CHAPTER XVATTACKING MOUNT EREBUS
Allhands accompanied the expedition when it started at a quarter to nine on the morning of March 5, and helped to pull the sledge along the slopes of Back Door Bay across Blue Lake, up the eastern slope to the first level; and there we said farewell to the mountain party.
Ice Flowers on newly-formed Sea Ice early in the Winter
Ice Flowers on newly-formed Sea Ice early in the Winter
They first steered straight up a snow slope, and about a mile out and 400 feet above sea-level a glacial moraine barred their path, and they had to portage the sledge over it by slipping ice-axes under the load between the runners and bearers of the sledge (total weight of sledge and load was 560 lb.), and lifting it over the obstruction. On the further side of the moraine was a sloping surface of ice and névé, on which the sledge capsized for the first time. Light snow was falling and there was a slight wind.
More difficulties were quickly encountered, and no sooner had the party managed, by struggling upon their hands and knees, to drag the sledge up the steep slope of a small glacier, than their progress was impeded by sastrugi.
"Sastrugi" means wind furrow, and is the name given to those annoying obstacles to sledging, due to the action of the wind on the snow. These sastrugi vary in depth from two or three inches to three or four feet, according to the position of any rock masses near them and to the force of the wind forming them.
Though they have many disadvantages, they are occasionally very welcome; for sometimes it is impossible to see the way to steer unless one takes the line of sastrugi and notes the angle it makes with the compass course, the compass for the moment being placed on the snow to obtain the direction.
The sledgers, at this particular juncture, had much trouble in keeping their feet; and their remarks upon the subject of sastrugi were distinctly audible and uncomplimentary.
On the first evening the party camped at 6P.M., about 2750 ft. above sea-level and a distance of seven miles from winter quarters; and on the following morning they found that the temperature was 10° below zero Fahr.
The gradient was becoming much steeper, being 1 in 5, and sastrugi, running obliquely to their course, caused the sledge frequently to capsize. The heavy work, however, resulted in keeping the travellers warm; and on the night of March 6 they had reached an altitude of 5630 ft., and a temperature of 28° below zero.
On the following morning Adams decided that the supporting-party should attempt to reach the summit, though they were handicapped by having a three-man sleeping-bag—which article of bulk one man had to carry—and in various other ways.
The party made a depot of the sledge and of some of the provisions and cooking utensils at the second camp, and then, starting with tent-poles among their equipment, they resumed their climb. Soon, however, they realised the impossibility of climbing the mountain with these articles, which had to be taken back to the depot.
Each man carried a weight of 40 lb., and on the third evening the party camped about 8750 ft. above sea-level. Between 9 and 10P.M.of the 7th a strong wind sprang up, and when the men woke the following morning a fierce blizzard was blowing from the south-east.
In the whirling snow and roaring wind, the two sections of the party, although only some ten yards apart, could neither see nor hear each other, and the blizzard increased in fury as the day wore on.
In the afternoon, however, Brocklehurst emerged from the three-man sleeping-bag, and instantly afierce gust whirled away one of his wolfskin mits, and he, dashing after it, was swept down the ravine by the force of the wind.
Adams, who had left the bag with Brocklehurst, saw the latter vanish, and in trying to return to the bag to fetch Marshall, he also was blown down by the wind. Meanwhile Marshall, the only occupant of the bag, had great difficulty in keeping himself from being blown, sleeping-bag and all, down the ravine.
At last Adams, on his hands and knees, succeeded in reaching the bag, and at the same time Brocklehurst, also creeping along as best he could, appeared. It was a close call, for so biting was the cold that he was all but completely gone.
During the day and night of the 8th the travellers had nothing to drink, as it would have been impossible to have kept the lamp alight to thaw out the snow. Happily, by 4A.M.the blizzard was over, and soon afterwards the climbers were again on their way. The angle of ascent was now steeper than ever, being thirty-four degrees—that is, a rise of 1 in 1½ and the travellers kept as much as possible to the bare rocks. During this day Brocklehurst, who was wearing ski boots, began to feel the cold attacking his feet, but did not think seriously enough of it to change into finnesko.
At noon a fair camping-ground was found some 800 ft. below the rim of the old crater, and after a hasty meal the ascent was again tackled. Within a little distance from the top of the rim of the main crater, Mackay chose to work his way alone with his ice-axe up a long and very steep névé slope, instead of following the safer route by the rocks.
One thousand feet below the Active Cone
One thousand feet below the Active Cone
He passed from sight, and then was heard to call out that he was getting weak, and did not think he could last much longer. Hastening to the ridge, Marshall and the Professor dropped to the point where he was likely to be found, and fortunately met him, thoroughly exhausted, coming towards them.
It appeared that Mackay had, with his heavy load, found the work of cutting steps more difficult than he had expected, and that he had only just managed to reach safety when he fell and fainted. No doubt this was partly due to mountain sickness, which under the severe conditions and at the high altitude also affected Brocklehurst.
Having found a camping-place, the members of the party were at leisure to observe the nature of their surroundings; and they found themselves on the very brink of a precipice of black rock, forming the inner edge of the old crater. This wall of dark lava was mostly vertical, and the base of the cliff was separated from the snow plain beyond by a deep ditch like a huge dry moat, evidently due to the action of the blizzards.
But what surprised the explorers most were the extraordinary structures which rose here and there above the surface of the snowfield. They were in the form of mounds and pinnacles of most varied and fantastic appearance, some resembling beehives, others huge ventilating cowls, while others were like isolated turrets, and yet others looked like various animals in shape.
At first sight no one was able to understand the origin of these remarkable structures, but as it was time for food, they left the closer investigation until later in the day.