Antarctica Part 7: A World Apart

Antarctica Part 7: A World Apart-

So far every day has brought a new experience and I applaud the expeditions programming for this. If you’re keeping score it looks something like- body surfing down a mountain, snowman building, 30 person snowball fighting, climbing the rim of caldera, rescuing someone from a crevasse, a handful of seals, a ton of penguins, a very up close and personal encounter with a family of humpback whales and a fugitive viking. All land excursions to this point have been very organized and structured, meaning there was really no time to sit back and soak in your own little piece of Antarctica. The upcoming stops at Cuverville and Peterman Islands promised to allow for the quiet time I was hoping for.

As mentioned in the initial rules and safety briefing, in addition to not falling into a crevasse, we are instructed to not approach the wildlife. There was a general rule of allowing 15 feet between you and any seal or penguin. It was mentioned that during this time of year the penguin chicks are nearly fully grown and have developed a level of curiosity. If you wait quietly sometimes they will approach you, which IS allowed. As soon as we step foot on Cuverville Island it became apparent this 15 foot rule would be impossible to adhere to. Penguins were all over and every once in a while you had to be conscious not to step on one. Once you make your way off the landing zone and up into the hillsides the colony became more spread out. I saw a few people sitting down and, as advertised, they had a few brave chicks walking up to them. I continued up the hill and found a little area to call my own and try my hand at this. Within a few seconds I had 2 of these little fellas waddling over. A few more seconds and a couple more. Within 2 minutes I was surrounded by 7 or 8 Gentoo penguins. Off to the side I notice Sarah, the owner of the travel agency I booked the trip with, taking some photos of this. Because it was her 6th trip to Antarctica, and I had assumed she’d seen it all, I was surprised when I overheard her say to another passenger; “Oh my gosh, Bob is the damn penguin whisper!”

Although the activities had been varied, the weather had not. Since going through the Drake Passage the sky’s had been grey and visibility low. The only changes were how much it was snowing and how strong the winds were blowing. On the morning of the 8th day I wake early and look out the window to see a surprise sunrise peaking through the clouds. I quickly throw on my shoes, put on a jacket and head to the outer decks. 10 minutes later, as an illustration of how rare this occasion was, they actually wake people up by announcing the sunrise over the intercom and, just like that, the quiet time I had to myself was no more. We shortly thereafter pass through the narrow and picturesque Lemaire Channel and eventually land on Peterman Island. Here I would tuck myself behind a mound of boulders and finally have the private slice of Antarctic heaven I was searching for. I remained there for over an hour, listening for the sounds of silence amidst the squawk of the penguins and crash of the waves. A deep sense of peace had come over me that would last, oh, a whole 15 or so minutes more…

As soon as the last Zodiac returned to the ship it was time for the Polar Plunge. If you know anything about me at all then you know I’m going to be down for jumping in the Antarctic Ocean if the opportunity presented itself. To my surprise this was an actual organized activity in the program. All non participants were invited to view the activity from the deck and video slideshow afterwards showed just how comical this was from the spectators standpoint. In all, 38 brave Sea Spirit passengers took “the plunge”. My Zen like inner peace had been transformed into a vivid alertness that remained with me throughout the night, and the next morning I awoke with a sore throat. Along with approximately 37 other people.

Antarctica is set apart from any other single trip I’ve done. As I’ve repeated many times you can never get the true feel of a place by looking at a photo or reading a book. Antarctica is THE prime example of this. Usually if you ask 10 people about their level of appreciation of any particular experience you’ll get 10 various answers ranging from “eh it’s ok” to “it’s absolutely incredible”. Even out of the people that believe it to be incredible you’ll inevitably have some people down play it a bit in a ‘cool guy’ approach. Out of all the people I met that have gone to Antartica and experienced this magical place before me nobody has down played it and all sing its praises. And now I join that select group, lucky enough to bear witness that it IS absolutely incredible. A place so far removed from everything else that the best way to describe it is to say it feels like you’re on another planet. What made it complete was the people I was fortunate to meet along the way. Strangers going into the trip and sure to be lifelong friends coming out, forever bound by this experience that no pictures or words could ever do justice.

Bob