Day 28; February 19, 2009; Penguin Bukta, Fimbul Ice Shelf, Southern Ocean, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 20.93˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 35.1 mph Feels Like: -31.72˚ F Dawn both elated my soul and dimmed my heart, as this sunrise marked my last day on the continent of Antarctica for this journey. I had been up all night, again, attempting to observe and capture the ever-changing nature around me. The base was completely silent, deep in the arms of Morpheus. I, bundled in all of my gear, took the video camera outside to record the light from our massive star, which was proclaiming the day on the southern horizon. Facing…read more »
Day 18; February 9, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 9.86˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 18.12 mph Feels Like: -17.32˚ F Today was quiet, and rather wonderfully subdued. I spent a good deal of the afternoon gazing out the window of my studio, meditating on the changing luminosity across the horizon to the south. The mountains appeared and disappeared behind think low clouds, and it was snowing heavily in the distance, leaving the farthest mountains obscured completely in gray opacity. As the sun aligned itself on the horizon, there was another intense sun pillar. Rising like a flame above the rocks on the edge of our…read more »
Day 16; February 7, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 17.78˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 13.42 mph Feels Like: -2.35˚ F A colour is never merely a colour, but the colour of a certain object… -Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception Here in Antarctica there is snow and ice virtually everywhere, a fact that may at first seem elementary but upon deeper reflection is infinitely complex. The impressive quantity of these natural crystalline elements extends as much vertically as they do horizontally, permeating the air and cloaking the land. The depth of the ice beneath my feet approaches 30 feet, with the thickest ice on the continent…read more »
Day 10; February 1, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 15.26˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 23.04 mph Feels Like: -19.30˚ F Today there were snow and wind storms all day, requiring that we stay inside. I spent most of the day writing, studying up on some of the features of my equipment, and watching the blizzard intermittently hide the mountains to the south. I have been staying up late each night in order to watch the sun do its now nightly dip below the horizon. Tonight’s sunset was quite a treat, and I experienced my first sun pillar. A sun pillar is a beautiful atmospheric phenomena…read more »
Day 8; January 30, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 15.26˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 22.82 mph Feels Like: -18.97˚ F My first day at SANAE felt a bit like the first day of school. The splendid, albeit institutional, accommodations coupled with the rules and safety regulations orientation had me oscillating between the pure excitement of being were I was, and the childhood irrational fear that that arose when the first school bus of the year peaked around the bend. But the mood of the base, and of the fantastic people who live and work here, was quite jovial, welcoming, and intimate. With only 80 people…read more »
Day 7; January 29, 2009; Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 15.3˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 22.82 mph Feels Like: -18.97˚ F Yesterday morning, I awoke to a wild wind and intense anticipation. After a quick shower, I put on the first layers of gear, looked over the rest of my bags, making sure all was accounted for. My phone rang, and Thomas said the flight was confirmed and he’d be over straight away. Just enough time for a quick coffee, checkout, and then off we went to fetch Alfons and head to the airport. The flight departed from the Cape Town International Airport, and the television…read more »
Day 6; January 28, 2009; Flight to SANAE Station, Vesleskaervet, Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica Average Daily Temperature: 19.4˚ F Average Daily Wind Speed: 26.17 mph Feels Like: -19.85˚ F Today, I do not have words. I must show you……read more »
