Field Training

I was lucky enough to be prioritised for early field training. This is good because it means I will be allowed out in the field sooner rather than later, and that we get to train on the quad bikes that are used to get around Davis Station when the sea-ice is thick enough. It was great to be kitted out with all the gear and head off for a good look around the Vestfold Hills. The crew were a pretty mixed bunch (as per usual at Antarctic Bases), but included 2 weather forecasters, one fixed wing pilot, the station Doctor and myself. It was fantastic! The quads make it easy to cover distance really quickly. We belted through the bergs that get stuck fast in the sea-ice to the north of Davis. There was heaps of penguins and the occasional skua to keep us company. Our field training offficer (FTOs are renowned for their vanity) taught us all how to look really good simply by carrying an ice axe. Michelle (one of the forecasters) managed to tip one of the quads over on a bit of steep rifted sea ice. Here is a link to her blog on the topic: how to roll a quad bike. We ended up staying the night in our bivvy bags not far from Bandits Hut. I had my first antarctic snow-cone and spent half the night tying to get a photo of a snow petrel (see above). Also, here's a little picture of me beginning to look a little bit scraggy, but sill very cool, with the aid of my trusty ice-axe.