South Georgia
It's hard to imagine that yesterday can be out done, but today is another day. And this is South Georgia.
Our day begins with an after breakfast landing in Fortuna Bay with a group of 28 intrepid hikers. Our goal is to follow the footsteps of Shackleton's heroic journey across the mountains to the whaling station at Stromness. As we begin the steep climb, we can see the National Geographic Endeavour sailing out to sea--a strange feeling indeed. There is no turning back now. We climb up, and up, and up. With each step the view and the immense scale of the scenery becomes even grander. The majesty of this place dwarfs us. Crossing through Shackleton Gap is an emotional experience for many of us. We see the Stromness Whaling Station below, knowing this was the salvation for Sir Earnest and his men. On the way down, we met up with the rest of the group at a gentoo colony. It was full sunshine, and amazingly, the conditions are rather warm. We linger with these colorful birds watching closely as they feed their many chicks, now almost two weeks old.
Back on board for lunch the ship sails along the coast bound for St. Andrews Bay. This is a complete change from our original plan--a great call by our Expedition Leader Tim Soper to take full advantage of the great weather. The tops of the mountains are now in complete view, including Mount Paget, the tallest peak on South Georgia rising over 9,000 feet above the sea. The afternoon on shore is one of sensory overload. Over 200,000 king penguins nest on the coastal pain here. These elegant flightless birds stretch out as far as the eye can see. But to get to the main mass of birds, we must walk along the beach lined with thousands of elephant seals. And penguins. Incredibly, many among us spend four full hours on shore here wandering, watching, listening, smelling, and making images. The time flies by. We drag ourselves back on board in time for a late dinner. We are happy, exhausted, and full of penguin energy.
It's hard to imagine that yesterday can be out done, but today is another day. And this is South Georgia.
Our day begins with an after breakfast landing in Fortuna Bay with a group of 28 intrepid hikers. Our goal is to follow the footsteps of Shackleton's heroic journey across the mountains to the whaling station at Stromness. As we begin the steep climb, we can see the National Geographic Endeavour sailing out to sea--a strange feeling indeed. There is no turning back now. We climb up, and up, and up. With each step the view and the immense scale of the scenery becomes even grander. The majesty of this place dwarfs us. Crossing through Shackleton Gap is an emotional experience for many of us. We see the Stromness Whaling Station below, knowing this was the salvation for Sir Earnest and his men. On the way down, we met up with the rest of the group at a gentoo colony. It was full sunshine, and amazingly, the conditions are rather warm. We linger with these colorful birds watching closely as they feed their many chicks, now almost two weeks old.
Back on board for lunch the ship sails along the coast bound for St. Andrews Bay. This is a complete change from our original plan--a great call by our Expedition Leader Tim Soper to take full advantage of the great weather. The tops of the mountains are now in complete view, including Mount Paget, the tallest peak on South Georgia rising over 9,000 feet above the sea. The afternoon on shore is one of sensory overload. Over 200,000 king penguins nest on the coastal pain here. These elegant flightless birds stretch out as far as the eye can see. But to get to the main mass of birds, we must walk along the beach lined with thousands of elephant seals. And penguins. Incredibly, many among us spend four full hours on shore here wandering, watching, listening, smelling, and making images. The time flies by. We drag ourselves back on board in time for a late dinner. We are happy, exhausted, and full of penguin energy.
