground.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Whats in the bag you ask?
Inside.......
* Sleeping bag and for me I have a gusset that makes it a little more comfortable to be in.
* Compass.
* Signal mirror.
* Spare clothes. Now this is an important one as if you get wet your going to need to change so I pack
   spare thermals, fleece top and bottom as a second layer, socks, balaclava and gloves.
* Food normally I have a Dehydrated meal or two, some mixed nuts and a nice big block of
   chocolate.
On the outside.......
* the yellow thing on the right hand side of my pack is a Bivy bag.
* The long red pole is actually an ice axe.
*  On the back of the pack is a rope bag. Which you need to have out along with your ice axe to walk
    on the ice just in case you need them quickly.

Total weight is going to be around 18-20kg depending on what extras you have.

Whenever you leave station limits this pack must be with you, fire tags turned,  intentions board filled in, trip form filled in and approved by the station leader and a trip leader. Sounds like lots but not really too bad and once you understand the reasons behind it you do it.

Fire tags is a board in the mess that everyone has a tag and when you depart station limits you turn it red so if there is a fire then people aren't looking for someone that isn't there. The Intentions Board is so people know where your going, how your getting there and the route your taking. Just in case you or one of your party hurt or become un contactable this gives them somewhere to start looking.

The trip form is what the station leader looks at which the ultimate decision on the trip is made. He will take into the equation the mix of people in the group and if they will be able to complement each others strength and weaknesses. The station leader is also the person who will approve trip leaders and one of these need to be on every single excursion that leaves station. A trip leader is basically the person who's responsibility it is to ensure the safety of the actions of the group and who will be in front of the coroner along with the station leader if something was to go pear shaped.

Some extra things needed to take with you are at least 2 VHF radios 2 GPS's and spare batteries for all. Down here its all about risk reduction and redundancies. We are alone and along way from help if it dose go bad. The Doc here dose have a very well fitted out medical facility but when you think about who your scrub nurse is Rowdy would be enough to make everyone be safe.

 Pic: Michael Goldstein

A little confused here not too sure if Rowdy is a mussel man or an AGSO (Aircraft Ground Support Officer) anyway he is also a Scrub Nurse if someone needs to be operated on. Not a place id like to have a Boiler Maker inside my guts he might know pipework but not intending to let him know mine!!!

ANYWAY I digress, back to field training. We departed for out 2 day one night training and the weather had really turned it on for us. Weather in the lead up was -10c and blowing about 30 knots and overcast for about a week then it turned blue skies -7 and 5 knots. Magic typical Rivera of the South weather I expect at Davis. Wasn't so nice to start with but by the time we were to go to bed was beautiful. Below is me and a FTO cuzzy bro James. He lead our group and taught me something new. For all those of you who get cold hands will like this one.

Im going to call it the FTO funky chicken...............so
Step 1. Arms strait down to your legs.
Step 2. Palms to the ground and finger tops up towards your head as far as they will go.
Step 3. Arms slightly out from your sides.
Step 4. Repeatedly shrug your shoulders.
Step 4. Do this in a mirror and try not to laugh!!!!! LOL

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Was only really a short walk to where we were to be spending the night which we used compass and map to get there. After cooking dinner (dehydrated meals yummy LOL) melting snow to make water and soup we hit the sack quite literally. Yep the Bivy is basically a large garbage bag mind you as id done it before I had a few tricks up my sleeve.

The first thing was the water boiled I put into my drink bottle that went into my sleeping bag. I tot tell Simone my fellow Plant Operator that he needed to do this and don't know if he didn't hear me or didn't think it was important. He found out why in the morning, more about that one later.

Secondly when getting issued the Field Survival Pack i got a gusset for the sleeping bag as I'm a little larger than the average makes for a not as much of a cocoon feeling when trying to sleep. SO I dress down to thermals and jump in with my hot water bottle set up my pack to make the head area of the bivy more room and to stop the snow, more about that one later too. I think id been listening to Simon (Pictured below) snoring for about 5 minutes and I guess I was snoring in harmony with him.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Another one was to ensure you have a 1L bottle quite latterly called a piss bottle handy as getting up once in can be easier said than done. Yes I did use it and yes you can use it quite effectively without getting up or our of your sleeping bag as long as you only need to do a number one. A number two is a whole different story! The short story on that one is garbage bags boucle bagged and taken back to station where it is incinerated.

While out there I did notice some really cool "Ice Wedges" which I have talked about it at the bottom in THIS blog.

 Pic: Michael Goldstein

Liked the look of this rock too it was massive and the red stones in-pregnated in it I believe are Ruby no no no they are Garnets.

 Pic: Michael Goldstein

If you do it right you won't have to do a number two though. Its all down to a combination of cheese and dehydrated meals and then once back on station chocolate is used. Works for me!!!! LOL

Work has been full of digging hole and hammering at the moment. Now remembering down here I'm a plant operator so digging and hammering both involve machines, excavators to be precise. Digging here only gets you so far then the permafrost becomes very apparent. Digging it can prove to be a hell of a lot more difficult that one would think and the only way I'm allowed to deal with it is with a hydraulic hammer attachment for the excavator. Id really like to use explosives but when I asked that question the boss seems to laugh at me.

Don't know what a Hydraulic hammer is VIDEO HERE and PICTURES HERE.

