Journal Entry

Yesterday, we got a tour of a historic site on Ross Island from Elaine Hood. Elaine is a sort of the outreach guru down at McMurdo and is one of my favorite people at the station. She gave us a tour and history lesson about the Discovery Hut.

The Discovery Hut on Hut PointThe Discovery Hut on Hut Point

The Discovery Hut was built by Robert Falcon Scott during his Discovery Expedition in 1902 and is located at Hut Point on Ross Island by McMurdo Sound, Antarctica. Scott made several voyages by ship to this region, and this hut is only one of his huts remaining in the Ross Sea region. A second hut, now called “Scott’s Hut” was erected in 1911 at Cape Evans, not far from McMurdo. The hut was prefabricated in Australia and moved in pieces by ship to Ross Island. The Hut was not built for warmth. It is a square structure with verandas on the three sides, which served only to trap the antarctic snow. It was so poorly insulated that the crew refused to use it and continued sleeping on the ship.

Bed at the Discovery HutAt one point a handful of men were forced to use this platform as a bed for over 5 months

The hut was visited (Scott would have likely said looted) by Ernest Shackleton’s expedition in February 1908. Shackleton found the door ripped off the hinges by the wind because the British explorers inexperience with extreme cold weather had allowed them to orient the door into the wind. So Shackleton found the entrance blocked completely by snow. Shackleton’s men had to enter the building by breaking in a window. The Discovery Hut’s flaws taught Scott valuable lessons for his next attempt to reach the South Pole, the Terra Nova Expedition. There are still supplies and even seal carcasses remaining in the hut. Everything is well preserved from a combination of cold temperatures and dry air. I was struck by how vivid some of the colors on the labels were after over a century.

Rations at Discovery HutRations at Discovery Hut. Note the bright color of the cocoa label Meat Hanging in the Discovery HutRemarkably well preserved meat, hung and ready to be butchered Supplies at the Discovery HutAdditional supplies. Note the bag of preserved onions still on the floor

Comments

Sun, 01/22/2017 - 11:28

Ben Braden

Did they bring the meat with them as rations or hunt it there?

Sun, 01/22/2017 - 11:34

Eric Thuma

They hunted seals but I believe that the meat in the picture is lamb that they brought with them.

Sun, 01/15/2017 - 18:46

Isaac McKay

Will there be any follow-up to this project, or when you return home is it over?

Sun, 01/15/2017 - 19:10

Eric Thuma

Well, I'll be keeping in contact with the scientists and doing a quite a bit more outreach for the project but that's about it. Unfortunately, this is probably my only trip to Antartica.

Sun, 01/15/2017 - 19:11

Eric Thuma

Well, I'll be keeping in contact with the scientists and doing a quite a bit more outreach for the project but that's about it. Unfortunately, this is probably my only trip to Antartica.

Tue, 01/17/2017 - 15:49

John N Roseberg, MD

I am enjoying following your journey. Discovery Hut and the dorm room appear unchanged from 1981-82. John N. Roseberg, MD
W/O physician, South Pole Station, 81-82

Tue, 01/17/2017 - 16:03

Eric Thuma

Thanks for checking out the journal. I doubt that much has changed her since 81! I'm pretty sure I have seen plenty of gear from the 80's and before that still in use (I think I saw some boots that old in the skua shed) But there is apparently a plan to re-engineer the base to be more efficient. They hare planning to replace the hundred or so buildings that they have with five large ones. I hope they keep some of the historic buildings like the chapel.

Wed, 01/18/2017 - 16:11

Sejin Chun

Are there any restrictions on what you can and cannot do there?

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