The long, slender beach at Snow Hill is littered with fossils, small Cretaceous ancestors of today’s squid whose soft bodies were tucked safely inside snail-like shells. Most of the shells I found were no larger than a silver dollar.
As we climbed the hill to the Nordenskjold hut and beyond, the fossils became even more abundant. It was hard to look down without seeing some evidence that this uplifted and volcanically altered place was once on the seafloor.
Paralleling the beach, basaltic dikes resembled stone walls assembled by long-extinct giants. Reminding us of the harsh realities of this unforgiving place, we spotted the desiccated remains of two long-dead seals. Their soft fur still adorned stiff, collapsed skin–natural mummies that rivaled those in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.
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This morning’s fog and swell conspired to make it a great day for parlour activities. We saw many guests reading or engaged in games of cards, Scrabble, and the like. We also had some talks planned. First off, Tiphanie May spoke on the weird and wonderful creatures of the sea while recounting her earlier years as a Fisheries Observer on commercial fishing ships in the waters of the Falklands! While involved in observing these ships for compliance, she saw the deepest dwelling fish in the sea (the snailfish), giant squid, and fish that have absolutely no haemoglobin in their blood (the icefish)! Shortly after Tiphanie’s talk, a pod of pilot whales were briefly spotted from the bow, a new species for this expedition! Our next presenter was Conor Ryan who spoke on, “The Smell of the Sea.” Conor educated us on the actual source of the smell (dimethyl sulfide). He gave us insights into original research he’s doing on why the release of this compound by diatoms has implications for the successful feeding of whales, and he even coached us on how to pass through airport security without any liquids! You just don’t get talks with that breadth anywhere else! Throughout the afternoon, the staff worked with guests to complete maps of our travels, fill in wildlife lists, and help to spot one or two more species from the bridge. Our hotel staff was busy preparing for our final wine and cheese tasting followed by the captain’s farewell dinner aboard National Geographic Endurance. It has been an amazing journey. Many new acquaintances turned into good friends, and guests are busy gathering contact info before their fellow travellers scatter, once again, to the four corners of the Earth.
We awoke after a fantastic crew show last night in the Ice lounge. The party went on well into the night, with everyone taking advantage of an upcoming sea day. Several talks took place during the day. Macduff Everton gave a presentation called, “Cover Stories.” Jeff Campbell spoke on “Landscape-scale Carbon Sequestration,” and Captain Aaron Wood gave a fascinating talk about the construction of National Geographic Endurance . As I write this, we are preparing for another talk about living and working on the various United States Antarctic Program (USAP) research stations. Late in the morning, we entered some fairly thick fog. A fog bank is often found around the convergence. This coupled with relatively light winds has scuppered my plans for getting some bird photos into the report. Instead, I thought I would highlight some of the ship’s art. On deck 5, guests can listen to explanations of the art using headsets. My favorite piece is found midway along the corridor on deck 6. It’s a small porthole-shaped piece of glass which depicts the moonlight over the tundra. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out! And if you are reading this after you’ve left the ship, you’ll just have to come on another expedition with us!
We woke up to the most beautiful sunny day we have had yet this trip. The ship slowly and carefully made its way towards the ice edge so we could enjoy an ice walk. The captain deftly “parked” the ship next to the edge, being careful not to break any ice, and lowered the penguin gangway. Our expedition team went out first to check that the ice was safe. They excitedly reported back that a leopard seal and pup had been found, an extremely rare sight. We bundled up in our outer layers and headed onto the ice. The ice crunched beneath our feet as we wandered around the vast space. While we were checking out the leopard seal, two emperor penguins came sliding across the ice. They even chased some of the guests briefly before settling down on the ice close to the leopard seal and engaging in courting behavior. It was the most magical experience, but it wasn’t over. Next, three crabeater seals crawled out on the ice and took a nap in front of the bow of the ship. We couldn’t believe our luck. All too soon, it was time to board National Geographic Endurance again. We started steaming north to our final landing of the trip at Brown Bluff. Whilst the ship repositioned, we enjoyed a delicious and well-earned lunch followed by a Q&A session with Mensun Bound. In the late afternoon, we disembarked the ship for the final time in Antarctica. Brown Bluff didn’t disappoint with its amazing geology, gentoo and Adelie penguins, and beautiful ice. We said goodbye to the White Continent whilst loading into the Zodiacs for the final time. It was a truly wonderful day, and it still wasn’t over. The galley team treated us to a delicious, traditional Filipino dinner followed by an evening of music and talents in the Ice Lounge. We danced the night away as the ship headed for the Drake.