We woke up to another magical icescape under gray skies. Pieces of ice in wondrous shapes silently floated in the quiet, still conditions. It invited one to speak in hushed tones.
During the morning we landed on the island of Petermann. There were several hiking options as well as a Zodiac cruise.
A short distance from the landing site there is a small cross that commemorates the death of three young British men who came here during the winter of 1982 to attempt a climb of Mount Scott. However the poor sea ice conditions made matters problematic, and it is likely that they were lost as they attempted to return to Faraday Base on the Argentine Islands some six miles away.
From there we walked up a gentle slope of snow and ice, between rounded rocks, and up to an overhang that allowed commanding views out to sea and many large icebergs dotting the horizon.
We then headed across the island to the penguin colonies. We were able to get close views of the gentoo and Adélie penguins. It was striking to see the very different stages chick development between penguin species. The Adélies were already well into the crèche stage and wandering about their colony quite freely. Occasionally one of the parents would return and feed their demanding chicks. The gentoos however were a kind of mismatch; some birds were already caring for large chicks who were almost ready to form their crèches, others that were still very small and even a few still sat on their eggs.
Off in the distance it was also possible to see the Antarctic shags with their large chicks that were often flapping their wings as a form of exercise. Their chicks all looked well and healthy.
We also learned that this island was used as an overwintering spot for the second expedition led by Jean Baptiste Charcot in 1908. Their ship Pourquoi Pas was moored in the very bay where we came in to make our own landing.
During lunch we headed a few miles north to our afternoon destination, which was to be on Booth Island. This island was the location where Charcot overwintered during his first expedition in 1904 with his ship Français.
The Zodiac cruise into the iceberg graveyard was spellbinding and the colors and shapes left us aghast. There were also many crabeater seals hauled out on the pack ice and flattish chunks of ice. They were resting and digesting the krill that they fed on recently, the sides of their mouths still stained bright red.
There were also two walks on the island and many of us were able to do both. There was an opportunity to walk up to the penguin colonies and get looks at all three brush tail penguin species breeding in the same spot. The penguins have not been too successful here this year and there are signs of many eggs being eaten by gulls and skuas and the chicks are very small.
Last of all a number of guests seeking a good leg stretch walked up to a hill with a cairn at the top. It was built by the members of Charcot’s expedition and they did such a good job that it has been able to withstand the buffeting winds and storms for over a century.
But the day was not yet over.
We enjoyed the evening light playing on the waters and the ice during dinner, and shortly afterward we sailed northwards through the beautiful Lemaire Channel. Steep mountainsides, heavily crevassed glaciers, and snow-covered terrain left us speechless. It has been yet another day where words have fallen so far short of being able to describe what we have all felt.
