To Foreign Shores

We lifted anchor and set off from Antarctica on St. Patrick’s Day, in the afternoon. We had one last zodiac landing in the morning at Half-Moon Bay. There were dozens of fur seals, thousands of chinstrap penguins, a few Weddell seals, and one lonely Macaroni penguin, trying to blend in with the chinstraps. Macaroni’s have what look like huge bushy yellow eyebrows, but this poor little guy looked pretty bedraggled, as he was molting.

The mood onboard is somber and reflective. Gone is the joyous expectation of discovering new lands. Now each of us must face the return to jobs, long flights, and sad world news. But along with this I look forward to seeing my loved ones, my dogs, and a Missouri springtime with the promise of a new garden. I’ll always remember this trip to the bottom of the world, to Terra Incognita. The early explorers, upon returning to their homelands, had difficulty readjusting to their old lives. Many wrote about hearing the little voices that bid them to return to this continent of wonder. Perhaps I too will hear these voices and return. Perhaps.

The Land That Time Forgot

We entered Deception Island on March 16, through its only navigatable entrance called Neptune’s Bellows. The entire island is an ancient volcanic caldera. Pressure held the roof up, and when the eruption ceded, the roof collapsed, leaving a ring-shaped island with a narrow entrance. The island ring is composed of high mountains, bluffs, and volcanic craters that still do erupt. One eruption occurred in 1967, creating a mud flow that destroyed a Chilean and a British research station. The last major eruption was in 1970, but there is considerable seismic activity all of the time.

On the outside of Deception Island is a large chinstrap penguin colony, but no place to safely land the Zodiacs. Inside were fewer penguins (they don’t like the warmer water), but many fur seals, and the remains of an old whale processing plant. Beaches of lava cinders were all around, and the water’s edge steamed and smelt of sulpher. Hot water flows down through the beach and into the cold water of the bay.  

When I was a young teen, two of my favorite authors were Jules Verne (creator of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ) and Edgar Rice Burroughs, creator of the Tarzan series and many other works of science fiction. One of his books, called The Land That Time Forgot took place during World War I, and told of an unknown continent near Antarctica that was inaccessible from the outside, except for an underwater tunnel. It was the remnant of an ancient volcano whose roof collapsed, but instead of penguins, seals, and whaling stations, it contained dinosaurs and half-naked cave women. Jules Verne told of Captain Nemo’s secret island, and the description was word-for-word from the writings of early explorers and whalers. Except for these little technicalities, these fictional sites matched Deception Island.

We landed near the old whaling station, and walked along the water’s edge to where we could turn and climb up to a spot called Neptune’s Window. To our left was the wide desolate beach, with the crater beyond it. Cold water streams flowed from the glaciers beyond the crater, and the site was littered with whale bones and fur seals with an attitude. You might remember from an earlier post in my blog that the fur seals can run, and they are very territorial. Most just looked at us as we passed on by, but some came at us. As we were beginning our climb up the slope, the people ahead of me yelled for me to look out, pointing madly. I turned to see, and there was a fur seal heading straight for my ass. Luckily I remembered what the best plan was: run for the crowd. I didn’t have to run faster than the seal. I only had to run faster than the others.

The seal lost some momentum going up the hill, and I was experiencing an adrenalin rush. Our guide got between the seal and us, and as the seal went at him, he clapped his hands right in the seal’s face. It stopped, looked around, and went off. Another good seal evading tactic to remember!

We circled around and ended up at the old whaling station. It was built in the 1930’s, and then abandoned in the 60’s. The rusted storage tanks and boilers did indeed look like something out of Jules Verne. I got some good photos, and then headed for the crowd near the Zodiac landing site. It was time to go swimming!

Most of us stripped down to our swimsuits (if we had one), and jumped in. Now, the water might have been steaming, and we were in a volcano, but let me tell you: that water was COLD! The outside air was warmer, and I got some more shots. Unfortunately, others had gotten some shots of me too. All in all, it was a great time, even if I did have to settle for fur seals and bikini clad girls, instead of dinosaurs and half-naked cave women.

After lunch, we went ashore again, and hiked to the top of a crater. It was dormant, but had erupted in the recent past. The glaciers had ash mixed in, looking more like shoveled snow in a big city. The entire island had such a lonely beauty about it. Our guide said that during the winter it all would be snow covered and the bay would be frozen over. We left, and our last shore landing would be on St. Patrick’s Day, at Half-moon Bay.

Terra Incognita

We spent two solid days crossing the Drake Passage, or “Drake Lake” as some call it when it’s relatively calm. Except for the rolling swells that rocked one to sleep at night, and reminded everyone to keep one hand free to grab a railing, the passage was smooth. We spent the time with lectures on geology, whales, birds, seals, and how to get in and out of the Zodiac craft. We photographed a lot of birds, including Albatrosses, Petrels, Fulmars, and Chinstrap Penguins. I woke up this morning and looked out of my porthole to the low sun rising over glaciers and icebergs. Breakfast was announced early, and by 9:00 AM we were on the Zodiacs heading for Detaille Island, the site of a former British research station, and south of the Antarctic Circle (66 degrees, 30 minutes south).

