The Only "Mentionable" Run That I Have Done Is...

Davis, Antarctica

The only "mentionable" run that I have done is around the station limits at Davis. We have some excellent maps of the area, some interactive. Take a look at http://147.66.13.21/servlet/maps?page=localdisplay&id=10905. This address will get you directly to the Davis Station Area maps that the Australian Antarctic Data Centre has produced. Go to http://www-aadc2.antdiv.gov.au/gis/areamap/ for a link to all map products or http://www-aadc.antdiv.gov.au/home.htm for all data centre products. Davis Station Area is a sizeable area. It is a novel run as most of it is over sea-ice. It is therefore not recommended for high summer as it would be rather damp! The run is around 10k and goes around a number of Adelie penguin colonies on Gardiner Island, there is considerable diversity, different snow and ice conditions and wildlife! This is a potentially dangerous run as weather conditions can change dramatically in a very short time. You are however in sight of Davis Station 99% of the time. None the less, carrying a handheld GPS is highly recommended (with Davis Station set as a GPS way-point). Running with another "idiot" is also highly recommended, although idiots may be in short supply. There is a board in the main accommodation building (the Green Shed) where all "excursions" need to be written down. The run starts out at Davis Station and heads west southwest across the sea ice toward the southern tip of Gardener Island. This leg is about 4k as the Snow Petrel flies. Ice conditions can be expected to vary considerably even over this first leg so shoes with a good grip are handy. Spikes would be useful here but are useless on Gardiner Island. Expect some blue ice; running on this is not recommended. Avoid it as much as you can as a bad fall a few kilometres from home is not recommended. One you get near the southern edge of the island look for easy access over the ice-ridging and then follow the ridge line north over the island. Please maintain distance from Adelie penguins and slow down so as not to startle them too much. Try and pick a route that skirts the colonies (there are quite a few on the island). The island is about 1k long. Be careful about getting off Gardener with ice-ridging. While Adelies will have found the best path, it may be wise for clearance from the birds, to find alternatives, but the chances are, Adelies will have found all of them anyway. Once on the sea-ice again head toward Anchorage Island to the northeast. This leg is about 2k. Hobby rocks will be on your right and give you some idea of how you are going. Distances are extremely hard to judge in Antarctica: 10k can look like 1k as the air is so clear, so be very careful not to underestimate the distances involved. A cute story illustrates this point. Some people were camping (using polar pyramid tents) well away from the stations and using dog sleds. One of the campers got up in the morning and looked outside and was amazed to see these large mountains on the horizon, as this was supposed to be an area where there weren't any mountains. Turns out on investigation, the "mountains" were actually dog droppings rather close by the tent. Scale is tricky when one has few clues to depth. Anchorage Island is a lot steeper than Gardiner Island on the southeast side. A easier/safer alternative is to pass by Gardiner on the southeast side or if you feeling frisky, the northern end of the island. After Anchorage Island turn southeast for the 2k-3k run back into Davis Station. Trigwell island will be to your left. You will run past a small rock that is un-named and is linked under the ice to Trigwell Island. When you get back, don't forget to sign off the board in the Green Shed. This is a particularly nice run after being cramped on-board a ship for weeks!