Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
164
Figure S.10. A modest cairn
built of schist marks the
summit of Supporting
Party Mountain. Gould's
party constructed the land-
mark and buried in it an
unmarked can, an empty
Quaker Oats tin, a broken
thermometer, a bamboo
splint, and a note claiming
Marie Byrd Land for the
United States of America.
When Blackburn reached
the spot in 1934, he wrote
a note of his own, copied
the previous note, and
returned the original to
Gould.
include a climb to the summit of Supporting Party Mountain and to its cairn. We
approached up the gentle north ridge, whereas Gould's and Blackburn's parties
had climbed up the steep western spur. Because of the convexity of the ridgeline
we did not see the cairn until we were almost on it. Then there it was—an alien
sign of humanity in a lifeless landscape! We peered into the chinks between the
rocks and spotted the treasure deep within.
The proper construction of a cairn in which a record is left includes a stone
that can be withdrawn so that the contents can be easily accessed, and indeed
that was how this cairn was made. I carefully removed the doorway stone,
reached in, and took out a colorful tin can that had once held dried oats for
Gould's party. Inside the tin were the penciled notes, written with precision and
flare in a surprisingly steady hand, given that Blackburn must have written them
either with a gloved hand or a bare hand stiffened by the cold. In addition, there
were a bamboo splint and a broken thermometer, left as relics of their heroic
traverse.
My group lingered by the cairn, looked out at the scene that Gould and
Blackburn had beheld, discussed the route that they had taken to this spot, took
photos as souvenirs, then replaced the notes, added our own, and descended the
mountain.
