Quad Bike Ride to Bandits Hut

On the 15th of December myself and four other expeditioners ventured onto the sea ice on quad bikes up to Bandits Hut.  I had almost wrote the idea off as it was a very last minute decision to be included.  Thanks to Belinda my work colleague who insisted I go and covered my entire shift for the day and Simon who covered Belinda's Slushy duty that day, made it happen.
It was the highlight of my trip so far.  It was also very fortunate as the following day, the sea ice was closed to all travel.

Prepped for the journey with survival gear, lunch and a full tank of gas.

Checking the thickness, quality of the ice and the path onto the ice.

Lincoln, the Penguin Whisperer.  These guys literally ran over to check out Lincoln and the quad bikes.

All throughout the Vestfold Hills, there are Huts, Melons and Apples built/placed to act as an overnight lodge for a getaway or in the rare case - emergency shelters.  This one is an "Apple" and is near Ace Lake on the western edge of the Long Peninsula.  They are well insulated, wired and bolted down to withstand strong Antarctic winds.

This is Bandits Hut which is on an Island nearly 30kms up to the far north of the Davis Station Operation Area.  This is where we stopped for lunch and had a warm brew.  We also brought some fresh water up to the hut. (An important job, and the main reason for the trip to Bandits Hut.......that was our justification).

Inside the hut, it is well equipped with emergency rations, water, stove, sleeping bags and beds to weather a blizzard if need be for a few days.  Also plenty of coffee, tea and milk powder to make a brew when visiting.

Picture of Bri doing the YMCA in front of a beautiful Blue iceberg.  On the return journey we came back through Ice Berg Alley and had a chance to see the icebergs up close.

The first seals I had seen.  These were Weddel Seals and grow up to 3 metres long, and weigh up to 500KG!!  They are clumsy on the ice, but under water they are very capable divers.  They can remain under water for up to 45 minutes and have been recorded reaching depths up 720 m in search of prey.

After initially being cautious as to what we were doing, they soon went back to what they were orginally doing - Sun baking.

Lincoln enjoying a "popsicle" he found.

Dave "Trapped" under the ice.

Drilling to measure the thickness of the ice - 1.5 metres in this case.  (Another important job that we were doing on the ice.)

Surveying the track back off the ice.  During the time we were on the ice, the tide had opened up the route and we were no doubt going to get a little wet getting back to land.  Notice the huge wooly mits over the controls of the quad.  These keep your hands nice and warm in addition to the heated controls that the bike has.  Also the map strapped on the front load to navigate.

Andy makes a splash and tries to stay dry.

Two days after our trip, the ice has broken up.

Four days after the trip and only a tiny bit of ice remains around the shore line.