Monday 16th December 2013

When we woke up the whole valley was full of clouds which is something I haven’t seen up in the Framnes before. It looked amazing but at the same time I was a bit concerned we might be caught out in a white out shortly. Fortunately the cloud followed us but never engulfed us leaving us with blue sky’s all day. We headed for the Central Masson’s for the day to check a few places I have driven past but not stopped to see.

We went for a few very long walks and John and Darron climbed another high ridge while Steve and I enjoyed the area below. The sun was relentless and even though I was hot I had to cover up with a balaclava and goggles or be fried to a crisp with the radiating sun. Around five o’clock we decided to head for the long trip home. Coming down the plateau was an experience as the ice was melting making the surface very slippery and dangerous. 

We had to cross many melt streams and at each one we had to get out and probe the depth to ensure we didn’t get stuck. Eventually we got back to the station around nine o’clock exhausted, burnt and hungry. Needless to say I slept well that night.