A jolly time at Davis featuring two field expeditions and one very pretty lady.

A trip to Watts

Recently, we made time for a tour to an outlying hut from Davis. This was before we could travel by sea ice, fjords and lakes with the aid of some form of machine: “BOOTS”, man power and 13 hours of walking and that was just to get there. We headed down Broad Peninsula, passing through north and south Porters, we made our way to Tarbuck Crag wading through knee deep snow with Bob saying “It’s only over the next hill”. This became an echo in my mind and that next hill never ended - Watts hut seemed like it would never be seen. This is one trip that I will never forget, hence the reason I’m writing about it now. Thank you to Bob, Mark and Mal S for that true Antarctic adventure.

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Watts hut sign mounted on the external wall of the hut
Scenery shot of the snow covered Watts Lake
The external facade of Watts hut
Tow expeditioners in front of Watts Hut with their hiking packs
Bob in front of the Watts Hut sign

Bandits hut trip

Ha-ha! Travel time again, this time quadding via sea ice. Jason, Mal S, Aaron and I departed the station passing Buff Island, Anchorage, Boyd and Lugg Islands. Travel was smooth at times, sometimes a little rough, and an 8km head wind. We passed bergs on our way to Rookery Lake apple (field hut). Then we pushed on to Zashchitnyye Island to Bandits hut, where we settled in for the night, grabbed a hot meal and good night’s sleep.

Morning brought a new day - gray overcast skies - as we loaded up the quads and headed off around Barrier Island, towards Whoop Whoop. Then we made our way down Tryne Fjord, Pioneer Crossing and a had a long but beautiful cruise down Long Fjord and home to Davis - a top two days.  

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Jason, Mal S, Aaron at Rookery hut
Bandits Hut on the rocky hill with quad bikes in the foreground
A view over the Vestfold Hills
Expeditioners on quad bikes stopped to check their location on the map
Three quad bikes ahead in the distance as we ride down Long Fjord
Large rocks jutting out of the sea ice

Silhouette of the only lady on station

Out for a stroll to Marchants Landing and we meet Miss White, just hang around on the face of a rock. Windblown snow with a little help from Mother Nature, she formed. Far out - the things you see at times!

Windblown snow stuck to a rock in the shape of a woman’s portrait
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