Going where no one has ever been before
Published on 28.11.2010 - The Fuchs Foundation
Just like the other teams, the four teachers of the Fuchs Foundation have been dropped off at Hercules Inlet the day after their arrival at Union Glacier basecamp -the classical starting point for expeditions heading to the SP. From there, they took another direction : going where no one's been before.
The first leg of the teachers involved crossing the Union Glacier, towards the Buchanen Hills. This glacier is about 15 km wide, surrounded by splendid mountains ; its sides are full of canyons, moraines and smaller glaciers flowing into the main one which makes this place quite dangerous to ski, because of the many crevasses that a traveller can find on his way.
What makes this Fuchs Foundation trip so interesting ? Many answers will appear during their four weeks voyage. But one of them is already obvious : they are not more than 10 km away from the ALE basecamp and already they progress in a zone which has never been explored before!
From their expedition diary : "The Buchanen hills are being explored for the first time, ever! Not only are we in one of the most stunning places in the world, Antarctica, we have the pleasure of discovering some of its hidden treasures. We are about 10 km from Union Glacier basecamp and the silence that now surrounds us is peaceful. The mountains have a pyramid-like shape and one can also marvel at the stretch of blue ice just above our camp. ..."
The teachers are going to stay few days in the Buchanen Hills zone, taking plenty of time to proceed to their own experiments and observations.
They have been in touch already with english students who follow their trip : "Earlier today", writes Roussel Da Carcalho (physic teacher), "we received a phone call from some students that made their way to the space centre for a special Antarctica day. They asked us interesting questions about Antarctica and we took turns to respond them. It is good when schools support this type of activity, engaging students in real life science and taking the time and effort to get involved in projects like this."
