Antarctica - Part 2
Sure enough, the following morning they woke us up with an alarm at 6am! I was already up because I was just so excited. Once we got ready, Erik and I headed up to the 7th floor deck, that looks over the bow, for prime time viewing as we enter into Lemaire Channel. As we approached the entrance of the channel, it felt a lot like we were going through the gate of the yellow sphinx in Neverending Story. The land on each side was SO tall, and then packed with icebergs it added to grandeur of the channel. As we cruised down the channel, we saw some lounging sea lions and a group of cute lil’ penguins popping up through the water ahead of us. I asked Erik if we’re still alive, it just seemed so incredible!
After that we cruised over to Port Charcot. Our group, the Penguin Group, was set for shore landing first! Not to mention, the loading spot was about 50 feet from our room. We were able to be the first in line to get on the zodiac. We had all our ‘waterproof’ clothes on and we were SO excited! First up – penguins!
The zodiac drive was uneventful, but as we got closer to land, we could see these little black dots waddling around on their Penguin Highways. Always remember: Penguins have the right of way!
We disembarked and headed up the mountain. Right in front of us as you get up the first hill there was a rock covered with penguins. It must have been naptime because they were either standing with their heads tucked to one side, or they were laying on their bellies like torpedoes. We snapped some pictures and continued forward. As the hill started to go back down we could see an incredible iceberg lagoon with seals laying around enjoying the view as well. There was an expedition guide there who shared some historical information on the area. I think it had something to do with where someone landed first? It was probably really important, but one of the seals was scratching and posing and yawning so I didn’t really hear what he had to say. From there we went up higher on the mountain where the penguin highways started. We watched the cute lil’ boogers roll around on their rocks. One penguin got up and went for a walk down the highway by themselves, it didn’t take too long three more penguins followed them down the road. Eee!! So cute!!!
What goes up, must come down, so we headed down the hill to get a closer look at some seals. I had thought the penguins were being lazy, but these big beautiful creatures were even sleepier! One of the seals had an itch on it’s back and it was so funny to watch it try to scratch the spot with its back flipper – just like a doggo. Erik said at one point “I just want to go help him with that itch”.
We left land on a zodiac and cruised around some incredible icebergs. Tess, our driver, shared some insight on why some were bright white and others were the incredible turquoise blue (the blue ones have already flipped once, the white are basically ‘new’). We saw some striated icebergs that had flipped but the oxygen in the new side of the iceberg has floated up to the new top of the iceberg and carved these beautiful lines of blue within the white ice. She toured us around but only after about 15 minutes the weather took a big turn. The wind picked up and it was sprinkling a little but we carried on!
After another 15 minutes we were hitting huge waves, Nancy was getting hit by all of the waves smack in the face and her hair was drenched! The waves were starting to crash bigger and bigger into the zodiac and at one point the person sitting next to me asked Tess “At what point do we go in?” She said we only get 1 hour out on zodiacs so we should try to take advantage of the full hour. Looking around it was easy to tell that was not the answer anyone else wanted to hear! I personally had thought this was potentially the 2nd time I as going to die on this trip. Erik was less worried but no one was having as much fun in the zodiac as they were on land.
The water, and Tess, kept pushing us out further and further from the main boat as the waves and the swell got bigger and Nancy kept getting soaked with icy cold salt water. Finally, another zodiac comes by and tells our driver that it is time to go back! A few of us let out cheers of excitement, including me.
Tess, and in the other boat, David (our savior)
So, we’re on our way back and we’re all holding on for dear life, we’re all getting drenched by the waves coming over the zodiac. As usual, I took my duck and cover position – seems to be my “I may die now” pose. I kept my head down because it seemed every time I lifted it, it’d get pummeled by another wave. Every now and then I would poke my head up to see if we were any closer and honestly – it didn’t seem like we ever were going to get closer to the boat! Tess seemed to feel the anxiety on the boat and picked up her speed, we all realized that would mean bigger waves and larger splashes.
But we made it! We made it back to the gangway and went right to our room once we got back on the ship. Erik learned that his pants were not waterproof (lol) and though his gloves were waterproof, only when the water doesn't enter from the cuff. We'd learn later to tuck your gloves into your jacked and velcro them closed. We didn’t need to warm up much, the air wasn’t too cold it was just very windy and wet. Once we got our wet clothes off though, we were A-OK. An announcement came on to let us know that we’re starting to move and were heading to the second location for the day.