Small rocky islands, and blue chunks of glacial ice surrounded us. I was finally here, on the continent that old maps referred to as Terra Incognita. Antarctica. Adelie Penguins abounded by the hundreds, as well as fat Weddell seals and the fast and vicious fur seals. Weddell seals are designed for swimming, and except for the Emporer Penguin is the only Antarctic animal that doesn’t migrate to somewhere else come Winter. Fur seals can get up on their flippers and run faster than we can, so we kept our distance from them. Brown Skuas flew overhead looking for the occasional lone penguin chick to eat. The little Adelies waddled by us, sometimes stopping to look for a moment, and then waddle on. The old wooden buildings had been long abandoned, but are designated historic sites.

Adelies were named by an early French explorer in honor of his wife, and were an important food source for early expeditions, though they, and all wildlife here, are protected

We returned to the M/S Expedition and saw several Humpback Whales, some very near the boat. After lunch we went out on the Zodiacs to cruise around the icebergs. Some were a deep turquoise blue. These are the remnants of glaciers that calved, and the ice within them had been under so much pressure that there was no air in the ice, hence the blue color. We found several Crabeater seals basking on the icebergs, looking up at us, then going back to sleep. I asked if they were named by an irate explorer after his wife, but they poo-pooed that theory.

We’re heading back north now, after reaching 67 degrees south. Like I said in my last post, internet service is sketchy at best. If I don’t get another post off soon, I’ll get several off back in Argentina. Gotta run: Humpbacks have been sighted.

The Ides of March

I just returned from another landing, this time on Danko Island. It didn’t have the whales and seals that some of the other places had, nor as many penguins. But in many ways it was one of the most pleasant places I’ve visited here. Besides the magnificent scenery that abounds here, it had a pebbled beach strewn with remnants of icebergs of various sizes. Newly molted Gentoo Penguin chicks were taking their first swim in the sea, and it was a time for me just to get off alone and take it all in. I had my camera turned off and just became part of this peaceful setting. Most of the people who came ashore decided to hike to the top of a nearby hill, but I can hike hills in Missouri. Here I could just enjoy the sea.

Yesterday we landed at Port Lockroy, a former British base that was established as part of Operation Tabarin during the Second World War to keep an eye on the southern seas. It was abandoned and the birds got in and was a royal mess until someone decided that it was an important piece of history and needed fixing up. So, the Antarctic Heritage Trust was founded and volunteers come down to live and work on the place. Today Port Lockroy has been restored to pretty much what it looked like in the 50’s, except it now has a gift shop and a Post Office. The staff live in a modern insulated quanset hut, and there’s a Gentoo rookery nearby. The place is overrun with penguins, and as quaint and wonderful the place looks, it smells like the chicken house from hell.

On a nearby island was the site of a former whaling station, and the ground is littered with the bones of whales. One set has been laid out to show the size of it. But it too has hundreds of Gentoos, and smells just as bad as Port Lockroy. And speaking of the Port, I did mail some post cards from there. They should arrive stateside around Christmas, as the last mailboat has already left.

Tomorrow we should land on Deception Island. It’s an active volcano, and the crater is a natural bay, with warm waters. I asked one of the staff if there was a possibility of us going for a swim there, and he said to take the word possibility out. We ARE going swimming tomorrow in Antarctica.

Penguins and Seals and Whales ,Oh My!

Two nights ago our supper on board ship was interrupted by an announcement that there were whales all around us. Most of us went rushing outside, cameras in hand, and none of us were disappointed. We were in the middle of a pod of Humpback whales that were working together hunting krill. Their strategy is to swim in a narrowing spiral, herding the krill into a tighter and denser group, and then dive straight down with their mouths open, filling up with some good eatin’. Later, as winter approaches, they will migrate north to the equator, and then back down to Antarctica in the spring. But for now, they were here. The channel we were in looked like a field of geysers as the whales spouted. Some would roll on their side waving with their fins, and finally dive, their great tails dripping water before they sank out of view.

Yesterday we landed on the Antarctic mainland in the morning ,at Prospect Point, and the day was superb. We were just north of the Antarctic Circle, the sun was out, and the sky was a deep blue. Adelie penguins came out to greet us, and mighty icebergs were all around. There is really no way to accurately convey the experience. Imagine the Rocky Mountains almost completely covered with thick blue glaciers coming down to the sea. Except for the chattering of humans, the only sound was the occasional thunderous crack as building-size glacial chunks broke off and fell into the water, becoming icebergs. These would be be sculpted and smoothed by the wind and currents, slowly drifting northward toward warmer waters to melt.