Anyway we were falling a little behind on one job so last Saturday instead of only working half day I decided to work a full day in an attempt to catch up. Now that particular hammer I was using was a largish type and lets just say everyone on station could hear me. The noise was traveling down the water lines and going to the other side of station. whoops

  Pic: Michael Goldstein

One lot of Pits now finished ready for the site services to be installed. Happy that one was finished I can tell you. The next trenches I'm in the middle of digging are a little harder as I'm not able to use the big machine instead I'm using a tea spoon and progress isn't happening as quickly as i would like.

Anyway Sunday I managed to be asked if I wanted to go off station to a place called Sansom Island. I'm not exactly sure as to the reasoning behind this some say its because I worked on Saturday myself I'm thinking it was one way to make sure I don't make any noise on Sunday. Must remember to do that more who know where ill end up next time.

So Sansom Island, some of you might remember it from a previous blog which you can see HERE. This time I didn't fly there by Twin Otter rather I went there in our by chopper. Now a flight like this cain only be done when there are two choppers flying together as the other is there just incase something was to go wrong they can lend a hand. Nothing but some good photographs happened on our flight. Here is some on the way there.............

The Vestfold Hills with a little white on them......

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Some of the beautiful and striking Basaltic Dykes around the Vestfold Hills Have a look HERE at more geologic information about here and around Casey and more....

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Crevasse field..........

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Amanda Bay Emperor Penguin rookery, one place i would love to go but its in a restricted area called an ASPA (Antarctic Specially Protected Area). Below you can see there is lots of Emperor Penguins and this season we do have 3 permits to land there and conduct a survey, can see some more time on the hydraulic hammer coming up can't you????

Amanda Bay is in ASPA-169 and more information about that ASPA and all the others can be found HERE. More information about the Amanda Bay rookery itself can be found HERE.


   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Russian and Chinese Skiway just behind their stations and it looks like they might be getting ready for a traverse....

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Sansom Island with the Amery Ice Shelf behind it.........In 2003-2004 there was a group of scientists there doing a little work and they ice cored and gathered cores from the sediments under the shelf some interesting reading HERE. Now the Amery forms part of the Lambert Glacier which holds the world record for the largest glacier. 100km wide and 400km long thats a biggie!

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

A closer view of the massive blocks of ice that are behind Sansom Island. This picture DOSEN"T do it justice. Very impressive!

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

A good panorama on the Island from the trusty iPhone........

     Pic: Michael Goldstein

Looking out the door of the mellon hut there......

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

Now I was actually there to work believe it or not. We were to receive three flights from the Twin Otter delivering 6*205l drums of ATK fuel. 7 drums of old fuel that could not be used anymore were taken back to station where it could be used in the Kroll heater in the workshop along with waste oil. 

Below you can see Sansom Island with a copper picking up drums on a long line to bring them down to where we were to load them up onto the Twin Otter.

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Delivery incoming!!!

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

And new fuel arriving to be cached on the Twin Otter..........

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Don't know just liked that pic....

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

The new fuel.........

   Pic: Michael Goldstein

Below a Fata Morgana, try saying that three times!!

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

Right beside Sansom Island is a Russian Summer station Druzhnaya IV sometimes use, obviously not this season but if you have a look HERE and HERE AS WELL  I've covered it in previous blogs. One thing I will mention again is have a look HERE. This link is to a blog from 2002 where some people where there!

On the Hill closest to Sansom Island there is the Russian Orthodox cross and the Hammer and Sickle.

    Pic: Michael Goldstein


A better view of the Hammer and Sickle noting all white rocks make the symbol.

    Pic: Michael Goldstein


More names written in the white rock scattered around......

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

Dosent look like much has changed other then the placement of a few machines......

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

These machines....

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

On the way back we flew over Bharati which is the Indian station located just around the corner from the Russians Progress II and Chinese Zhongshan Station. A couple years ago we were invited over there just after they had completed it and i got some pictures from inside HERE and HERE AS WELL.

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

Progress II (Russian summer/winter station) more info HERE.

    Pic: Michael Goldstein


Zhongshan (Chinese summer/winter Station) more info HERE.

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

    Pic: Michael Goldstein

Back home..........

   Pic: Michael Goldstein
More work and here I am filling in for Simon my fellow Plant Operator as he was doing slushi (kitchen hand). We have been working with some Comms Riggers who have been replacing all the antennas for our VHF radios and that little yellow box up the top is the boys workplace!!!

 Pic: Michael Goldstein

Below is a shot of the crane computer and basically its telling me that I have 29m of boom out at a height of 37.9m and its 13.5m away form me. The lads aren't small as they weigh 1.4t but after lunch they are a little more but its ok as I could have up to 3.6t up there!

Pic: Michael Goldstein 

A better look at their workplace, no thanks.

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Another job we needed to do this week was to clear a road into the quarry as we needed some crushed rock in there that was crushed last season. Well lets just say I now remember how quickly you can bog a Dozer......

Pic: Michael Goldstein 

A little deceiving but there would have been about 1.5m under the blade of the Dozer......

Pic: Michael Goldstein

Nice hole where she was!!!

 Pic Michael Goldstein

So there we go another exciting blog hope I haven't put too many of you asleep reading, who am i kidding nobody reads my dribble anyway i don't care when i become old at least it will remind me of what I've done.

Hope everyone is well

Michael

P.S.............."Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it."
                     AndrĂ© Gide