Cape Royd’s

My second day back as a GA I was asked to go out with a science group and help clear a lake that is under 5 feet of snow. We all worked hard and hauled snow blocks off of the lake. The scientists are hoping that the lake will melt this season and there will be algae bloom to study. At the site of this lake are two very cool sites to see. Cape Royd’s the site of this lake is home to the Adele Penguin Rookery. There are thousands of Adele nesting out there. This was such an incredible site to see. The other site at this location is a hut that E. H. Shackleton built, The Nimrod Hut, and stayed in during his travels to the South Pole. There is a lot of history in this hut. An old original copy of the London News, boxes that are labeled British Antarctic Expedition 1907, the first coal burning stove on the continent, and the elk fur sleeping bags are just a few things that show this history of the building. The day we were out there was the last day that it was open to visitors for the next three years. The New Zealanders (aka Kiwis) are working on it as a part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. They are dating and conserving all of the items in the Hut for future visitors. Shackleton was the first to have an automobile on the continent, and there are also traces of that in the hut, along with much much more.