As we approached it was very clear that we would not be getting out of the boat. The waves had only gotten bigger and it was now sleet/raining. And sure enough, Shane came over the loudspeaker and let us know that the afternoon activities would be canceled. BUT! They did have a movie for us to watch, haha. Once we heard they were canceling zodiac cruises, we headed to the bar to relax and chat with fellow passengers. Shared travel stories with an older couple from Australia, an older couple from Utah and two people traveling from Rotterdam.
The afternoon ticked by and all the sudden it was time for dinner. I wasn’t feeling so great, so I headed to the room after dinner. Erik and Nancy stayed up to listen to one of the ship leaders share stories about what it’s like to be on shoot for Nat Geo documentaries. I got to bed early to prepare for the next day of adventuring!
The next day (the 19th) was the whole reason I picked this excursion. It started with an early wake up call because we were CROSSING THE ANTARCTIC CIRCLE! They had hot chocolate ready on deck 5 and encouraged everyone to come down to the bow for a celebratory moment. We took pictures with a lil' sign and they did one big group shot and it was just amazing. Everyone was in great spirits and spent time outside on the deck together.
The weather had not changed back to calm waters so this whole day was a bust, they showed more movies, they did more talks but mostly I drank too many bubbles.
Each morning seemed to get earlier and earlier, which was fine since we were finding several times per day to take a quick snooze before or after a mealtime. Getting hunger pangs became a goal as the trip went on. This morning by 8:30 am we were first up to go to land on an island with a research station, seals and a few penguin colonies. There were Weddell seals at this stop and not only Gentoo penguins but also Adelie penguins. This was a first and they are noticeably different. They are nearly half and half black and white and the line divides their upper and lower beak all the way down their sides. We were beginning to be penguin experts, as well as pretty good seal identifiers. Nearly all the penguin colonies had chicks at various stages ages from a few weeks to a few months. All of them adorable.
After an hour and a half on land, it was our turns for the zodiac in which we spent most of the time gazing at beautiful icebergs. Some of them big and others massive. They were all beautiful and unique and difficult to capture the grandeur on camera. Perspective is key with an iceberg or it might just look like a close up of your blue cocktail. A building in the background or a zodiac in the foreground is helpful.
Leeah sat out of the post lunch zodiac ride since there was not a landing portion and she had started to feel some motion sickness on the morning cruise. Nancy and I went out together and enjoyed the cruise. The focus was on icebergs as there was a massive glacier that was adding more to the bay. The waves were a little more intense and the smaller ice chunks were also starting to build up. Our guide tried to get closer and closer to the glacier to see if we could experience some calving of a new iceberg, but this is not a predictable event. The conditions were perfect with a warm day and sunny skies, and finally BOOM! I saw some ice cascading down into the water followed by a huge wave rolling out towards us. I only have one video of this happening because most of the time you hear the calving first but the ice has already hit the water by the time you locate the direction of the sound.
As soon as we returned to the ship, they announced the seas were calm enough and there was enough time in the day to do the polar plunge. Erik had been waiting for this and taking cold showers since December 27th to prepare. It didn't help. Nancy declined to do it due to health reasons, but she was going up to Deck 5 to watch and cheer us on. Leeah and I were ecstatic and quickly got into our swimsuits (though they were optional) lol. We thought we would be some of the first people to do it, but we headed toward the gangway and found a line that spiraled up the stairs to the next level and around the reception area. We probably waited 45 minutes for our turn and anticipation built as we got closer to the open door to the outside. They lined up vodka shots for those who needed to warm up from the inside after the plunge. Leeah went first and didn't even hesitate. She got out quickly and I was able to watch her do the whole thing. However, as she walked right past me on my way down the stairs, she didn't even notice I had passed her (a post plunge daze was reality for most people). My harness was clipped in and I got to the edge. I could hear Nancy and some people around her cheering me on. I found the camera man in the zodiac waiting to snap shots and I took the jump. I probably jumped higher to delay the impact of the icy water, but it didn't help. It immediately chills you to the bone. Its a cold you can't prepare for and though you try to move quickly towards the ladder to get your ass out of the freezing cold water, its already slowing your motor functions so it takes longer than you expect. The metal ladder isn't a reprieve and the evaporating water only makes you colder. As I walked back up to deck 3, someone in the safety boat yelled "you have to add Antarctica to your tattoo", which made me wish they had a tattoo artist on board. I got inside and took a shot and got wrapped up in a towel and made my way up to Deck 5 with Leeah to cheer on a few fellow passengers. After about 10 minutes, it was time for a hot shower, though I'm sure the hot water had run out an hour before so it was a, still pleasant, slightly chilly shower.
The day was packed with events and excitement so we all crashed early in anticipation of another exciting day in Antarctica. Less than 5 minutes after my head hit the pillow, I was dreaming of penguins.
