Welcome to the infamous eastern Antarctic Peninsula! Like few expedition ships that ply the waters of Antarctica, the National Geographic Explorer is build for ice. Her ice-strengthened hull offers the flexibility to brave the cold, dry, windy, ice-choked side of the peninsula and gave us the opportunity to make a continental landing this morning at a place known as Brown Bluff.
Back-dropped by a glittering show of soft early morning light and shadow on the surrounding peaks our approach was magic. Without the wind and cold that made this side of the peninsula the bane of many an early explorer, we were able to easily slide ashore to the welcoming honk of Adélie and gentoo penguins. Busily arranging and rearranging stones for their nests, these species seem to be happily living in harmony next to one another. Today, we found them patiently waiting on eggs during this early part of the breeding cycle. Between this, our first looks at nesting penguins, and a short hike along the flanks of one of this region’s many unnamed glaciers, there was plenty of time for reflection. From communing with penguins at stomach level, to quietly sitting near the murmur of the colony, many a content onlooker soaked up the gentle weather and overwhelming sight of so much life in such a beautiful landscape.
With a successful morning in our back pocket the Explorer positioned due east to an area known as Active Sound. Weaving through a black and white sea half covered in first, second, and multi-year sea ice, we had our afternoon set on testing our ship’s aforementioned ice-class. Soon after lunch the sea surface shifted from 50% ice coverage to a featureless blanket of white. In a quiet, back corner of Dundee Island, we found a patch of ocean still locked in winter’s icy grip. Held “fast” to the shore since its creation, this patch of sea ice offered a perfect platform over which to take a stroll. With a shudder, our vessel nosed up to the edge of this 20ish sq. mile frozen expanse, offering a chance to lower Zodiacs and give everyone a chance to have their own “Shackleton moment.” With 1.5 meters of ice at our feet, and 77 meters of water beneath that, there are few things more out of the ordinary then to tell friends back home that you walked on water during your vacation. Miraculously, we as staff and crew are able to claim this as just another day on the job. Life doesn’t get much better than this!
