The Ladies – Empty sledging in the Lower Trough area above Square Bay
(All Photos by Dave Singleton)
The Ladies – Dave Singleton 1972 – 1973
These are a few 2021 memories, from fifty years or so ago, of what I used to think of as my first company vehicle, albeit ten Antarctic huskies called the Ladies and an old wooden Nansen sledge. The memories are followed by edited notes on the dogs. These were extracted from my 1974 doggy report which was written to assist the next driver taking over the team.
I had the pleasure of looking after the Ladies for two sledging seasons between the 1972 and 1974 reliefs having taken over from a fellow geologist, Gwynn Davies. Unusually they were an all-bitch team with just one dog who thankfully had a vasectomy. To balance their power with the other teams they numbered ten dogs instead of the usual nine. In 1972 the team consisted of Dusty, Rocky, Nog, May (Mei), Maria, Nig, Kayty (Kaytee), Sonsie, Dale and Shirl. The makeup of the final team at the 1974 relief was: Sue, Rocky, Nog, May, Maria, Nig, Kayty, Sonsie, Dale and Zonda. The problem with an all bitch team was that you were always losing dogs for pupping to support the ongoing breeding programme. This did, at times, impact on power and was a constant challenge for me. So, I had one or two deputies: Aisla, Francesca, Isolde and Elwing. Sadly in the first year I did eventually loose old Shirl and Dusty who were put down in the same month – April 1973 and never made the second big summer journey. Old age and in Dusty’s case an additional injury had caught up with them.
In the 1972 season they had 256 days in the field and covered 1280 miles. This included 4 autumn/winter trips and the main summer journey: twice to the local Trough area, an Elton Hill trip and a depot laying trip to Beehive Hill, both via Sodabread, plus the main summer journey to the Mount Jackson area also via Sodabread.
In the 1973 season due to a very unpopular BAS head office instruction to reduce autumn/winter sledge travel the Ladies spent less days in the field: 176, but travelled further: 1490 miles thanks to some good weather during the main summer trip. Journeys included: 2 local trips to the Trough area (sadly we got blown away on the first of these (see the story: Stonington 1973 May 21st – A Tale of High Winds) further local trips to the Bypass and a sea ice trip to Cape Calmette, plus the main summer journey back to the Mount Jackson area on the east coast and finally the Seward Mountains further south on the west coast of Palmer Land.
In spite of the constant upheaval as dogs came and went I loved every minute of my time with them. When they were up to strength and going well, they were as good as any dog team. They were constant companions in a very isolated unforgiving world. They were life savers and incredibly resilient when the chips were down often travelling in some horrendous weather and dealing with difficult situations. They were always very willing and some individually became very loyal friends and companions. Even the odd lurky ones (Dale and Sonsie) had their appeal. After all this time, I still remember them with a fondness and thought I would share a few snapshots of those memories:
The Start – My First Ladies Trip – 26/2/72
My first experience with the Ladies was by far the shortest journey. Shortly after I arrived at Stonington as part of the handover, Gwynn, offered to take me up the North East Glacier. We sledged towards Neny Col and turned around roughly where we sited our summer airstrip. I found the experience up the glacier shattering until I could put my skis on and take advantage of the good surfaces.
Gwynn drove the team up and after a few photo opportunities it was my turn to come back. That’s when I quickly realised I had a lot to learn. Nothing I said would get the Ladies to move. All the words Gwynn used meant nothing. Gwynn explained that the dogs can sense lack of confidence and I needed to sound a bit more authoritative. After a brief lesson in doggy talk I was off, and the rest is history. Needless to say the journey back was rapid with the smell of base in the dogs’ nostrils.
Ladies Life Savers
I can’t remember the number of times the Ladies told me through their body language that danger lay ahead. They were excellent crevasse detectorists. They had this amazing sense that something wasn’t right. I have already told the story of one particular incident crossing the Swithinbank Glacier when after a short period of this kind of behaviour my sledge and I dropped into a large crevasse. Shirl was my saviour on that particular day (see Stonington July 1972 Dogs – One of the Many Reasons I Loved Them).
