Blogs from Antarctica - page 4

Wednesday. In the morning we spent the morning in Dallman Bay viewing wildlife from the decks. There were many whales, several in pairs. One came up right in front of the bow and we saw the fluke as it dove. Part of its fluke was missing, from a propeller strike, one of the naturalists speculated. I think the whales were all humpbacks. Many penguin groups were swimming by, flying out of the water like dolphins. In the afternoon we visited Orne Harbor on the mainland of the Antarctic Peninsula. At the landing point two chinstrap penguins were closely hanging out watching Tomski , the Polish crew member who is head of excursions, as he instructed the passengers on the details of our visit. The path was a steep zig-zag climb requiring hiking poles through the snow ... read more

Monday. Went ashore on Wiencke Island, Palmer Archipelago. We hiked over a hill, passed by a strangely sharp edged geometric rock on top of normal looking weathered rocky outcropping, and arrived at the blue Damoy Hut, The hut, established in 1975, supported the airstrip up on the glacier as a summer transit station. It was opened by our guides so that we could have a look inside. It started snowing heavily and back aboard the visibility was terrible making it doubtful that we would be able to camp. At 2:00 we watched the camping orientation video on our cabin television. By the time we reached Kerr Point, Nansen Island, Gerlach Strait, where we were to camp, It had cleared, there was little wind and it was warm by Antarctic standards. We had lucked out. Nathan and ... read more

Saturday. Looking for sea ice, we headed south but none nearby in the early morning. No sea birds in sight when we joined the ornithologist on deck 10 after breakfast. I was beginning to feel that maybe this trip was a mistake, no entertainment, nothing to see. But after we crossed the Antarctic Circle, we began to see huge icebergs in the distance between us and some islands. As we sailed along, we saw more icebergs, closer up. The water became filled with ice, flat surface ice and small icebergs in fantastic shapes, some with beautiful blue and green color. A few of the flat floes had seals reclined on them. Some bobbed up and down. We passed rather close to one of the huge glaciers. The ship broke through a shallow layer of ice to ... read more

Tuesday. We prepared to go ashore on Cape Horn and were given instructions on what to wear and how to board the zodiacs. I was very sleepy and relieved that our group was to disembark at 10:00 rather than 8. But the wind picked up again and the seas were rough enough that it became unsafe to go ashore, so we stayed on board and instead circumnavigated the Horn, which is an island. It was gray and the landscape not exciting so I was happy to sleep. As we headed toward Antarctica and sailed into the open ocean of Drake Passage, it became very rough with large swells. I usually love it when the ship is moving, but on this, my 31st cruise, I became seasick for the first time. I managed to eat dinner and ... read more

There is no doubt that in our minds, Antarctica makes travel dreams come true. Antarctica is the coldest continent. Antarctica is the driest continent. Antarctica is the windiest continent and we were constantly reminded of that on our trip. Antarctica has a rich history full of brave explorers navigating these waters in days past. Voyages were made by men that seemingly no one in their right mind would attempt. It is the only continent not permanently inhabited. It is all this and so much more....The Antarctic Treaty System was created in 1959 to establish Antarctica as a zone of peace and science. Today, the area is protected, and a great deal of valuable scientific research occurs. People will always question and debate whether visitors should be allowed to visit these areas. Our experience with Quark is ... read more