Antarctic Season Headed This Way

It’s a funny time of year for us regular Antarctic workers. Suddenly the next season is right around the corner, but somehow it feels like the last one only just finished. Where did the summer go we ask ourselves as our thought turn once more to our snowy projects in the deep south. For me this means I am preoccupied with the challenges of my regular project for Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (ALE), their Emperor Penguin Camp at Gould Bay.

Every year this extremely remote camp presents a complex array of challenges, many of which relate to its location floating on the sea ice north of Berkner Island at the southern most extremity of the Weddell Sea. Each year I head over to Berkner with a small start up crew and spend a week or two doing a careful reconnaissance of the area, selecting a good location and then erecting the camp and preparing a skiway for our aircraft.

The moment we arrive on the bay we start to receive penguin visitors and they remain our neighbours for the six-week duration of this temporary camp. It is such an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to work in close proximity to these fantastic birds. This project is easily the most wonderful job I do throughout my year.