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Immediate report of Victoria University of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 1988-89: VUWAE 33

Miers Refuge Hut

Miers Refuge Hut

The Miers refuge hut was found to be in good condition on our arrival and certainly made our stay considerably more comfortable than having to rely solely on tentage. The hut was used mainly as a laboratory for operating the PC although it was also used for cooking, eating, and recreation. Only two problems were experienced. One was that the hut is poorly vented and when cooking this led to severe condensation problems. The other was that following snow falls the joints between the various panels "leaked" badly. All joints were subsequently sealed with "RTV Sealastic" and this solved the problem.

The provision of a field toilet made life considerably more comfortable, particularly on windy days and reduces the risk of polluting Lake Miers. This toilet was "wired down" on top of a moraine ridge approximately 100 m from the hut. It is as far as possible from the streams in the area and is therefore unlikely to cause pollution of Lake Miers.

A considerable amount of food has accumulated in the Miers hut over the past few seasons. While this provides a good backup in an emergency, much of it is now "too" old to be of use. Some of this was returned to Scott Base as "rubbish" and further material will be returned in the coming season.

The Miers refuge box, which is on a high moraine mound 100 m from the hut, was still sealed and was therefore not checked and no inventory was carried out.