Cold camping

 

About 40 intrepid campers were loaded onto zodiacs at 8:30 for the short trip to Damoy, our home for the night. Well, I say night, but it was really only until 3:45 hen we had to return to ship so that we could make our way to the next location.  I wore a base layer, fleece leggings, waterproof trousers, two fleeces, two pairs of socks and my waterproof parka.  I packed an extra top, trousers and socks but ended up not needing them.  As we boarded the zodiac, we were each handed a large dry bag which contained our bivvy bag, insulated base pad, inflatable Thermarest mattress and 4 season sleeping bag.  Climbing up from the landing point to the camping area carrying all that gear was not entirely straightforward. At the top we rested the kit on a large tarp (remember - nothing can touch the ground that hasn’t be thoroughly sterilised), and we were then issued a shovel to dig our “graves”.  We were instructed to dig out a sheltered space to sleep, about a foot deep and roughly the length and widths or our bodies. This was to offer some protection against the wind.

I had previously become friendly with a charming family from Seattle comprised of Mom, Dad, 21 year old son, 19 year old daughter and 80 year old granny.  These folks were possibly the most wholesome family I have ever met and I definitely have decided that Jill, the gran, is my personal hero. They asked if I would be willing to share a “grave” with gran, and in return they would do the digging for me. It was an offer I accepted happily.  Once the mini shelter was in place, we worked together to set up the bivvy bag and the rest of the kit inside it.  This wasn’t easy with the wind blowing anything that wasn’t pinned down so it took a team effort to complete the task.  That’s when we realised that setting up camp was the easy bit.  Much harder was taking off our boots and outer layers, stowing them in the dry bags  and sliding ourselves into our cocoons for the night.  It was quite an effort.  Once we were zipped in, it was pretty toasty, especially as I had thought to bring a few hand and foot warmers which I strategically placed throughout the sleeping bag.  

By 10:30 it was completely silent except for the sound of the waves lapping the shore and the penguins singing themselves to sleep.  I couldn’t help but wonder what penguins dream of, but they refused to disclose that information even though I asked them several times to reveal it.  It never got dark so the spectacular view was available anytime I wanted to pop my head out and have a look.  I must have fallen asleep because the time seemed to pass quickly.  

When the wake-up call came at 3:00, that was when the real challenge began.  We had to wriggle out of our nice cozy wrap and do everything from the night before in reverse. It was ridiculously cold and windy, and I can tell you that getting dressed with frozen fingers and/or thick gloves on is no easy task.  I helped Jill with her things and then we all pitched in to shovel the displaced snow back into the shallow graves from which it had been dug.  We were back at the ship by 4:00 and on our way.  I can now say that I have slept on the Antarctic ice.    I can also say that I never have to do that again.