Ladies and Their ‘Sat Nav’ – 20/10/72
Dogs have wonderful senses thankfully. I remember empty sledging one day in 1972 during our main summer work programme to the north of Mt Andrew Jackson. I had already retreated to camp once due to the unpredictable and unpleasant weather. After a quick smoko break things improved a bit so I pushed off to do more work in what I thought would be a more sheltered area. In the end it was too windy to make notes and I suddenly noticed a fresh bank of east coast mank encroaching. At that point I decided to get back to camp post haste! The wind gradually increased and in the mank, which had now engulfed us, visibility was difficult with drifting snow everywhere. I tried to follow our old track back but that eventually disappeared and I could barely see the first dog. In the end I could see nothing other than the compass in front of me. I kept going keeping the weather in my face and hoped for the best by putting my trust in the dogs. They were still revving. Suddenly the team stopped so I shouted at them but they refused to move. I soon realised why they had stopped. In the spin drift just in front of the lead dog I got a glimpse of red.
We had arrived at camp. They had stopped right outside the tent entrance. It was so bad I picketed them and headed for the shelter of the tent thinking I would sort them out later when I had recovered from the shock. I can only thank the Ladies for getting me back safely that day. It was all down to them. I think their ‘sat nav’ – like noses were the heroes on that occasion.
Ladies Power Up Sodabread 1973
By 1973 I had a lot more confidence in what the Ladies were capable of, particularly where bad weather was concerned. I knew they would go well in strong head winds and drift but on this occasion, 1st September 1973 it was the first steep slope on the Sodabread ascent that was causing problems. This would test my newly trained young leader, Sue. Dave Burkitt and I, Sledge Juliet, were there to help the two geophysics sledges, India and Delta get up on to the plateau. Then we were off to complete the geology of the Lower Trough area.
Sledge India were already camped above us at the Amphitheatre but had sledged down to assist as we were making a start. Call it a bad day at the office, but the Huns and Giants (Sledge Delta) were struggling to lead off. For some reason neither of these teams would go up the slope turning sledges over multiple times in the process. Dave decided to picket the Admirals and walk up as encouragement to the dogs. By that time my dogs had been harnessed and ready to go for some time and were starting to get frustrated. So, I decided to go for it and ignore the chaos around me. Needless to say the Ladies went up beautifully with Sue up front. This was even more impressive given they were heavily loaded for a position further back in the convoy. That was a proud moment and I realised then that the Ladies were not short of power and, given the chance, Sue would become a fine leader. Once we got to the top of the first slope I picketed the Ladies for them to have a well-earned rest while I went back down on foot to lend a hand. The rest of the day went much better with all teams behaving well and we got everyone established at the top by the evening. Sledging back down by moonlight was fun and fast!
Ladies – Resilience in Extreme Situations
Imagine a situation where after a successful depot laying trip on the plateau via Sodabread you have endured days and days of lie ups in 50 knots plus winds and temperatures approaching -40 degrees. Then add to this that you have dwindling rationed stocks of man, dog food and fuel and two broken ski-doos. Whilst we spent most of our days fully clothed inside sleeping bags, the dogs were outside fastened down. Some got frozen in and gradually got frostbite and exposure. This all actually happened and I have already told the story on this website: See Stonington 1972 – August – Depot Laying Trip to the Plateau (via Sodabread).
The point to be made here is the extreme courage and resilience of the dogs in spite of their bare exposed and frost bitten skin. Chunks of fur had been pulled off having been frozen to the ground; some had bleeding mouths and noses. The two teams, both in a sorry state, the Ladies and the Debs, still pulled the weight (1500 lbs each) of two tent units and two skidoos on two sledges each back to the edge of the plateau. The story ends with the arrival of rescue sledges and a fairly trouble free return to the safety of base. It was astonishing how the dogs performed in what for me were the coldest conditions in which I had ever sledged. It was also a time for the dogs to stick one up at the ski-doos! The Ladies got a second opportunity to rescue a ski-doo later that year during the medical evacuation of John Hudson at the start of the main summer journey (see story: Stonington 1972 – October – Another Dog Team Ski-doo Rescue Story).
My Final Memory
There are two things I remember clearly as my last memories. They were from the 1974 relief before I was due to head home to the UK. One was using the team around base hauling cargo from the beach. Sue was my main leader by then having responded well to training. I remember being down on the beach with all the ensuing chaos of boats, men and cargo and spinning the team around ready to haul back up to base. They didn’t put a foot wrong. I felt totally in control and realised at that point I had finally arrived as a dog driver and Sue finally passed her leadership test. The dogs ignored everything other than my commands and Sue led them around the island like an old pro!
