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By Susanne Grieve
Climbing a mountain, rappelling down a crevasse, and preserving
artifacts from two of the most famous explorers in human
history, is not how I would typically describe my summer,
but this is exactly what I did during my seven-month journey
in Antarctica.
Contracted by the Antarctic Heritage Trust , a non-profit
organization based in New Zealand, I worked through the
harsh winter months at Scott Base conserving objects from
Capt. Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton’s
expedition bases from 1901 to 1913.
Before my adventure in Antarctica began, I was a conservator
in the United States who specialized in materials from
waterlogged archaeological sites. I took a seven-month
sabbatical from my position at The Mariners’ Museum
located in Virginia, where I was preserving artifacts
excavated from the famous Civil War ironclad, the USS
Monitor. I had the humbling privilege of being the first
American hired to perform conservation on these iconic
huts.
I joined three other conservators who also specialized
in either paper or objects: Therese Charbonneau (Canada),
Carla Pike (Canada) and Lizzie Meek (New Zealand). After
a few days of Antarctic field training where we learned
how to build snow shelters, erect tents, and generally
move around in 25 pounds of additional clothing, we began
setting up a laboratory to work on the artifacts.
We shared Scott Base, maintained and run by Antarctica
New Zealand , with 12 other team members whose primary
job was to maintain the base and scientific experiments
during the winter. As part of the Scott Base team, we
shared in responsibilities of fire crew, clearing snow,
and cooking. We were the only four women at the base,
but we quickly became an international family, and I learned
more about life and communication in that short time than
I had ever imagined possible.
As an objects conservator, I am used to uncovering details
and preserving materials from a variety of burial environments,
but I did not realize the personal and telling story that
the artifacts from the early explorers would reveal. The
Trust is responsible for four expedition bases, not only
constructed by Scott and Shackleton, but also by a lesser-known
explorer, Carsten Borchgrevink.
Each of the bases is listed on the World Monuments Fund
of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world. These three
explorers and their crews constructed structures from
which to perform scientific observations and experiments,
as well as explore the Antarctic terrain. The huts that
the men lived in for years on end are completely populated
with objects that they used during the expeditions, including
food tins, clothing items, books and newspapers, furniture
and scientific equipment.
The summer teams of cultural heritage experts, who are
on-site from October to February each Antarctic summer,
use the 24-hour daylight and warmer temperatures to live
and work at the historic huts. Their main goal is to secure
the huts from the elements through carpentry work, and
safely document and package the artifacts at the huts
for transportation back to Scott Base for conservation
work.
Due to the several months of 24-hour darkness and severe
weather experienced in the Antarctic winters, a second
winter team works to conserve the individual objects in
a more controlled environment at Scott Base.
The conservation of the materials from the huts and the
wooden structures themselves tell perhaps the most important
story of the human race, one of survival and exploration.
The bases do not belong to one nation, but rather represent
the unity of several cultures for one common goal. Antarctica
is the last continent on Earth where the first human dwellings
survive.
Work to save the first of the huts, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s
base (associated with his 1907 expedition) is all but
complete and the Trust is now focused on saving the base
associated with Scott’s 1910 expedition and the race
for the Pole.
The Trust has a long-term international heritage conservation
project and fund-raising campaign under way to save these
sites. The goal of the Trust is to conserve the huts,
surrounding structures, and objects inside for future
generations to appreciate, but you can experience them
right now. The conservators on the Ice, through the London
Museum of Natural History , maintain a weekly blog , which
includes three-dimensional tours.
During our seven months at Scott Base, we did our own
exploring of the nearby ice shelf, crevasses and mountains.
One of my favorite trips was to Mount Nipha, a small mountain
located on White Island, about a five-hour drive from
Scott Base. After a vigorous climb, we looked out over
the tops of the clouds to Mount Erebus, the southernmost
active volcano in the world.
Another favorite trip was to a nearby crevasse, where
we learned how to descend using ropes and harnesses. Once
you were inside, the breathtaking silence made you feel
as if you were entering a sacred place that could only
be appreciated individually.
My life was forever changed by my experience in Antarctica,
and while I realize the early explorers endured more difficult
mental and physical conditions, I can’t help but
feel that they too were affected by the continent’s
beauty, even in the most trying conditions.
I learned to live with what food and resources were available
and nothing more. I learned more about myself and my place
in this world as a human being, and while I challenged
myself to do things that I would have never dreamed of,
I loved every minute. Even the coldest ones.
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