Viewing page 17 of 108

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

There is a continuat[[continual]] rythm,[[rhythm]] a kind of pounding or huffing - Huff Huff Huff Huff in front of background rumble of the ground. There is no shrieking, no bawling, or roaring, just raw violence. Spasmodic gusts in a steady flow. These tents are miraculous.

[[underlined]] Feb, 18 [[/underlined]] 
Woke up in night with all spasmodic gusts over with and one steady, roaring, gale blowing from our rear with force of freight train. Directed, savage, force.  The tent was shuddering & [[strikethrough]] all 
[[/strikethrough]] ground vibrating.  This was the real thing. I roused up & pulled boots inside bag & made ready for long seige in bag w. collapsed tent. Even got up & peed in middle of it just to be ready. It went on and on piling snow against the back wall and rolling pebbles all along the ground. It kept pushing & pushing against the bag I was resting my head on & I decided it could jam a vertebra, or, I could be struck in head w rock - so moved down. ^[[Toni awoke & pulled in her boots; "This is crazy" she said]] Nevertheless slept a lot & had wierd dreams about strange landscapes & gardens & places to walk & drive. 

Woke ~ 8:30, uncomfortable from so many hours of lying down. Suddenly, Phil came by asking if anybody around & did we need anything? He had hot chocolate for us & Toni asked for another can of apple juice from behind the tent. She asked him how he had spent 3 days & he said sleeping by himself & talking to himself. He looked in, - saw me all bundled up & said - 'its not that cold in here is it --

[[end page]]
[[start page]]

at least I shouldn't have thought it was." Phil never used his stove all 3 days -- preferred to keep dry - as a result had snow shower from crystals on inside. He has a tent w. no floor! Toni said later: Phil got shafted too, he was driving that Suzuki around & got left w. a tent w. no floor.

We breakfasted on hot chocolate & granola bars. I'm getting up soon, & going out.

It was a great day, breezy but sunny, Not cold. Beautiful. So good to be out talking with people again. We reorganized our tent, got boxes for food & utensils - mats for center strip of floor dried clothes from ropes. A long line of us carried boxes from top of ravine of 2 days ago to the stash. Found utensils peanut butter, dehydrated eggs & bacon bits; salt, pepper, etc. I went to my box & brought in my parka, a sack of hand warmers, hiking boots, wet naps & a book. Many other good things for another day. Everyone in fine spirits. We learned that those who have no tent floor use strips of blue matting which are soft and nice. In early pm, a Zodiac came in from ship w. Mark & Betzel. Betzel, it seems worries a lot & Bill wondered if he would try to evacuate us. He did not worry enough, however, the day he sent the last 2 zodiacs to us. The zodiacs washed to our inlet and were dragged over ice cakes at entrance -- had to be dragged back again today. Bezy was getting flack from the fisher people on board who [[strikethrough]] have no [[/strikethrough]] are losing their fishing time by waiting here. Nevertheless, the ship can't leave the area until we are fully supplied and have our radio -- So they would have to wait anyway. (As you do in Antarctic water when storms arise). Today the boat is steaming around the bay dodging ice floes. Bezy asked the fishers if they wanted to cast net today AND THEY SAID NO!

Transcription Notes:
Reviewed A previous reviewer corrected creator's spelling. I removed these corrections.