We got a closer view of the icebergs that evening as we went out in the rubber Zodiac rafts for a closer look. The sea is so clear here, clear enough to see the undersides of the bergs. As blue as the sky, they proved to be frozen freshwater, as all glaciers are. Down near the Antarctic Circle the sea is beginning to freeze, and the bergs are becoming welded together by the pancake ice. Pancake ice is frozen sea water, much colder than frozen fresh water, and we were breaking through an icy field as the pack ice began to surround our ship. Still fresh enough to get through fairly easily, in a few weeks time the ice in these waters would be too thick for boats.

I woke up this morning and the channel was free of pack ice, but icebergs still abounded. We had gone further north and it was warmer, just above freezing. We went to Peterman Island, where there was a large colony of Gentoo Penguins. We returned to the ship, and after luch went on the Zodiacs to Pleneau Bay, a twisty waterway between glaciers and mountains. We saw several crabeater seals, the most common seal on Earth, numbering in the millions. We were also fortunate enough to come upon a Leopard seal basking on a small ice flow. They are the main predator in southern waters, and eat penguins, other seals, krill, fish, and have been known to kill humans. Later we saw more fur seals and a lone Weddell seal before returning to the ship.

Tomorrow we plan to visit Port Lockroy, a British base, and part of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. More on that later.

We spent two solid days crossing the Drake Passage, or “Drake Lake” as some call it when it’s relatively calm. Except for the rolling swells that rocked one to sleep at night, and reminded everyone to keep one hand free to grab a railing, the passage was smooth. We spent the time with lectures on geology, whales, birds, seals, and how to get in and out of the Zodiac craft. We photographed a lot of birds, including Albatrosses, Petrels, Fulmars, and Chinstrap Penguins. I woke up this morning and looked out of my porthole to the low sun rising over glaciers and icebergs. Breakfast was announced early, and by 9:00 AM we were on the Zodiacs heading for Detaille Island, the site of a former British research station, and south of the Antarctic Circle (66 degrees, 30 minutes south).

Small rocky islands, and blue chunks of glacial ice surrounded us. I was finally here, on the continent that old maps referred to as Terra Incognita. Antarctica. Adelie Penguins abounded by the hundreds, as well as fat Weddell seals and the fast and vicious fur seals. Weddell seals are designed for swimming, and except for the Emporer Penguin is the only Antarctic animal that doesn’t migrate to somewhere else come Winter. Fur seals can get up on their flippers and run faster than we can, so we kept our distance from them. Brown Skuas flew overhead looking for the occasional lone penguin chick to eat. The little Adelies waddled by us, sometimes stopping to look for a moment, and then waddle on. The old wooden buildings had been long abandoned, but are designated historic sites.

Adelies were named by an early French explorer in honor of his wife, and were an important food source for early expeditions, though they, and all wildlife here, are protected

We returned to the M/S Expedition and saw several Humpback Whales, some very near the boat. After lunch we went out on the Zodiacs to cruise around the icebergs. Some were a deep turquoise blue. These are the remnants of glaciers that calved, and the ice within them had been under so much pressure that there was no air in the ice, hence the blue color. We found several Crabeater seals basking on the icebergs, looking up at us, then going back to sleep. I asked if they were named by an irate explorer after his wife, but they poo-pooed that theory.

We’re heading back north now, after reaching 67 degrees south. Like I said in my last post, internet service is sketchy at best. If I don’t get another post off soon, I’ll get several off back in Argentina. Gotta run: Humpbacks have been sighted.

Ship Ahoy, Mate! March 8, 2011

I barely woke up in time this morning to pack my bags and get them ready for pick up to the ship. I blame it on jet lag, but it could have been a combination of hiking up and down the hills of Ushuaia, and drinking their beer. Whatever the reason, I got my bags ready for pick up, checked out, and went to town with my shipmates Dave and Chuck to see what Mardi Gras was like at the tip of South America.

We stopped first at an information center. It sat near the pier, and we could see our ship, the M/S Expedition. The harbor itself was closed and guarded, and no one could board until 4 PM, so I asked the lady at the information center about where I could get some Mate. She pointed out a café near-by, so off we went. We were served a gourd like cup, with a filtered metal straw, and filled with a loose green tea-like matter. I poured hot water in it, and tasted it. It had a bittersweet taste, not unlike green tea, and I just kept pouring hot water on it until I had drunk it all. It was indeed energizing, much more so than tea, and not as jittery as coffee. AND, it was legal!

We went to the parade ground where the marchers were gathering, and took a few snapshots before going on to the pickup place for the ship. Our 2:00 parade hadn’t started by 3:30, so we blew off Mardi Gras. There were some drummers, and dancers that were interesting, but it reminded me of a small town parade.

We boarded the boat, and were assigned our rooms. I got a new roommate, a young man from Britain. This was all assigned by the staff. My shipmates are from all over the world, and some are seasoned travelers who’ve been all over. We had our mandatory life jacket/lifeboat lecture and try out, then up on deck as we left Ushaia harbor. We are heading down the Beagle channel to the Southern Ocean. The front desk is passing out Dramamine tablets like candy to help with any sea sickness that’s bound to come up.

Email is chancy this far south. I’ll send off what I can when I can.