Hollinger in Antarctica

I have finally made it back to Sheffield, 54 days after leaving for the trip of a lifetime.  I’m glad to say that I am fit and well with no signs of illness or injury – except perhaps a little tired after all the travelling and the science testing in Portsmouth yesterday.    I’ve spent several hours doing my washing the worst part of which was removing all the dirty kit from my bag.  Things don’t really smell much in the cold Antarctic conditions and nobody is really that bothered anyway but under normal conditions that we are used to in the UK dirty kit really mings.  I had planned to do my Christmas shopping in Chile but due to our delay in Antarctica, presents will have to be from the UK and bought tomorrow! 

Now that the expedition has come to an end I won’t be updating the blog as regularly.  However, there will be some more entries.  There is still lots to do such as analysing the science results and giving talks to share my experiences.  I already have three booked in so over Christmas I will be sorting my photos.  Also there is the excitement of the ‘best question’ and ‘best joke competition’ which ran at Tapton School.  I will have a think about the winners over the Xmas holidays and post results on the blog. 

I’ve had a look at the Tapton School website www.taptonschool.co.uk and would like to say a huge thanks to all the students who wrote updates – for the website and Wednesday letter.  You have been fantastic so make sure you see me in school as I have a small present for each of you to say thanks.  Finally a huge thanks to everyone who has been so supportive.  I won’t mention everyone by name but particular thanks to Angus, Tapton School and Dr Smith, Ballyclare High School, Andy Hodson at Sheffield University, Steve Bull, Ann and Peter Fuchs and finally Phil, Ian, Amy, Carolyn and Carl who I shared such a fantastic experience with.

When I woke up this morning I couldn’t work out where I was.  It took me several minutes to realise that I was in a hotel in Portsmouth on the last day that we would be together as a team.  It was an early start (7.30am) as two days of testing had to be condensed into one because of our delay in Antarctica.  We did the same tests as before, with the idea that we would be able to compare our physiology before and after the expedition.  How (if at all) would or diet, the climate and our physical exercise affect our bodies?  Would these things affect the male and female members of the expedition team in the same way?  So what did we find out?…  Well, really it is too soon to say without full analysis of the results but for me there were some interesting results.  The first test was a thermal sensitivity test.  I sat with my finger on a metal pad and as it was warmed and cooled I had to say whether I could feel the changes in temperature.  Mike Tipton who ran the experiment altered the changes by different increments to see whether I could detect very small changes in temperature.  Chatting to Mike it appears that I have become much more sensitive! to changes in temerature.  I will have to wait and see if this was common among the other teachers.  Such a test is interesting because if for example I had got a frostbite injury, I would have become less sensitive – so that’s reassuring news for my mum and dad!  On the VO2 max test I appeared to have much the same level of fitness.  However, what was interesting was that for the same level of work (on the exercise bike), my heart gave a lower BPM (beats per minute) reading and this appeared to happen to Phil, Amy and Ian too.  Mike will help us analyse if there is significance to these results.  The anthropomorphic profile looks at the shape of your body.  Overall I gained 2kg in weight.  Further analysis will reveal if this is 2kg of muscle or 2kg of fat.  The skinfold measurements showed that I had lost weight on my thighs and put on weight round my waist.  Finally, the dreaded null zone test in the freezer where you cycle until you sweat and then sit there until you shiver!!  The most unpleasant thing about the experiment is not that you have to sit in the freezer for over an hour but that you have a thermometer inserted into your bottom.  All in the name of science I kept telling myself.  This test revealed that, under the same conditions, I started to sweat after 20 minutes of cycling in the freezer as opposed to after 40 minutes before the expedition.  Again I will have to wait for further analysis to see if these results are significant and common among all four teachers.  We left the university to head home only to find that the minibus containing some of our kit had been broken into.  The thieves took nothing of any value to anyone except us and we were devastated to find that Amy’s lichen samples that she had worked so hard to get had been taken.  We are hopeful that they will be returned although someone finding the rucksack containing them may not realise their significance.  It was a sad end to what has been a fantastic expedition and the bus was silent as we drove north.

When is the true end of this expedition? Is it now that we are back on UK soil? We still have to travel to Portsmouth for a final round of tests before we can really begin our Christmas break and there are still many things to do to process and analyse the results of all our experiments and to study the materials that we have collected.

