Summer certainly looks very different than other places here in South Georgia. Something along those lines was what many of the hikers thought this morning, as we landed in Maiviken. This whaling cove, discovered in 1902 by the Swedish South Polar Expedition, was today blanketed by soft and dry snow. As we readied ourselves for the hike over to Grytviken, the snowfall intensified and made for some challenging initial climbing up to the main plateau. The morning was however calm, silent and spectacular, with the occasional break in the clouds providing winter like light over the hills and lakes. After a couple of hours, we descended into Grytviken to join the rest of our group at the cemetery for a toast to honor the ‘Boss’ and his right hand, Frank Wild.
The late part of the morning was spent visiting the many interesting sites and buildings of the whaling station, museum, post office and the shop, before returning onboard for lunch. After yet another grand meal, the sun finally broke through the clouds to present amazing views of the cove and surrounding hills covered in snow. Our South Georgia Heritage Trust guests gave us insight and the latest info on the ‘Rat’ Project, a massive and so far very successful undertaking at clearing the island of introduced predators that are causing havoc among native breeding birds.
During the afternoon, we visited Jason Harbor, a site that was charted and later leased by the legendary Captain Larson, who hunted elephant seals in the area. We had a chance to go kayaking in a quiet and protected lagoon sheltered from the sea by a glacial moraine, or stroll on the main beach where hundreds of young fur seals played in the intertidal zone. Vertical rock formations also provided some very photogenic framing views of the National Geographic Orion, quietly anchored among bergy bits.
