On the first day of the first Lindblad Photo Expedition to Antarctica we had our first taste of ice. And we are not even in Antarctica yet.
We started our trip last night leaving the port city of Punta Arenas, Chile. As we make our way south, today the Caledonian Star navigated through the scenic Beagle Channel, along the Tierra del Fuego region of southern South America. Beagle Channel is named after the ship that carried Charles Darwin through these waters in the early 1830's. This long fjord was carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age, which ended in this part of the world about 10,000 years ago. Although the glaciers have retreated dramatically even since Darwin's day, ice still clings to the highest mountains and flows as glaciers to the sea.
Just after lunch today the ship made a detour to explore Garibaldi Fjord for a close look at the Garibaldi Glacier, a tidewater glacier that calves icebergs into the sea. As the ship navigated deeper and deeper into the fjord, we spotted numerous Andean Condors soaring high overhead. We enjoyed the perfect conditions out on deck during the afternoon as we sharpened the photographic skills we will need when we reach the white continent of Antarctica.
It was a great start to a certain epic expedition.
