Day 19: New Island
January 15th, 2015
“King Weather is the tyrant of these latitudes, and he rules with ruthless despotism.”
– Frank Hurley, Shackleton’s Argonauts
– Frank Hurley, Shackleton’s Argonauts
Our very last land excursion (on this expedition) was today. We woke up early to go ashore on New Island to visit another colony of black-browed albatross and rockhoppers on the cliff lined shore of the island. It was only a mile-long hike across the island, but we all seemed to savor it, as we know we’re heading back out to open ocean this afternoon. The first thing you notice when you make it to the cliffs? The wind. It was so powerful; we had to brace ourselves against rocks in a few places, just to stay upright. Then you notice the cliff's drop and can’t help but to marvel at the fact that a colony of flightless birds (those funny little rockhoppers) scale these cliffs on a daily basis. The albatross are slightly less impressive… But taking off in these winds can't be easy either. It’s amazing how the albatross and the penguins nest so closely together and don’t seem to bother each other at all. We hung out on the side of the cliffs for awhile, snapping pictures of the birds before heading back to the boat – (sort of, but not quite) ready to take on the end of the journey.
Days 20 & 21: At Sea – Estrecho de Le Maire, the Beagle Channel, and Ushuaia
January 16th-17th, 2015
“An Antarctic expedition is the worst way to have the best time of your life.”
-Apsley Cherry-Garrard (Member of Scott’s 1910-13 Expedition)
-Apsley Cherry-Garrard (Member of Scott’s 1910-13 Expedition)
Our last full day at sea, and the Drake Passage (finally) began to live up to our expectations. The waves weren’t even close to the foretold 10 meters, but we had some fun in the constant 5-6 meter waves as we waited to come within viewing distance of Argentina. Once land was in sight, we started feeling the now quite familiar feelings of an adventure coming to an end. Even though this particular adventure was only 3 weeks long, it was just as exciting as our longer stays elsewhere. But we’re not really done, because before we get to our next (and last) volunteer assignment, we still have a few days on Easter Island and a week in Peru!