January 12, 2012 - Antarctic Expedition

[DaveK]

By request, this weeks net will be on a most unusual expedition, Antarctica. Under the authority of the United States Antarctic Program, Bob Miller, N6ZHZ, has traveled to truly one of most remote and extreme locations in the world, Antarctica, earth's southernmost continent.

The South Pole is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent on earth, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Oddly, Antarctica is regarded as a desert, based on an annual precipitation of less than 10 inches near the coast and less as one goes further inland. Temperatures reach as low as almost -130F. While there are no permanent human residents, there are numerous expeditions for travel and research. The ultimate expedition!

Bob has participated in this adventure and his pictures will follow. Join us for the trip report.

For those who join the net and can bring up this post, Bob will refer to pictures by the numbers at the bottom of each picture, below.

[unwiredadventures]

Great Net!

This is one of those places I'd love to visit.

Just fyi, last month was the 100th anniversary of the first explorers to visit the South Pole. 100 years ago it was a "race" between a British and a Norwegian expedition. On December 14, 1911 the Norwegian, Roald Amundsen and his crew arrived first. The British lead by Robert Falcon Scott arrived on January 17, 1912. Unfortunately the British perished on their way back from the South Pole.

My wife's great great great Norwegian Uncle, Helmer Hanssen, was with Roald Amundsen on this Norwegian South Pole expedition as well as the discovery of the Northwest Passage.