Då är vi så sakteliga på väg hemåt! Just nu är dock vår expedition utspridd på två kontinenter. Våra fyra forskare flögs ut från Troll häromdagen och är redan i Kapstaden på väg hem, vi fyra logistiker är kvar i Antarktis och väntar på att få plats på flygen ut.
Yesterday we drove our snowmobiles up to the Høgskavlen Mountain, 2 256 m above sea level, and 850 meters higher than the location of our camp. Høgskavlen is a glacier-covered plateau lined with small mountain ridges. The way up (and down) went over rolling glaciers and past blueish icefalls. At the top it was completely windless and not a cloud in sight!
We have spent three nights in different camps between Kirwanveggen and Borgmassivet. Yesterday and today, the researchers worked at a mountain with the funny name Huldreslottet.
The other day we had a long-awaited change in the weather. Now we have had two days of brilliant sunshine and low winds. The temperature is between minus five and minus ten degrees Celsius, much like a nice May day in the Swedish mountains!
I förrgår gjordes en planerad förändring av gruppens sammansättning: Derek anlände och Jon åkte hem. Bytet gjordes med ett mindre flygplan, en Twin Otter, som gjorde ett kort stopp här vid SANAE IV strax efter kl 14. Dereks resa hit från Glasgow tog 48 timmar och Jon är redan nu i Kapstaden på väg hemåt!
During the first four weeks of the expedition we have had unusually many storms. One of the researchers we met here at the South African station SANAE IV is Professor Ian Meiklejohn. He has spent twelve seasons here and never experienced so many days with bad weather. Normally, it's pretty nice, interrupted by one or more storm days – this year it's the other way round. However, the short periods of field work have been successful and produced 13 nice rock samples for the project.
On Thursday afternoon the helicopters arrived. Their original plan was to fly to Troll and pick up passengers, but clouds and low visibility changed the plan. Instead it was decided that we would deploy our first fuel supply.
All expedition participants are now gathered at Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town. All our luggage has arrived and everybody is in good spirit. The day was spent doing some supplementary purchases and we had dinner at Harbour House.