The other memory was when I went up to the spans on the glacier to see my team for the last time. The ship was waiting to take me home after two wonderful years at Stonington with the Ladies. I spent longer up there than I intended probably because I needed to wait for the tears to dry. It was a very emotional moment when I realised what these dogs meant to me.
Extracts From My Doggy Report – The Main Team at Handover 1974
Nog – My Main Companion
Nog (5 years 8 months) was always front pair although initially leader. She was very affectionate and faithful; a constant talker! In 1971 Gwynn had her as leader but although I did persevere with her for about half my first year she mostly just trotted along and responded to commands about 10 seconds after the front pair. Anyway after giving her every chance I decided that front pair was her position for me and there she was brilliant. Along with the other front dogs she was a great help when Sue joined us and started learning how to lead.
Nog was a lovely sturdy bitch who always greeted me by rolling on her back especially when trying to remove her harness after a day’s work. I still have this effect on my latest dog, Lily.
Nog was a regular companion especially when I left the team to climb the various ridges and geological outcrops I had to visit as part of my job. She would sit quietly guarding my rucksack and wait until I was ready to move on. She never left my side. I was particularly upset when I had to put her unwanted litter down in the field near Mt Charity. It was a fairly drunken night which I can barely remember thankfully. She was in poor condition after this as it happened shortly after she had got frost bitten during a particularly bad trip.
Sue My Leader in the End
Sue (2 years 1 month) was a new pup in the team, during the 1973 relief and hopefully to become the future leader of the Ladies. Due to the BAS instructions cutting down on winter/autumn travel Sue was pushed in front almost immediately.
I did a lot of short runs on base and long days out on the sea ice sledging around the various trapped icebergs. Being bright and quick and eager she soon got the hang of the commands. Front pair dogs like Patti, Rocky and Nog were always on hand to guide Sue and proved good tutors.
Up until I finally left base for home, Sue was leading all the time and, given another year or so to mature sufficiently, she would rank with the best. A minor fault which I felt would disappear as she matured was her occasional inability to follow tracks in bad weather or when contrast was poor. I was particularly concerned about the significance of this given I had relied on the Ladies (albeit with a different leader) to get me back to camp in bad weather with zero visibility before.
Another and only other fault was her tendency to chew occasionally, again something I thought would vanish as she got older. Keeping her on the wire night span though gave me an excuse at the end of each sledging day to let her off and give her a fuss before finally tethering for the night. In conclusion, a very good dog and I am very proud of what I managed to achieve with her in such a short space of time.
Little May – The Tiny Husky
May (5 years 3 months) was always one of the front dogs. She was distinguished from her sister Kayty by a wider white band on the forehead and her greater playfulness.
Although I never tried I think she would have led being ‘o fait’ with the commands and a real revver, pushing to keep the front three from lagging. May had no really bad points. In the field she always came first call. However, on base if I let her off the spans she would head off to the house and take no notice of anything I said.
Rocky – The Senior Citizen
Rocky (8 years 1 month) was in the end possibly the oldest running dog on base. He was always front pair and led for a lot of the time until I started training Sue. He was an excellent leader but didn’t keep as straight a line as Sue. Nothing much distracted him and he was particularly useful when running on base as front pair. He led the Ladies for most of the 1972 summer season, having replaced dear old Dusty who became lame. He did tend to take your command at face value and because of his responsiveness on a bad day the sledge tracks were somewhat sinuous. Correcting him took its toll on my throat. Rocky’s age was the main problem and slowed the team down a bit on fast empty sledge runs when at front pair. Under load you wouldn’t notice this. In the end I replaced him with May, the ‘pocket dynamo’, to avoid this problem. Contrary to Gwynn’s experience, Rocky always came to call although occasionally he had to get his round of sniffs in first. He was extremely useful in keeping other dogs away whenever one of the Ladies was on heat.