It was a strange experience to leave Santiago in midsummer with temperatures over 30 degrees and to arrive back to an English winter. I still find it odd to experience darkness again after nearly 40 days of continuous daylight. Our 12 hour flight from Santiago to Madrid was enlivened by the in-flight movies, reading, writing, doing puzzles and attempts (with various degrees of success) to sleep. The newspaper headlines announcing impending chaos on Road, Rail and Air didn’t help our mood when we were delayed at Madrid. In the end we touched down at Heathrow at 5.33 pm. Family, friends, Steve Bull (the organiser of the expedition), Peter and Ann Fuchs and our intrepid cameraman, Richard Wyllie, and his colleague from Brook Lapping, came to see us arrive. It was a great arrival on our home ground at last. The best bit was the ’surprise’ of my boyfriend being there.  While in the baggage reclaim I phoned my parents to say hello after almost two months.  My dad asked me “Was it a nice surprise to see Angus?”  When I said he would be at work there was a long pause and then I realised so I speeded up through customs and gave him a huge hug.  It was fantastic to see him again.  People have said to us that it is sometimes harder for friends and family who are left at home as they go about their usual daily lives, whereas for us it’s all new and exciting with different challenges to meet.  I can understand that and so I am exceptionally grateful to all my friends, family and colleagues who have offered so many words of encouragment.

Despite severe tiredness and the impending doom of 35 hours of travelling (culminating with the M25, at rush hour, on the Friday before Christmas!!) the entire team are busy packing. Our personal kit is lying like a layer of dust across two dormitories and the group kit has filled the landing, the hall and the garden. Slowly it is being sorted, packed and labelled so that at later today we are ready to head for Punta Arenas airport. From there we will fly to Santiago, then to Madrid, then onto Heathrow, arriving at about 16.30 tomorrow. However, even once we are back in the UK it’s not home time; we’re heading straight to Portsmouth for physiological testing all day on Saturday. Finally, once the testing is over, the team will, for the first time in 53 days, head their separate ways.

As we prepare to fly back to the UK it is time for me to reflect on what we have achieved. After 8 days of delay due to the bad weather I am heading my way back to the UK arriving back at Heathrow tomorrow. Despite the recent bad weather and confinement to our tents I am glad to say that it has been a fantastic experience. My top three moments have been: 

1) Stepping off the plane in Antarctica on the 10th of November and getting a big hug from Carolyn, our expedition leader. Finally after almost two years of preparations I had made it to Antarctica. Thanks to all of you who have supported me and made it possible.

2) Speaking to students on the phone on the 4th of December. The whole ethos of the expedition is to encourage more young people to take an interest in science and Geography. Actually speaking to students who asked some excellent questions made me feel that we were achieving that. 

3) The Twin Otter flight into Henderson Glacier on the 16th of November. Getting a view from the air for 20 minutes of the vast expanse of the Antarctica made me feel humble. I have come to learn over the last week that this is one of the few places in the world where mother nature is still in control. 

I am hoping that my top moment number 4 will be getting on the plane later today and making it back to the UK in time for Christmas to be with friends and family. I am really looking forward to seeing you all. 

I will be travelling for most of tomorrow getting back to London and then straight down to Portsmouth for a full day of testing (yes more sitting in a freezer!). Thank you for all your messages including Bob, Sue, Andy, Chris and Susan. I hope Y12 have mastered nearest neighbour analysis and that the Christmas decorations look good. Finally, Happy Birthday today to Matthew 9WW and Alice 8IA.

After 39 days on the ice we have finally arrived back in Punta Arenas. It was a close call as I woke to strong winds which blew snow over Amy’s footsteps in a matter of minutes. She got up to take a call at 5.30am from the Leister Mercury and reported back that the atmosphere was tense in the mess tent but that they were hopeful for a flight. I went to experience the atmosphere myself and sipped on a cup of coffee as people paced up and down, ran their fingers through their hair and watched as anyone came through the door – waiting for the crucial decision. At 9.30am we were told that the Ilyushin was in the air with an ETA of 13.05. Hurray!! Now that I am back in Punta, it is a fantastic feeling to have my feet back on tarmac and know that I will be back home in time for Xmas. However, I was sad as I packed up my tent for the last time. It had been my home and safe haven for the last 37 nights, providing shelter and relative warmth, and I couldn’t have wished for a better tent partner. We said our farewells to the ALE staff and other clients who we have come to know well over the past eight days of delay. I will miss their company, humour and endless string of stories of life, love and adventure all over the world. As we touched down in Punta and the doors of the plane opened I smelt the rain – the first in over 40 days. I then had the pleasant experience at the airport of sitting on a proper toilet and later the first shower for 40 days! Tomorrow we will start heading back to the UK and all being well arriving back at Heathrow on Friday afternoon/evening. Happy birthday today to Eliot 13BB and Eleanor 11DO

