David L. Harrowfield's Diary
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Monday 1 January 2001, Law Base
I had a very enjoyable walk this morning and the sun sparkled on the garnets in some of the rocks near our camp. Even if they were of high quality, it would not be possible to mine them because of the Madrid Protocol now in place, which prohibits mining in Antarctica. Assembled more rubbish for flying out and disposal at Davis Station. About mid afternoon, the Russian leader Mr Sergei Borzenkov arrived with several of his men to wish us a happy new year. They stayed for several hours. David, Arthur and Ewan went over to the Chinese Station where they played two games of volleyball and won. The Russians presented us with a few items of clothing and I was given a pair of leather boots with the soles covered in metal cleats, for travel over ice. Since I was a boy, I have loved the New Zealand Southern Alps and while I do a little climbing, I cannot imagine myself wearing these boots which instead, will look magnificent on the wall of my office and remind me of the enjoyable afternoon with our visitors.We had a very enjoyable few hours and then sat down to roast pork, roast potatoes, carrots, corn and peas.
Tuesday 2nd January
Today has been pretty quiet so far although at some time, Jim and I plan to have a sauna at the Russian station. Ewan is working away on his management plan and the two surveyors are busy with their project. Jim and I plan to do some rock hardness measurements at his micro-erosion sites. We all seem to be keeping pretty busy and it has been important to take advantage of the fine weather. Another round of volley ball was played once again, on the uneven dusty "main street", at the Russian station. We again won. While the game was underway, two Chinese played table tennis while inside, a game resembling billiards was played. We were invited to tea and had macaroni, pork pieces in a fatty jelly, a "salad" of gherkin, corn, peas and pieces of carrot in a creamy sauce, sausages and finally cake for desert.
Thursday 4th January
I have spent much of my time today walking up and down some rock glaciers. They are not like the usual type of glacier in which ice is exposed over most of the surface. In this instance, they are covered in rock from lrge boulders to fine sand. Arthur and I used a petrol driven drill to try and get through to the underlying ice but were unsuccessful. Perhaps the drill was not long enough. We were very careful to fill the holes in and not to spill any fuel.
Friday 5th January
Have all our rubbish to be sent out packed and ready to go. We have accumulated quite a lot this week. On the matter of rubbish disposal, I was very interested to see recently the special incinerator at the Chinese station. They take considerable care to see that all material is separated out into burnable and non-burnable rubbish. There is even a hydraulic can crusher while other metals are stockpiled ready for shipment from Antarctica. This morning David and Arthur our two surveyors leave for Davis Station while Ewan who has similarly worked hard on his environmental field work, will be returning to Davis for a break and to do some work there. Jim and I may do some field work after lunch when the helicopter has gone and the katabatic wind has dropped.