Bartolome and Santiago Islands
It really is an incredible thrill to have a group of Earlham College alumni (and some of their friends) on board the Islander this week. Some of us have not seen one another in 30 years. We may not look exactly the same (less hair, more weight and wrinkles), but what a joy it is to have my roommate and housemates and over thirty miscellaneous friends exploring the Galápagos with me this week. We have been dreaming of a voyage in the Enchanted Islands together for at least 10 years, and now the dream is happening.
This morning we all awoke early to climb to the summit of Bartolome Islet. I made a ship wide wake-up call at 6:00 a.m. (no optional outings for this group – everyone must go!). Naturalists Rafael, Daniel and Celso pointed out geological formations and gave a quick lesson in volcanology as we plodded up a series of 370 wooden steps. We found a shy Galápagos snake and a few lava lizards, some brachycereus cactus sprouting from the lava fields, and at the top, a fabulous view. Across a narrow strait of blue ocean, an immense jet black lava flow stretched as far as we could sea and surrounded tiny reddish craters of older volcanic material. I explained that this flow was formed in 1897 and is hence just over one hundred years old. We took group pictures and returned to the ship for a well earned breakfast.
The Islander staff distributed snorkel equipment, and we motored to a lovely golden crescent beach. By hiking over a sand dune, we discovered a second beach where white-tipped reef sharks were swimming in the shallows, crabs poked around on the rocks, and a hawk soared over head. We snorkeled from the landing beach and played “sea lion chicken” – at first it really does surprise you when these frisky marine mammals swim full speed at you and veer off at the very last minute! A penguin sped past, there were countless black striped salemas in huge schools (also known as “booby bait” as they are a choice species for the boobies to dive on) and slow and graceful sea turtles grazed on algae or glided below us.
In the afternoon, we disembarked on a black sand beach and had the choice to snorkel again or head off directly to walk along the eroded coastline. The snorkelers found many bright fish and more fearless sea turtles; then they quickly dried off, put on their shoes and did the coastline walk, too.
Some of the highlights of the afternoon’s walk were the numerous sea lions, the piles of marine iguanas, the waves washing into lava grottos and a few fur seals. Daylight faded before we could drag ourselves away from the magic of the islands, and we returned to the ship under the almost full moon. WOW! A beautiful day in Las Islas Encantadas!!
It really is an incredible thrill to have a group of Earlham College alumni (and some of their friends) on board the Islander this week. Some of us have not seen one another in 30 years. We may not look exactly the same (less hair, more weight and wrinkles), but what a joy it is to have my roommate and housemates and over thirty miscellaneous friends exploring the Galápagos with me this week. We have been dreaming of a voyage in the Enchanted Islands together for at least 10 years, and now the dream is happening.
This morning we all awoke early to climb to the summit of Bartolome Islet. I made a ship wide wake-up call at 6:00 a.m. (no optional outings for this group – everyone must go!). Naturalists Rafael, Daniel and Celso pointed out geological formations and gave a quick lesson in volcanology as we plodded up a series of 370 wooden steps. We found a shy Galápagos snake and a few lava lizards, some brachycereus cactus sprouting from the lava fields, and at the top, a fabulous view. Across a narrow strait of blue ocean, an immense jet black lava flow stretched as far as we could sea and surrounded tiny reddish craters of older volcanic material. I explained that this flow was formed in 1897 and is hence just over one hundred years old. We took group pictures and returned to the ship for a well earned breakfast.
The Islander staff distributed snorkel equipment, and we motored to a lovely golden crescent beach. By hiking over a sand dune, we discovered a second beach where white-tipped reef sharks were swimming in the shallows, crabs poked around on the rocks, and a hawk soared over head. We snorkeled from the landing beach and played “sea lion chicken” – at first it really does surprise you when these frisky marine mammals swim full speed at you and veer off at the very last minute! A penguin sped past, there were countless black striped salemas in huge schools (also known as “booby bait” as they are a choice species for the boobies to dive on) and slow and graceful sea turtles grazed on algae or glided below us.
In the afternoon, we disembarked on a black sand beach and had the choice to snorkel again or head off directly to walk along the eroded coastline. The snorkelers found many bright fish and more fearless sea turtles; then they quickly dried off, put on their shoes and did the coastline walk, too.
Some of the highlights of the afternoon’s walk were the numerous sea lions, the piles of marine iguanas, the waves washing into lava grottos and a few fur seals. Daylight faded before we could drag ourselves away from the magic of the islands, and we returned to the ship under the almost full moon. WOW! A beautiful day in Las Islas Encantadas!!