Maria ‘The Squawker’
Maria (5 years and 8 months) was nicknamed as ‘The Squawker’ because she squealed and whimpered at the slightest rough treatment. As a result if there was ever a mass battle she generally came of the worst. This happened during the main 1972 summer journey when she got her tail severely bitten and had to be evacuated from the field by aircraft. Her tail never fully recovered from this and lost its curl. I always treated Maria gently which seemed to work. She was obedient and a very hard worker as well as very affectionate. She was another one that would respond to you by rolling on her back. I always ran her at second pair. Maria never chewed but I kept her on the night span.
11.Maria ‘The Squawker’ (Photo: Dave Singleton)
Nig – Middle of the Road
Nig (5 years 8 months) who was Nog’s sister always ran on her own in the middle but was quite happy to run in a pair if needed. She worked ridiculously hard and was no problem at all. Her slightly nervous nature was balanced with fuss from me. So, I always treated her gently and she always came if I called her. For some reason she was a persistent poo-er on the trail which delighted the dogs running behind her.
Nig was one of the dogs that I can remember helping to stitch a very badly gashed paw. In 1972 we had to do this all ourselves but in 1973 we had our own vet, Bob Bostelmann, and he and I repaired Nig on the dining table. This may have been the time I injected my finger with anaesthetic as I pushed the needle through the dog’s scruff.
Nig having her paw stitched on the Dining Room table 
And with her post-op Cone of Shame!
Sonsie
Sonsie (5 years 1 month) was always very lurky and nervous. She was much improved in this respect when I finished and she ran in the pair with Kayty second from the back. Sadly she was part of the culling program and was put down 8th February 1974. I never had much problem with Sonsie’s lurky nature and tried to treat her gently. However, in extreme circumstances if roughly handled she did bite. The time I remember most was when separating a full team fight after a picket got pulled when I was up on a geology station.
By the time I got back the dogs were just a massive ball of fur and teeth. I waded in with thumper and boots trying to separate the dogs. When I grabbed Sonsie and threw her to one side she clamped her teeth around my arm and followed that by having a go at my leg. That said she was a hard worker and if let off I could easily get her back with a gentle approach. Also, Sonsie and Kayty were good friends and if Sonsie got off I used to release Kayty and call them both together. She would always come with Kayty or go to Kayty. She didn’t chew and was always kept on the main trace.
Kayty (Kaytee)
Kayty (5 years 3 months) ran second pair from the back alongside Sonsie. Sadly she was put down on 9th March 1974 as part of the culling program. Kayty’s white band on her forehead was narrower than her sister May and her face was a bit more like a fox. She was the only dog in the Ladies that had a tendency to slack but she worked hard for most of the time especially with heavy loads. I felt she aged prematurely due to the amount of pupping she experienced and eventually it took her longer to recover. In the end she couldn’t keep up when empty sledging. That said I kept her in the team because of her relationship with Sonsie and the fact that she was used to the Ladies. Generally she was no problem and never chewed. I still kept her on the night span. Kayty always came to call. For some reason she always pushed her head to the ground when being harnessed.
Dale – Back Pair Grafter
Dale (2 years and 11 months) was a new pup when I first took over the Ladies in 1972. Because of her extreme lurkiness she never graduated from back pair but worked very hard there. It was almost impossible to get near her on base but after a long stretch in the field she improved and could be let off. Here she would come to call but cowered and sat about 5 yards from her night span position. I was then able to approach and remove her harness. In her early pup days she used to chew main traces in the excitement, something I eventually cured. The only way to deal with Dale was through kindness and gentility as with any lurky dog. Because of her chewing history I kept her on the night span. Her claim to fame is that one of her pups was named after my nickname at the time: Herm. He was the only survivor from a litter of 5. At the time I was big and strong, hard to imagine now! My nickname came from Herman Munster, star of the TV programme, the Munsters. Herm ate anything and everything a bit like his namesake and apparently was a great friendly stupid creature (enough said!). He turned out to be the biggest survivor of all by escaping the BAS 1974 cull and in March 1976 was sent to South Africa at the request of their Antarctic service. Needless to say within seconds he chomped through the crates they provided and escaped temporarily. I would love to know where he ended his days.
Zonda – Back Pair
Zonda (4 years 8 months) joined the Ladies post mid-winter 1973. She was a very hard worker but I always thought she could have moved up. Unfortunately I was too busy training Sue to lead at the time. She was quite big and an ideal partner for Dale. She could be let off, came to call and didn’t chew.
