Royal Dedication
The town had been abuzz with news that Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and brother to Charles, was coming to town. Our crews got to fly the delegation and some of us even got to meet the princess. Overall the entire group was a pleasure to work with.

The main focus of the trip was to unveil the 100th anniversary dedication of the DISCOVERY expedition to Antarctica led by Commander Scott. He arrived in February 1902 and proceeded to set up camp on the most exposed location available within fifty kilometers.


Scott's Discovery Hut.

The crowd started gathering about a half hour early.
One hundred years later, Scott's famous forethought claimed more victims as we stood in the biting wind. The Princess Royal arrived right on cue, and as far as I could tell from the laughter, delivered a witty and relevant dedication speech.

The Discovery Hut was much the same as the other famous huts I visited. It was dark, cluttered, and smelled of seal blubber. I was interested by the variety of things the early explorers considered essential enough to lug to Antarctica but not back. These items have been here for over a hundred years, and with the help of the Antarctic Heritage Society, they'll stay for many years to come.


The delegation wore blue, the rest of us red and green.

When you're Princess Royal, you can wear the best hats. I felt like a right good paparazzi with my 27x zoom.

Even the Princess had a hand-lettered nametag. It's a harsh continent.

Plaque commemorating 100 years of Ross Island exploration.

Socks, shoes, pots & pans inside Discovery Hut.

These guys may have been crazy to stay here three years, but at least they were smart enough to bring chocolate!

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Page posted 02/09/2002