Penguins, penguins everywhere!

As a finale to the Antarctic expedition, the team was able to make the 2 hour flight to the emperor penguin colony early this morning. Though the conditions at Novo were slightly windy and cold the weather at the emperor penguin colony was full sun, blue sky and no wind. "This was the highlight of the trip" said Charles, of the chance to visit the noisy colony with thousands of penguins, "It is very difficult to describe..."

The colony consists of thousands of adult penguins and their chicks, who still have their downy fluff. The penguins were busy moving about on foot and on their belly, propelled by their back feet. "They were sliding quite fast!" said Charles. A look across the colony saw several large groups, with individual penguins moving between the groups. As the weather cools, the groups will condense to conserve heat, but on a warm and sunny day like today, the groups were more loosely associated.

"The penguins were very curious," Charles commented, adding that they would walk to within 3-5 meters of him before stopping to study him. " They were much friendlier than the Americans at the South Pole base." We had to chuckle at that comment :)

It was a noisy site. Each penguin has its own unique vocal call critical to individual recognition between parents, offspring, and mates. It was also a relatively stinky site with more brown on the ground (scat and regurgitated food) than clean snow.

After approximately three hours the team returned to Novo where they tried to catch up on their lost sleep (they only got 2 hours of sleep last night!). A late afternoon trip to the Banya was a relaxing way to reflect on the day, and a celebratory dinner (that they are enjoying as I write this) will cap off the expedition. Tomorrow, weather permitting, they return to Cape Town.

Check back tomorrow for another update from the team!

Back at the Oasis...

After returning from the South Pole yesterday the team spent the day at the Oasis. The team visited the Whichaway Basecamp, approximately 15 kilometers from the Oasis. They were dropped off by vehicles and decided to walk back using a route which took them over glaciers and rocky fields, around a Nunatak, and past the Indian research station. As Charles recalled, "Even though we have hiked a lot today each footstep was on a different type of terrain and was different from the previous step, making it very interesting."

Polar travel is often a game of waiting for the "next update" regarding travel and activities. Weather and various logistics rule the day, especially when it comes to any kind of air travel. At the moment our team is waiting for an update about their planned trip to the emperor penguin colony which is a 2 hour flight from The Oasis. When they phoned in their report the local time was 10 PM and they were planning to depart for the emperor penguin colony at 2 AM. With 24 hour sunlight activities do not always get planned around a typical schedule! We'll keep you posted about whether they were able to make the trip or not.

Team members often use this blog as a way to send messages home and today Charles sends a very special hello to Anna and Karine. Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!

The South Pole!

The South Pole! Charles phoned today at around 20:30 from the geographic South Pole. They had just completed a tour of the South Pole station, and were on their way back to the plane to transfer to a refueling station 22 kilometers from the Pole for a night's rest, and then back to The Oasis tomorrow. Of the South Pole Charles noted that it is not nearly as remote as the North Pole!

Indeed the Amundsen-Scott South Pole station, named after the first two explorers to reach the South Pole (within a month and 3 days of each other) is home to over 200 summertime residents and approximately 50 wintertime residents.  It is a large multilevel structure built on hydraulic lifts so that every few years the entire building can be raised 6" at a time. This is to prevent the building from being covered by blowing snow, which was the fate of the previous South Pole station which had to be abandoned, and then dismantled. During the winter temperatures can plummet to as low as -70 C (-100 F) with gale force winds.  The elevation at the South Pole is 9301 feet, but because the atmosphere is slightly thinner in the higher latitudes it feels closer to 11,000 feet. That's high enough to make you huff and puff while walking from the pole to the station.

There are actually two "poles" at the South Pole. The "Ceremonial South Pole" is the where most people take pictures... it is the famous red and white striped barber pole with a reflective globe top. A couple meters away lies the "Geographic South Pole", precisely at 90 degrees south. This is a small bronze marker that is designed annually by the people who "winter over" at the base. Thus each year's marker is different.

The temperature today was a cool -30 or -35 C and the skies were clear and sunny. "Not so bad" said Charles, "Except for the hand that is holding the satellite phone."

We'll keep you posted as their adventure continues in the balmier climate of the Oasis, and time permitting, the emperor penguin colony of Queen Maud Land. Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!

The Banya Sherrif and Glaciers

With plans to depart for the South Pole tomorrow around noon GMT, the team spent today visiting a glacier and some mountains 20 miles away from the Oasis. It took two hours to get there in the special vehicles but it was well worth the trip, with beautiful scenery and long hike including a 750 ft. ascent of a mountain.

