David L. Harrowfield's Diary
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Tuesday 9th January 2001, Law Base
Wind slowly easing and I managed to get my five weekly items of clothing, washed in a small plastic bucket in my hut which while named The Lodge, is in fact far from it. Most corners are crammed with cartons and personal bags. Today Daniela Simon the laboratory manager at Davis station arrived to assist with obtaining water and soil samples. Within minutes of her arrival, she was helping to pack samples for sending out to Davis Station. Later in the day I went for a long walk to a point above the Russian Progress 2 station from which I had the most magnificent view of the icy ramparts of the Dalk Glacier. There was a constant deep booming coming from the ice and as I headed back over the hills to Law Base, with a layer of sandy gravel underfoot, I hoped that the winter blizzards would soon conceal my footprints.
Law Base. Photo
courtesy Mark Tell
Wednesday 10th January
By 11.30 with Peter an engineer with Helicopter Resources, driving the quad pulling a trailer which served as our 'mobile laboratory', Daniela and I followed by foot and we soon met up near Russia's Progress 2 station. Our work went very well and it was interesting to see the Russian station staff busy tidying up loose timber near the station in readiness for sending away on their ship. Other men were busy servicing their big tracked vehicles which are nearly 30 years old.
Thursday 11th January
Up to a fine day and light north easterley. Dreamt that I saw a black leopard seal which to my knowledge do not exist with this colour. I did my paper work for three hours and after a cup of soup, headed to the Chinese Station to have a look around. The Chinese like the Russians are busy getting ready for the forthcoming winter. Whereas there may be no one at Progress 2 this winter, a new expedition of men to operate the Chinese station is due to arrive in a few weeks on the Polar Bird.
Friday 12th January
Today is the 25th anniversary of when I first visited Antarctica and I had a taste of Antarctic weather with a brief hail storm at 2.10 a.m. followed by light fluffy snow. At 11 o'clock a helicopter arrived with Jeremy the Davis Station leader and he was interested to have a tour of our collection of huts. Andy Trigg and Mick Whittle also arrived for a couple of days and Jim left for a break at Davis. Before dinner we had a very enjoyable and interesting hour, chatting around the table in the mess hut. Andy gave a great account of the evening at Davis when he was one of the priviledged people when out on a Zodiac, they witnessed four killer whales break an ice flow and having knocked a Weddell seal off, proceeded to fulfill their diet. At 10 pm Mick and I went for a walk to the old Russian Progress 1 station and returned with heads down, into light snow and a cold wind.
Saturday 13th January
Had a good sleep and got up to a moderate blizzard with the wind gusting to 60+ knots and snow moving horizontally over the bleak landscape. I took a couple of photographs and a short piece of video footage. We remained in the mess hut for most of the day, yarning and listening to the wind howling, then almost ceasing, but only to rise to a shrieking crescendo and buffet the hut. With one gust, the pole on the roof with the Russian flag broke off and and hit the roof with a bang. During the day many topics were discussed which ranged from camera lenses to the elimination of wild cats on Australia's Macquarie Island. Soon after tea, the deputy leader at the Chinese station, Mr Cong Kai arrived by foot to make arrangements for the transport of some of my sampling equipment.