As you read this I should be either in Chille or on a plane heading back towards Chille! With the arrival of the glorious Antarctic sunshine, that moved gently into place yesterday evening, our spirits rose. The whole camp hummed into action, with a massive attempt to clear the 2.8 kilometre blue-ice runway, which was under several centimetres of snow and impossible for the aeroplane to land until it was cleared. A huge snow-blower systematically shifted this colossal volume of snow in the hope that it would prove to be possible to fly the jet in and out. This is a job that has been running on for many hours through the Antarctic night (which, of course, is as bright as day here). This is an extraordinarily beautiful Antarctic day, with the new snow lit by the brilliant sunshine, little wind, and views in all directions to the horizon. In some cases this is over 100 miles. The good news is that as I write this I am looking at the plane being loaded up with all our kit ready for us to fly back to Punta Arenas in Chille and home in time for Christmas!  Happy birthday to Jamie 13CH, Hannah 10DN, Mohamed 9AB, Jenny 8RG and Thomas 7PL.

We have now been stranded in Antarctica for a week due to the weather. It’s hard to think of too many other places in the world where it is impossible to get any form of transport in to rescue you within seven days. It’s a little bit like being in Big Brother. We are confined to a pretty small place with the same people and each day we have tasks to do to try and keep people entertained. We even have video diaries to video how we are doing. I guess it is all part of the ‘polar experience’. At least we have comfortable tents, a warm mess tent to go to and delicious food to eat (thanks to ALE!). There could be worse places to be stranded. At least I don’t have to eat any more Chilli con Carne. Our latest travel news is that there is a possible weather window tomorrow when they could get a plane in if they manage to clear the runway of more than 6000 tonnes of snow in time. If that doesn’t work out we will most likely be here another week on top of that. That means that for the first time the possibility of Christmas in Antarctica is looming. At least we would get a white Christmas. It will be very difficult to be away from friends and family at Christmas though. We are feeling a little depressed about the prospect so any jokes or stories to cheer us up will be gratefully received!

Today I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about all the background support that is needed to carry out science research in Antarctica. Whilst we are have been here at Patriot Hills we have been helping out the staff here a little and it gives me a better idea of all the effort that is needed to run a basecamp. The tents have been drifted in with up to six feet of snow and we have spent a lot of the day shovelling snow. We’ve had the help of a Sno-Cat – a big snow tractor that Chris, the driver, is amazing at manipulating so he can move the plough at the front in and out of tent guy ropes. There has been such a thick layer of snow on top of the tents which has started to melt. This means that it has been raining inside the tents for most of the day and there has been lots of mopping and buckets out to catch drips. There are so many different jobs that need to be done here, cooking, mechanics, communications, guides, builders… The staff need to be able to be really inventive about all that they do. Using minimal equipment it is amazing what they are able to achieve. You certainly need to have lots of creative enterprise skills if you want to work in Antarctica. It would be virtually impossible to carry out a long term science project in Antarctica without all of this support. I’d like to say a big thank you to all the staff at Patriot Hills for all their hard work in supporting our expedition. Happy birthday today to Jack 13CM, Joe 9WW, Connor 9JB and Hayley 8AF.

 By the time most of you read this you will no doubt be starting your last week at work before the Christmas break. For all those at Tapton School I hope you enjoy the last week starting with the Christmas Carol service on Monday night in Ranmoor Church. I remember going last year - It always feels as though Christmas has begun on that night. This is followed by the A level presentation evening for last year’s Upper Sixth next Thursday and the staff Christmas Do at the Bristol Hotel. However the event of all events will no doubt be the staff production of ‘Joseph’ next Friday – I wish I was there!

As you know we were due to fly out on the 10th of December but the harsh weather persists and we are still here in Patriot Hills. Although the weather has improved a little today it still isn’t good enough to bring a plane in and the blue ice runway is under a good depth of powder snow. I am sure you are all getting ready for Christmas. It dosen’t feel like Christmas here, except for vast quantities of snow, which I suppose is not Christmas is the UK anyway. We have spent the day eating well  as we are now allowed to eat three cooked meals a day in the mess tent (thank you ALE!), digging out the mess tent and organising the Polar Olympics 2007. The Olympics were an incredible event which tested the participants to their limits through welly wanging (done with a mountaineering boot), a coconut shy (done with insulated mugs), hoop-la (done with buckets and frozen sponges), tug-of-war, a blindfolded sledge hauling race, an egg and spoon race and a treasure hunt.