The Ladies Support Cast
These were the dogs that replaced any pregnant mothers I had in the team over the two years I had them. Unfortunately I do not have any photographs.
Aisla
Aisla (3 years 10 months) ran in positions from the back to the middle but no further up. Sadly she was put down in March 1974 as part of the culling program. She was inclined to be lazy in spite of my efforts to knock this out of her. I kept her on the night span when camped because she chewed. She came as a problem dog and a bit of a whore when on heat but in an all bitch team like the Ladies this wasn’t a problem. I used to let her off but she often took her time coming to call as she had to flaunt herself to the other team first. However, she gradually improved on this point in the time she was with me.
Francesca – A Bridge Too Far!
Francesca (5 years old approximately) was the only dog that ran as back pair, to cow catcher and then to sledge bridge. When she came to the ladies she was very nervous and not a very good worker. The only way I could get her to work was by clipping her on the driver’s side to one of the bridges so I could give her some gentle encouragement with my ski. That said she came to call and never chewed although I still kept her on the night span.
Tuesday
Tuesday (4 years 9 months) ran at front pair and was quite good at deputising for Nog. It was a pity this dog had never been allowed to settle in a team as I thought she would have made a good leader. She was a good revver in crevasse areas and had no qualms about crossing bridges. In summary she was a very hard worker and never chewed so she was kept on the main trace at night. Her only fault was she took ages to come when called. Often I used to have to go and get her.
Patti – Rocky’s Sister
She (8 years 1 month) was front pair or leader but was put down in March 1974 as part of the culling program. Contrary to her rumoured bad reputation as a fighter, Patti really settled down well as partner to Rocky. At that time Sue had just been introduced to front pair and the age and experience of Patti and Rocky helped to keep the young lively newcomer in order. I had no problems with Patti and could always let her off. She never chewed but was always kept on the night span.
Elwing
Elwing (4 years and 11 months) was put down in March 1974 as part of the culling program. She ran middle to back. As described by Bob Wyeth (Stonington 1971–72) on her doggy card this dog was just too silly and I was inclined to agree. She never chewed but I always kept her on the night span. Unfortunately she had too much base petting at Argentine Islands before finally coming to Stonington and never made leader like her sisters, Elphine, Moth and Myth. She was not a great worker.
Isolde
Isolde (2 years and 8 months) was front pair and leader material. I ran her for a short while over the 1973 winter period. She was a very hard worker but initially had to be cured of chomping main traces. At the time she joined the Ladies she had little dog team experience but still did surprisingly well. If ever I was using my thumper on other dogs Isolde would hit the floor and not get up in spite of any command. I found a friendly pat and some reassurance did the trick. I always kept her on the night span because of her potential to chew.
Ziggie
Ziggie (7 years and 3 months) joined the team for a short period and was always run at back pair. That said, I believed she had run at first pair in the Players. I had no real problems but because she was inclined to escape I always harnessed her up last. Sadly she was put down on 8th February 1974.
Shirl
I almost forgot old Shirl. Because she was put down April 6th 1973 and didn’t make the second year summer main journey let alone the 1974 relief team handover she didn’t get a mention in my final doggy report. She does feature elsewhere in this account of the Ladies given she was responsible for helping get me out of the crevasse during a very memorable local trip across the Swithinbank Glacier. I don’t remember having any problems with Shirl who was an excellent worker and very affectionate. She ran at the back and so was closest dog to me when I fell in the crevasse. God bless you Shirl!
Dusty
Dusty also didn’t get a mention in the doggy report for the same reason as Shirl. Dusty was a hard worker and did help lead the team along with others during my first year with the Ladies. I don’t remember any bad points.
One final note – My Doggy Card
As part of the 1973 Mid-Winter celebrations we were each given, amongst other things, an individual doggy card. Here is mine:
If you were wondering about my parentage on the card, the father was a famous Welsh rugby player back in the day and mother was one of the original Coronation Street TV programme cast. At the time I did drink a lot and ate anything extra I could get hold whether on base or in a sledging depot. The ‘bolt removal ‘ under medical history is a reference to my Herm nickname at the time, after Herman Munster in The Munsters TV programme. The back of the card lists some of my journeys and under the progeny section it says, ‘Hope Not!’