Field Training

Well I finally got out to go field training last week. It has been a bit hard watching everyone else go first and then be able to go out on overnight (or longer) field trips. But my turn finally came. There are two reasons we go field training. One is to learn skills to enable us to survive the harsh conditions down here and the other is to determine who might be suitable for the SAR (Search and Rescue) team.

The first day is spent both on station and out in the field. In the morning we made sure we had all our gear ready to go, and we also did a bit of rope work. After lunch we jumped into choppers to take us out to where we would be camping for two nights. Once we had set up camp, it was off to an ice slope to learn how to stop yourself sliding down a hill using your ice axe, and also how to traverse ice and snow slopes. After dinner it was off for a bit of a sightseeing walk.

The campsite for nights one and two

One of the "skills" we had to learn was what is known as "bivvying out". This is the most stupid idea I have ever heard. The idea is to get into your sleeping bag, worm your way into another thin wind proof bag and go to sleep. In theory this is fine, until you realise that you are sleeping on ice, the bag is really hard to get into comfortably, you can't have your head inside the bag because of the condensation build up, and you can't have it outside because it's snowing. Stupid. I think I got about 4 minutes sleep for the night. When I got out in the morning, I had ice hanging off me. The overalls I had stuffed down the end of the bivvy bag were covered in ice. my water bottle was half frozen. Stupid, I tell you. Given the choice between bivvying again and dying in a blizzard, bring on death. And as for people who say "ooh, I love bivvying" and actually do it by choice, they must have some mental problems. Did I mention bivvying is stupid?

This looks like a great place to sleep, doesn't it???

Anyway, the next day was spent learning about ice and snow anchors, and rope and pulley systems for crevasse rescue. This was really good fun, because later in the day we went over the edge of an ice cliff and the guys who were left on top worked out how to pull you back up. It was a long day, we got back to camp some time after 2000 hours.

Kirkus (Field Training Officer) making sure Tony is good to go

When we got back to camp, we had dinner and went for a walk up one of the hills to watch the sunset, which was quite stunning. The following three photos were taken all on the same night.

Me waiting for the sun to set

Sunset number 1Sunset number 2Sunset number 3, taken while doing number 2's on the outside dunny

The best thing about night number two was that I got to sleep in a tent, which was relative luxury compared to the damn stupid bivvy. Day three was our hike day. From our campsite to Watt's Hut is about 12kms as the crow flies, but of course the hike was a bit further than that. All these bloody hills and valleys and lakes kept getting in the way. It took us about seven and a half hours to complete the walk, breaks included. The best break of the day was smoko. Just after 1030 we heard a chopper heading our way. After confirming they were looking for us we directed them in. The pilot called Cookie (our Station Leader) over and handed him a plastic container. In it were sausage rolls, savoury scrolls and cake. The SL had ordered in smoko for us. It was fantastic! Certainly better than the dehydrated food we had been eating.

It was very satisfying to finally get to Watt's, dump the 20 kg packs and have a good night's sleep in a real bed. Almost 5 star accommodation!

The final day was spent doing some first aid work, till the chopper came and took us out to Rookery Lake. Out there we did some ice drilling work, and also practiced throwing our throw bags (used if anyone falls through the sea ice). Also on the agenda was a visit to the penguin colony. There were thousands of birds. Most of the chicks are in the process of moulting, getting pretty close to being able to fend for themselves. They are at an age where they are big enough to seriously annoy their parents for food, and are quite aggressive about it. The most common site was adolescent chicks chasing adults, trying to get a feed. And it is as funny as all hell! Penguins just aren't built for running. We could have stayed there all day, but our chopper was booked for a 1430 pick up, so we had to leave.

After four days in the field, I don't know who smelt the worst, me or the penguinsI think I shall call him "Happy Feet"

All in all, I had a great time, except for bivvying. Did I mention that it's stupid?