We began our day aboard the National Geographic Explorer at Neko Harbour. As we were shuttling to shore, we were greeted by a young minke whale that breached several times beside our ship. Those who signed up for the Zodiac cruises enjoyed watching the playful whale for much of the morning as it swam inquisitively around the inflatable boats. The rest of us traveled to shore and found a lazy (and somewhat rotund) Weddell seal waiting for us at the landing. The seal was largely indifferent to our coming and goings and only periodically opened its eyes to watch us shuffle about in our snow suits.
Further along the trail, we found a wonderful gentoo penguin colony. The nests were surprisingly tidy, and the penguins were busy stealing pebbles from their neighbors, greeting their mates and tending to their eggs. From our close vantage point, we were able to really appreciate what life as a penguin among the colony entails. Further still, the trail culminated at a commanding lookout over the harbor with incredible views of the surrounding glaciers.
In the afternoon, we traveled to Damoy Point where we watched intrepid gentoos waddling comically through fluffy snow. At times, they dropped to their bellies and paddled their way forward with both flippers and feet. Some of us trekked to the top of a ridge to stare down the incoming squalls, but as the squalls passed we were afforded views of the post-war British station at Port Lockroy. The ridge itself was used for some time as a runway for planes carrying supplies to the station, but its use was discontinued as the glacial crevasses that cut through the ridge became increasingly dangerous. Once we descended from the ridge and returned to the ship, we enjoyed another lovely evening cruising among the glaciers and icy waters of Antarctica.
