Long Sledge Trip By Australians

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29734, 30 January 1962, Page 18

Long Sledge Trip By Australians

(N.ZJ’.A.-Htutiw— CopyrtfiM)

MELBOURNE, January 29. Three Australians have just completed one of the longest dog sledging treks in Antarctic history, a correspondent for the Melbourne “Sun” reported today from Mawson Antarctic Base.

In 83 days they travelled 1000 miles, to the Southern Prince Charles Mountains and back. They went closer to the South Pole by foot than any other Australian since the establishment of the permanent bases. The men are: D. Trail, a geologist, of Canberra, the leader; J. Seavers, aged 24, the assistant cook, of Melbourne; and D. Keyser, aged 28, radio operator, of Perth. With their clothing in shreds and blackened and blistered by the sun, snow glare and blizzards, the men arrived at Mawson on Saturday. During the 83 days they had a basic diet of porridge, meat extract, biscuits and vitanfiin pills. They suffered agonising stomach pains from lack of fresh food on the return journey. Slow Travel Because of “white-out” conditions on the way home, the men at one stage travelled only 100 miles in 14 days. Their best daily run was 40 miles. During their trek, the correspondent said, the men: Cut their way up the sheer ice face to the peak of previously unconquered Mount Menzies (U,2ooft>. the highest mountain in the area. Groped across the unexplored eight-mile wide Fisher Glacier and often slipped into hidden crevasses.

Spent days on end huddled in minus 20deg temperatures in a 7ft square tent watch in* helplessly the ice slowly freeze their sleepin* bags. “I would not do it again for 10 years, but it was a marvellous experience, ’’ Trail said. “Next time I would like to go by aircraft "We had no idea if it was humanly possible to cross the Fisher Glacier or climb Mount Menzies. “We were pretty lucky with the weather, and our most anxious moments were crossing that big glacier. The hundreds of crevasses, some 60ft wide, were terrifying. ‘"The main object of the trip was geological, but there are no indications of any rich minerals.”