This post is coming to you after having actually visited the places which I want to talk about. I have just visited Shackleton’s Hut. And two days ago I was inside Scott’s Hut at Cape Evans.

In the analogy I drew in Part 1 of the Cool Collaboration posts, I made mention of the sharing of “props”. I was thinking of the huts in particular, and the two which always came to mind were naturally the two huts which I knew were on my itinerary to visit, should the weather and ice conditions allow.

Now in Antarctica, it was not certain that we would be successful. The ice is heavier than it has been for many years, and we waited for an opportunity. In fact, the preferred landing for our visit to Shackleton’s Hut was iced over, and so, when we finally landed, we walked about a mile over the rocky ridge, to get there.

Back to the huts.

The hut at Cape Evans was built in 1910 as a base for Scott’s Polar journey in the summer of the following year. As polar expedition huts go, it was quite luxurious. In fact, 5 years later, Shackleton’s support team used this hut as their base for laying depots for the trans Antarctic expedition. At that time, they were suddenly left without the bulk of their supplies when their ship, Aurora, was swept out to sea without completing their unloading. The team had to supplement their meager supplies by foraging in and around both the Cape Evans hut and Shackleton’s earlier expedition Hut at Cape Royds.

So, now I have seen both huts for myself. I have seen packing cases of left-over food stacked outside Shackleton’s Hut; roast mutton, Irish stew and brawn. Inside, there are still the wooden bunks, other furniture, the stove, equipment and miscellaneous items. Outside are the empty dog kennels, horse troughs, the odd rusted tool. At Scott’s Hut, inside is a treasure trove of memorabilia, lovingly restored by the Antarctic Heritage Trust. You can see the table and chairs where the team sat to celebrate Scott’s birthday in that famous photo. The kitchen (or galley, as the naval team would have called it, even though on land) is well stocked, with an amazing array of foodstuffs and cooking utensils. There are packing boxes scattered up the hill in the vicinity of Scott’s Hut as well. These days, the boxes are being used by the Adelie penguins, as they shelter from the bitter Antarctic wind.

I climbed to the top of the hill, where there is a cross to commemorate Scott, Wilson, Oates and Bowers, who all perished on their polar expedition. I could barely stand up, the wind buffeting me around and howling in my ears. And this would have been just a fraction of what these explorers experienced.