Recounting some of my adventures while not on the road. I traveled through Antarctica in early 2015. After a little adventure and exploration we near the end of our journey.
Mikkelsen Harbour
Our first and only stop today would be to Mikkelsen Harbour. It was a small bay and we would be landing at D’Hainaut Island. D’Hainaut Island was a tiny Island that would only take you an hour or so to walk around the entire thing. We got to spend several hours here enjoying the scenery, the Gentoo penguin colony, a few Seals and another sunny day.
The weather though, was deceptive. We had been blessed amazingly warm, calm and sunny weather for the most part of our trip. Our guides were quick to inform us that this was not the norm. Over the past two days, while the weather remained clear and sunny, the wind began to pick up immensely and we were now starting to feel the chill even through our heavy outerwear. The temperatures dropped below freezing with the windchill. Apparently this was more in line with what Antarctica should feel like. Nonetheless our love affair with this remote part of the world continued.
Whaling
During our visit we learned that Whaling was a big industry and this was the first time we would see evidence of this. On D’Hainaut we saw the remnants of some old Whaling boats as well as the bones of multiple Whales.
Nature
I debated on whether or not to include this. I decided to because this is simply nature and as much as my fellow travelers and I wanted to intervene, we were instructed not to by our guides. Throughout our time visiting the penguin colonies we were always told that there were many dangers that faced penguin babies, whether it be the elements, predators or other factors, surviving in such a harsh environment is always challenging. While we saw cracked eggs or protective mothers hovering over their children, I personally wasn’t prepared to see this unfold in front of me and was reminded that nature does have a balance and its not always pleasant.
Penguins
I couldn’t really end there, it’d be too depressing! So I included some shots of this large Gentoo colony that has made its home here on D’Hainaut amongst the remains of this Whaler base. I really enjoyed being at this colony, while we were still governed by rules to keep our distance from these cute little guys, they on the other hand adhered to no rules and at times got very close to us!
You can really hear the wind over as well as the penguin calls in this video. It was an awesome thing to be surrounded by Penguins and have them walk all around you. These are things I will never forget!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01B3ZV_sjFg
We have one more full day on the Antarctic Peninsula before we make the journey back to South America. Up next is Deception and Half moon Island