Thanks to Bob for his messages and James who sent an answer to the question - How can we reduce the wind speed and turbulence experienced by our tent with a snow wall? He has suggested two overlapping walls at 45 degrees to each other forming a v-shape. Phil is going to construct the walls tomorrow and we will let you know the results. Thanks also to Susan for the “10 things you can do when stuck in a tent in Antarctica!” Alex, your contribution was appreciated too (I am not sure if Cara contributed but thanks to her anyway!)  and I think most if not all have been tried. Anybody with any other ideas please send them in. Happy birthday to Ben 13BW, Claire 10WL and Nadia 7CC. Finally I hope those who took part in the Dark and White trailquest today enjoyed themselves. I look forward to seeing you all at the next event in Jan.

What do you do in Antarctica when you are confined to your tent for yet another day? As the focus of one of my science projects (cryoconite holes) is buried under thigh deep snow I decided to use my day productively and bring together some of the data for my second project – to determine the ecological footprint of the expedition. The ecological footprint is a measure of consumption of resources and quantifies the environmental impact of our transport, food, clothing, equipment, waste and fuel use. I am quantifying it by using data from when we left Heathrow until we return there again, although there will be the impact of training weekends and of getting to Heathrow itself. I have entered data into a spreadsheet and will have the help of Best Foot Forward (an organisation that specialises in ecological footprinting) when I return to the UK to standardise and interpret the data. Probably the biggest impact is on the global environment through CO2 emissions from our air travel in actually getting to Antarctica. We flew from London to Madrid, on to Santiago in Chile then on to Punta Arenas before flying into Antarctica. In Antarctica we took one Twin Otter flight on 16th November and since then we haven’t used any motorised transport. I often ask myself, ‘how much motorised transport would I have used in this time period if I was back in the UK?’ I feel we have had a relatively small impact on the local environment. Water use is minimal; the last time I flushed the toilet and used water to clean my teeth was on 10th November, the last time I had a shower and washed my hair was on 9th November and the last time I used a washing machine to clean my clothes was 29th October. I think of the amount of water I would have used had I been at home. The last time I turned on a light switch was 9th November and I can’t even remember the last time I watched the TV, changed the thermostat on my heating or charged my mobile phone. How much energy do all these activities consume? In contrast, in Antarctica our energy use has been minimal; we have used 68litres of fuel for all our cooking, (heating?) and melting snow for water. Finally, over the last month how much waste have you put into your wheelie bin? We have generated 15kg of food rubbish and 65kg of poo! Now when I flush my loo at home I will give more thought to where it goes.

I haven’t been working on the footprint all day; other activities included watching ‘The Ladykillers’ and planning for the Antarctic Olympics. The events had to be postponed today due to bad weather (something to so with 20cm of snow and 30 knot winds) so watch the update tomorrow for more details! Happy birthday to Lewis 8IA and Aliyah 8RG.

Thanks for the messages from Ian, Anna, Bob, Alison and Kenneth. I have just spent another day at Patriot Hills confined to my tent and wandering the short distances between the mess tent and toilet tent.  The weather has been particularly bad again (poor visibility, lots of swirling snow) so I have been helping some of the Patriot Hills staff with general duties.  I helped put up a clam tent this afternoon to house some competitors for the Antarctic marathon.  The marathon is due to be held on 14^th December but the competitors are stranded in Punta, unable to get to the start line.  We are due to fly out on the flight that they are due to fly in on.  With all this waiting around I have taken some time to reflect on my experiences, rather than worry about the fact that we could be stranded here for at least another week (given the weather conditions).  So in this update I thought I would tell you what I will miss most about Antarctica when I eventually leave! The top three things I will miss are firstly the spectacular views that I get out of the tent every morning and evening (assuming that there is not a blizzard!). Secondly, I will miss Amy’s company in the tent after a hard day of man hauling. There is nothing more satisfying than being in a warm tent, with the stove roaring, preparing dinner, drinking a hot drink and having a good chat. Although we didn’t know each other before the expedition, Amy has become a very good friend and it is great to have such good company given the difficult mental and physical conditions. Thirdly, I will miss the tranquillity (assuming the wind isn’t blowing and Phil isn’t talking!). Unlike back home, there is nothing to mark the start of the day. Imagine you are lying in your bed at home – you know it’s time to get up when it starts to get light or you begin to hear traffic outside or the sound of the birds singing. With 24 hours of daylight, no traffic and no birds there is nothing to tell you that it’s time to get up. Happy birthday to Sarah 13CH, Jennifer 12BF, Leo 11DV, Alison 11LB and Abigail 8DY