subject: Icebergs And Albatrosses [print this page] To talk about Antarctica is to talk about elephant seals and penguins not to mention icebergs and albatrosses. 3.3 billion gallons of frozen water in 3 tons of ice plus 10 pounds of tiny baby fur seals never fail to be disappointing especially for a continent on earth that is so dry, high, and windy.
There were two well traveled teachers who chose Antarctica as the place to spend the Christmas holiday in and this is in considering how it is a land of frozen wastes and voyages gone wrong.
For most people Antarctica may not be the likely vacation destination but it was for the teachers who haven't seen the continent yet. Along the way while they were thinking about how this journey could be possible they read about the explorer through travel magazine.
Much preparation was needed or so the women unraveled. Three pairs of socks one of them wool worn under 15 pound rubber boots, insulated underwear worn under a regular set of clothes, a parka, and seamless and waterproof rubberized pants and slicker comprises the ensemble needed for a day in Antarctica. In order to complete the outfit, one waterproof and one regular pair of gloves is necessary.
A recurring dilemma other than cold feet is the onset of frostbite. For the Southern Hemisphere, this is summer. The ice was warming to a point just above freezing, allowing travel through the breaking ice pack but that still put the water only just above 32 degrees.
There was an Antarctic research station where air temperature readings from the thermometer reached 47 degrees. In the daytime nothing but sunlight was directly shining but as the evening came the Explorer was confronted by snowstorms and sleet storms.
It's the most unpredictable weather in the world, the women were told, and the itinerary varied from day to day according to the winds. Staying for 24 days in the southern ice cap did not result to an experience of an 84 below wind chill like the one that occurred last Christmas in their hometown.
Dreaded but overcome was the Drake Passage. Plenty of ships have not been able to overcome the passage that runs from Cape Horn on the tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula.
The Explorer's passage took 48 hours and the women used the seat belts on their bunks to strap themselves in for sleep. For one of the ladies, some bruises were inevitable.
A ton of penguins could be seen. A lady said that they had access to the penguins and their nests. Fussing at each other is what penguins like to do.
The sight was truly amazing. A lot of seals were there as well. Scooting around with an open mouth made a seal's day. Seals actually bite if you get close to them not to mention their babies.
There were no dull moments on the trip. So clean was the water that was as blue as the gorgeous sky. As big as city blocks were the three storey icebergs that floated along the way some of which had a bunch of penguins on board.
During the 1960s, the old whaling stations they saw were all closed down for 20 years now. In the South Pole they were able to see how the early explorers lived with the huts they left behind, a number of them also left old canned goods in these.
The voyage took them from Punta Arenas on the south end of Chile to the Shetland Islands to Antarctica to the South Orkneys to South Georgia to the Falklands and back to their starting point. Such a trip was truly extraordinary as both of them agree.
