Last Day in Antarctica!

December 19, 2011

SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS, ANTARCTICA -- Well, we have sadly left the mainland of Antarctica. Overnight we crossed the Bransfield Strait and returned back to the South Shetland Islands, where we first arrived a week ago when we reached Antarctica. On the other side of the islands is the Drake Passage, which we will venture into later tonight and tomorrow. Fingers crossed for smooth sailing!!!

In any case, everyone is determined to maximize every moment of our last day in Antarctica, and we had a zodiac cruise this morning to kick off the day. We cruised for over an hour around Hannah Point in Walker Bay, where we saw some massive elephant seals, the largest of their kind. Weighing in at a measly six tons (when born, they start out at 500 pounds… think about that for a minute), these things waddle around like it is nobody’s business, and could crush a human without even thinking about it. If they can do that to humans, imagine what it would be like to penguins, which are so much smaller than we are already. We actually saw an elephant seal go right through a penguin colony, which was something you of course would rather not witness, but it is a part of nature and happens every day. They were by far the most active seals we have seen thus far, bouncing around all over the place. Our zodiac driver, Matt, had a seemingly firm belief that he wants to be reincarnated as an elephant seal… they eat as much as they want and get to sleep all day, pretty good life if those are your favorite things to do, haha.

Scenically, the land was mostly barren, which is incredibly rare in Antarctica. That said, we were looking across at a massive ice shelf, but still, it is rare to see so much exposed rock. The weather was also cooperative again, so we got some nice pictures of the elephant seals intermixed with the Gentoo penguins. We saw a couple of outliers as well – one crabeater seal actually swimming through the water, and one Chinstrap penguin who seemed a little out of place amongst all the Gentoo colonies. Overall it was a beautiful spot – apparently they used to landings there, but the governing body for Antarctica banned it, and you can see why when you are there. The place was packed with wildlife, and an elephant seal could, again, flatten a human without even trying. It is nice when you see that despite the obvious desire to land people there, that all of these expeditions avoid it for the sake of the greater good and to preserve and protect the wildlife in this amazing place.

Since our schedule got pushed back a little bit, this afternoon’s landing turned into this evening, not that you can really tell with it never getting dark out and all. In any case, this afternoon we had our very last landing in Antarctica, at Half Moon Island in the South Shetland Islands, not too far from Hannah Point.

Half Moon Island was still covered in a decent amount of snow, but it was bustling with penguin activity. In our hour and a half there, we saw four species of penguins! We saw the two that we have seen throughout the trip first. The island is primarily a Chinstrap colony, so there were hundreds of them all over the place. Right where we landed, we also saw a couple of Gentoos, which we have seen throughout the Antarctica peninsula. That said, up at the top of one of the chinstrap colonies we saw a single Macaroni penguin, which was quite stunning. Macaroni penguins are the ones with the bright yellow/orange feathers that look like flamboyant eyelash extensions, and overall are much more colorful than the chinstraps and other penguins. After a good 20 minutes of getting pictures of the Macaroni surrounded by the chinstraps, we walked down the mountain back towards the water, where we saw an Adelie penguin too! The Adelie penguin is identifiable by its all-black head, whereas most (all?) other penguins have some type of either white and/or other color in their heads. I found it quite remarkable that in one tiny little island we saw four species of penguins. Then, just for kicks, we saw an elephant seal, which we had only first seen earlier today at Hannah Point, swimming by in the water.

At 8:35pm, I stepped into the zodiac, and left the land of the white continent. You know, it is interesting. Before coming on this trip, I very much was of the belief that I would save up and make it happen, and then probably leave it alone. Maybe I would get back someday, maybe not, and if not, that would be perfectly fine. After coming, however, I can now tell you with near certainty that I will be back to continue exploring. Maybe a different trip, different ship, different season, and different places, but the continent is one of those natural wonders that is simply awe-inspiring. I have always said it is hard to sit at the rim of the Grand Canyon and come to the mental grasp that what you are seeing in front of you is actually real. Antarctica is much the same thing. It feels like it is on another planet, and in almost all respects, it is unlike anything else we have on this one. Having now been to all seven continents, it is extremely clear that this one is the most unique, and most otherworldly. At some point, I will be back.