They were to be picked up on 18 February after the completion of further geological work,[75] but due to heavy pack ice, the ship was unable to reach them.[76] The group, with meagre rations which they had to supplement by fish and seal meat, were forced to spend the winter months of 1912 in a snow cave which they excavated on Inexpressible Island.[77] Here they suffered severe privations—frostbite, dysentery and hunger, with extreme winds and low temperatures, and the discomfort of a blubber stove in confined quarters.[78]