Winds picked up in the night. The gentle rocking that aided our sleep turned into more abrupt movements that dissipated as the morning lengthened. Killer whales were spotted and we watched a humpback whale peacefully continue on its way while the killer whales, who are not the type to eat humpbacks, went about their lives in the sea.
The wind was cold when we spotted land. Our Captain and our expedition leader Bud, chose Hannah Point for a landing, which was out of the wind and a spectacular wildlife area. Finally our feet touched land. Well before that we had the scent of penguins fill our nostrils. We were definitely in Antarctica. The scene on Hannah Point was chaos. Elephant seals grunted and farted, gentoo penguin chicks chased their parents up and over the rocky island, chinstrap penguins sky-pointed while shaking out their scratchy, exuberant calls. Giant petrels sat near their snow-white chicks. Antarctic skuas watched their beige, fluffy offspring huddle against the rocks for a nap, or wander around their attentive parents. To top it all off, amidst the screeching chinstraps a couple of macaroni penguins preened each other as their orange tufts blew in the wind.
Our excitement carried us well through dinner, but there was more. After dinner we sailed into an old caldera named Deception Island. This island was the site of an old shore-based whaling station. Rusting hulks of metal containers and processing equipment were in varying stages of disintegration. Behind them, wooded buildings sagged under the pressure of time. The beach was black, made from ash and cinders of the once turbulent volcano.
The circular island spoke of the past. Days of eruptions and days of commerce all seem to settle in to the sand, sinking into history. Darkness fell as we exited “Neptune’s Bellows,” the name given to the narrow entrance.
We no longer thought about suitcases, airline tickets, or logistics of any kind. We were in the moment. We lived the entire day in the moment, which is one of the wonders we experienced today.
