tiabunna's photos with the keyword: D4

Heading back to Mawson station, late at night on the 100th day of our trip and trying to make up lost time, when suddenly we stopped. Our tractor had hit a crevasse, generally referred to as a 'slot'. Many trips had been through this particular area and never before had one been encountered here.

From an old slide and being reposted with a better copy. This is the "Spring Trippers" group photo on Christmas Eve, 50 years ago (1966). We were on a four month mapping trip, at this stage some 200km inland from Mawson station, Antarctica. Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's a song to go with the season.

From an old slide. A few days of blizzards left huge amounts of drift piled against, through and around the tractors and caravan trains. Here is the start of the process of digging out the tractors from the huge amounts of snow that accumulated every time we had a blizzard - typically twice weekly on our return trip.

From an old slide. Blizzards, usually lasting several days, left huge amounts of drift piled against, over and around our tractors and caravan trains. Clearing it typically took at least a day, sometimes two. Here, late in a long day's digging, much of the sledges and linking cables have been cleared of snow.

Apart from weather, we had a relatively smooth run back to Mawson. Here the caravans and sledges are being ferried to Mawson - and, since our departure, the sea ice had disappeared.

From an old slide. About as white as Christmas can get - while we had our celebrations, another blizzard developed and was filling the air outside with whirling snow. Our chef, back in Mawson, had prepared the cake for us prior to departure.

When the blizzard was over, it was necessary to clear the snow from the tractors and sledges. Fortunately, on our way south, we had left our third tractor at a depot not far away, so it was possible to go there with a Snowtrac and retrieve it - checking a safe route and returning very carefully. The first tractor was relatively easy to extract, the "sideways" one proved a problem. First (as above) we tried lifting it sideways with two tractors, using steel cables and bridging timbers: all we achieved was to shake the tractor further down the slot while breaking cables and chains.

From an old slide. Totally "drifted in". A few days of blizzards left huge amounts of drift piled through and around the tractors and caravan trains. Clearing it typically took at least a day, sometimes two. On our return trip, blizzards were frequent and often we had only one day's travelling before being pinned down for several days, then repeating the process.

From an old slide. This looks like fog - it isn't, it's drifting snow blowing past at about 30 knots, with visibility steadily becoming worse. In full blizzard conditions visibility can drop to five metres or less. This already is "whiteout" though, with light bouncing between the white sky and surface: so shadows disappear, distances become almost impossible to estimate, and you fall over unseen sastrugi (with no shadows there's nothing to define it). Time to head indoors and wait for things to improve.

Having both our tractors stuck in the crevasse late at night, we expected to start releasing them the following day. It was not to be, as we had another blizzard, lasting four days and leaving the tractors half buried in snow drifts. More dangerously, the crevasse also had been covered with soft snow, so we had to use safety ropes and ice picks to determine its location.

From an old slide. Finally our work at the Prince Charles Mountains was done and, after a delay caused by bad weather, we were on our way northwards.

From an old slide. After leaving the Prince Charles Mountains we still had some small mountains to include in the survey, which took us past groups of small hills known as nunataks.

From an old negative. I've at last found my negatives from Mawson (I used two camera bodies, one with slides one with B/W). So I'm going back to the start of the 1966 Spring Trip from Mawson, showing two tractors hauling caravans to the plateau. Once there, the caravans and sledges were organised into trains. The husky pups really aren't hauling anything. :) Minolta SR1 with Adox film, Auto Rokkor 55/1.8.

Reposted after reprocessing. From an old negative, taken exactly 50 years ago today (9 October 1966). View large. Here the 1966 Spring surveying trip from Mawson is just heading out across the blue ice at the edge of the Antarctic plateau. Taken from the roof of the main caravan. In the distance, several expeditioners can be seen on the ice farewelling us, also the VW following for the early stage. For the next four months, "the world" consisted of just the seven of us.

From an old slide. To quote from my 1966 diary "Arrived at the top and what a view. As far as the eye could see to the south was just mountains, mountains and more mountains! The nearest ones were about 15 miles away, the next lot about 30, and we estimated mountains some 100 miles distant were visible..." OK, this photo was taken in a slightly different direction, but it gives the idea and shows the two drum survey trig point marker being erected. I wonder if it's still there. To see the location of this photo, click on "Antarctica" under "Location" to the right and change to satellite view. Kodachrome slide, Minolta SR1, Auto Rokkor-PF 58/1.4 .

From an old slide. Heading for Peak 7, about 170 miles south of Mawson, Antarctica. Sunset was about 2230 and the sun then travelled along just below the horizon, so we made the most of the good weather and travelled late into the night. Minolta SR1, Auto Rokkor_PF 58/1.4 .

Clear weather and good travelling. With frequent fuel stops, we made a little over 25 miles (40 km) on our best day: the D4 tractors rattled along at about walking speed. Given the right conditions, such as this, walking alongside was enjoyable.

From an old 1966 slide. Not long into the Spring Trip we had our first of many blizzards, and "blizz'd in" was the term. Typically, after waiting several days for the wind and drifting snow to finish came another day of digging out buried sledges and equipment before we could move. Here the pre-heater (the item with the large yellow tube) has been attached to one of the D4 tractors, which has the engine covered in the heating shroud. Best viewed on black (press Z).