When the team returned they enjoyed a long visit to the banya. The banya is quite impressive, especially for being at an Antarctic base. It measures approximately 15 ft. by 20 ft. with a separate dressing room and tea room.The basecamp manager, Vladamir, is a very gregarious and charismatic person who also happens to be a banya enthusiast (to say the least). This is, for all purposes, HIS banya, and he claims the title "Banya Sheriff". To demonstrate his banya authority he has a gun and a hat hanging on the front door of the banya.

Charles has a Finnish background and is a long-time enthusiast of the sauna. The sauna produces a "dry heat", while the Russian banya is based on a "wet heat". While in the banya this evening Charles suggested raising the temperature by 10 degrees. nyet!" This sparked discussion of a contest to see who can handle the hotter banya. We'll keep you posted.... and we'll try to post some pictures as well.

Hopefully the flight to the South Pole will depart tomorrow mid day. Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!

Passing time...

Today was a sort of "free day" for the team, with no official plans, and the flight to the South Pole on hold for another 2 days. The team had a "lazy but very nice day" to quote Charles. They started with walk to a camp at a nearby glacier where they received a dinner invitation for tomorrow night. It's so easy to make friends in Antarctica! Everyone is always happy to see a fresh face:)

The hike back from the glacier took around 1.5 hours and they made it back in time for a hearty dinner from the basecamp chef. The food is simple but good. No fine wine or seafood here, rather some good ol' Russian style meat and potatoes. "Always too much..." according to Charles.

The team has seen a number of Adele penguins which are quite common along the coast of Antarctica. They are not as big as Emperor penguins, with an average size of 46 to 75 cm (18 to 30 in) in length and 3.9 to 5.8 kg (8.6 to 12.8 lbs) in weight. They can swim up to an amazing 45 miles per hour!

Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!

The "Ice Wave" & Old Friends...

Today was an exciting day for many reasons. It started with a mid morning tour of the Indian research station that is located near the "Oasis". The station, named "Maitri" is India's second station in Antarctica. The first station, named "Dakshin Gangotin" was abandoned after it became buried in the snow.

After the visiting the Indian station the team went to a nearby glacier to see an ice wave, a formation in a glacier creating incredible long tunnels in the ice. The sun was shining, the wind was calm, and everyone was taken by the beauty of the ice. A long walk back to camp (almost 4 hours) over uneven and rugged terrain was challenging and made an evening visit to the "Banya" (Russian Sauna) all the more welcome.

We are constantly reminded what a small world it is, and today was no exception. While preparing to entertain the team with music, the Oasis basecamp manager, Vladamir, got out his squeeze box. Rick took one look at the squeeze box, and instantly recognized it. He then took a second look at Vladamir and recognized him as the first person he encountered after skiing over 120 miles to the North Pole in 1993. The story of the 1993 expedition to the North Pole is an incredible one, with an 11th hour push to reach the pole in time for a pre-arranged pick up flight. To make a long (and amazing) story short, Rick ran into Vladamir by complete chance precisely AT the North Pole. This was back when there was no polar tourism industry and very, very few people even considered traveling to the North Pole. There were no other humans within hundreds of miles, but there was Vladamir, playing his squeeze box at the North Pole for a small group of Austrian tourists. They were equally as surprised to see Rick and the other skiers appear out of the white horizon. The two teams celebrated together, then Rick gave Vladamir a Magellan GPS. Vladamir recalled this event with great fondness saying that he was "the only person in all of Russia to have a GPS!" We are delighted that they have reconnected after all these years, and at the opposite end of the planet!

                                       (The 1993 North Pole team celebrating after a chance
                                                      encounter with Vladamir's group at the North Pole)

The team hopes to fly to the South Pole in two days. Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!

Beautiful Ice Caves...

Another day of beautiful weather on the coast of Antarctica and our team took full advantage of the friendly climate. During the morning they visited the "Novo" basecamp (short for Novolazarevskaya) which is the Russian research station on Antarctica. They conduct many projects including taking special pictures of the moon and sky (that's putting it simply....).

After touring Novo the team went for a hike to some beautiful ice caves. The caves are roughly 10 meters deep and as Charles put it, "they sparkled like diamonds." We look forward to seeing the pictures!

The team is having a great time, and everyone is doing well and adjusting to life on the "white continent". This includes getting used to changes and delays usually caused by inclement weather. Right now they are planning to fly to the South Pole in three days. We are keeping our finger's crossed for continued good weather and many more wonderful adventures to come.

Check back tomorrow for another update from the ice!