Today started out early, although not as early as normal. We got a wakeup call for 6:30am and boy did it seem like time flew. Brad closed up the cabin room nice and dark last night so I slept pretty well. When the call for the morning came, We opened the drapes to see the outside sun. If I haven’t said so already, I LOVE waking up to the sun being out for a change. I cannot tell you just how great that feels. With my normal work hours, I wake up before the sun is out, and leave work after the sun is down so seeing the sun is AWESOME! I was particularly tied this morning, mostly of my own making, so Brad cleaned himself up first for breakfast and I followed after. I had a lighter breakfast this morning, because I’ve been overdoing it with food lately on the trip and my belt is telling me to knock it off. We had a lovely breakfast with, Ma the botanist, and two new people from Australia’s kayak club. We talked about our adventures, and what it’s like traveling across the world. Some of our funniest stories, and the differences between the two countries. After breakfast we cooled our heals in our room for a while. Brad did some reading, and I did some writing because we had 20 minutes to kill before our first expedition for today. As we sat and typed, the announcement came over the speakers that the ice conditions were not suitable for landing at this particular area, so the expedition this morning had been cancelled. We are not discouraged though! Our next option is likely to be in about an hour so we are all excited for that opportunity as well. There is a place 40 minutes from here where we’re heading to try and land. We were not completely briefed on what to expect in this area, so it will be a true Antarctic adventure!
After lunch our boat had re-positioned at another landing site and we were given notice that a hike is available for us to participate in. We could see the hiking path from the ship. I was excited to try some snow hiking! The path zig zagged up the snow colored mountain to an elevation of approximately of 500 feet. When the zodiac landed, the first thing we saw was five feet tall rocks and a sharp ledge over sea level. We climbed out of the zodiac and up a few rocks onto an improvised snow staircase. I was extremely impressed at how steep the mountain was, and how deep the snow was. The zigzag of the trail helped with the steep pitch of the mountain. Every once in a while I would take a step and snow would sink a few inches under my feet. The snow added a new complexity to the hike, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I passed a few expedition leaders on the hike, and high-fived the other group members who were resting on the mountain side as they hiked. I was also surprised at how many couldn’t make it past the second switch back. When I got to the top of the mountain, I found some firm footing and sat back in the snow. Unfortunately, the spot I chose had iced over a little bit so when my butt hit it wasn’t enough to indent the snow. On the second attempt I slammed my butt a bit harder into the snow and made a nice snow chair. I sat at the top of the mountain for a little while talking to the other hikers and taking photos of the breathtaking scenery. At one time, another tourist at the top of the hike slid on his belly down a few feet mimicking a penguin. I have to admit, even I wanted to do that, although sliding down the mountain onto the rocky area did not seem as appealing. After a while one of the expedition leaders, Christian, arrived at the top and sat next to me. We talked and laughed for a while as I waited for a large group of people move down the mountain. When the call came to go back to the ship, I reluctantly began to make my way down the mountain. The walk down was beginning to get slushy, but I was ahead of the largest group so I made it back down the path, into the zodiac, and safely aboard the ship.
When we got back onboard the ship, we stripped off our gear and headed up to the bar area where we had some hot drinks and talked about our experience. In the afternoon, the ship re-positioned in another cove but the weather had started to turn. Unfortunately, after a few tries the Anja- the expedition leader -told us that there was ice blocking our landing site so we would be unable to land at this area tonight. For entertainment, a group of us played a friendly game or six of UNO in the library. Even though I didn’t win, it was great fun playing with a group from all around the world. After the game, we attended a lecture of Shackleton- the explorer whose boat was stuck in the ice and his crew had to fend for themselves for two years in Antarctica. Christian, the expedition leader, presented the information in such a way as to fascinate the imagination of the guests. His Power Point presentation included photos, videos, and sound bites of Shackleton’s heroic story with great enthusiasm. There was a portion of the presentation which was a sound bite of the wanted ad for explorers. It said, ” Wanted: for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.” Brad leaned over to me in the lecture and said, “sounds like your personal ad.” Which, of course, landed him several hits on the arm with that comment and apologies for the child like behavior between the two of us. We also had to explain that our friendship is based on alcohol, sarcasm, and insults so this is perfectly normal banter. After the lecture I stayed around to ask several questions about how the crew managed to stay healthy during the two years away from fresh fruits and vegetables. I also asked if they had penguin sashimi during their stay or if they had enough heat to cook the fish they caught. Apparently, they had enough fuel to cook the penguin before eating it, and ate a meat product to assist with the appropriate vitamins and minerals.
For the daily recap, we were called into the lecture hall where we were notified that we would be unable to go camping, and what the plan for tomorrow is. The evening ended with some drinks, and laughs at the bar before calling it a night. It was a wonderful way to end such a relaxing day.
