Deep in Antarctica
Bright sunshine and snowy peaks defined our morning as the National Geographic Explorer made her way south on the west side of the peninsula. Near 8:30 AM we crossed the Antarctic Circle. While the circle is nothing more than a representation of the angle at which the earth’s axis is tilted relative to the plane of its travel around the sun, it defines the limit of twenty-four hour daylight on the day of the summer solstice.
We celebrated as the GPS on the bridge approached and reached the latitude of sixty-six and one half degrees. The ship’s whistle was blown and cheers were sounded. Other than a few scientists and their support crews, no one lives south of the Antarctic Circle and few tourists to the continent reach this significant geographic line of latitude. In the northern hemisphere there are cities above the Arctic Circle but here in the south we are truly remote and at the edge of wildness and wilderness.
Our intentions for the day included a morning landing at Detaille Island; however the weather occasionally thwarts our plans. The strong katabatic winds streaming off the ice fields on the continent made it impossible for us to anchor or launch our Zodiacs. So we steamed further south and marveled at the ragged mountains and majestic ice bergs in Crystal Sound. Hundreds of crabeater seals lounged on the ice floes that we maneuvered around while cruising ever deeper into the pack ice. By mid-afternoon the fierce winds had settled and we launched our boats for quiet meanderings through the brash. We were able to get very close to both leopard seals and crabeaters basking in the sun. We found one large floe where our hotel staff had set up a barbeque complete with hot sandwiches and cold drinks!
As evening approached, we were reminded that tonight we’ll see no sunset. In a sense this day has no end. Our memories of this day, this long day, will – like the light below the Antarctic Circle – go on and on.
