Dec 29th: Fish Islands and Barilari Bay

 While camping itself was serene, if not cold, the same could not be said for our pickup and transfer back to the Ocean Endeavor! Rough seas and high winds made for a wet and bumpy ride... fondly later to be known as the Polar Shower. Our Zodiac driver (Chris Crown) prepared us for the 15 minute journey out into the bay by saying "Some of you will get hit in the back with waves. The other half of you will get hit in the face with waves. Hang on tightly, it's going to be rough." I think he nailed it. 

I was seated mid-boat, facing the onslaught of waves! At times I bounced into the center-floor of the boat. At other times I had flash backs of learning to water-ski. You know... when you can't quite stand yet and your mouth is at the same level at the wake?! Salty!

We were told that conditions such as these would normally cancel all operations, but that since we were out there, we had to come back. All credit goes to the intrepid team of Zodiac drivers and gangway crew who braved the elements and took responsibility for getting cold, wet and shaken up passengers safety back on board. It was NOT easy! No passengers ended up in the fjord but the fjord for sure ended up in the boats! We were all still smiling after this adventure and that says a LOT about the both the passengers and the crew.

One of the Zodiac drivers, Blaise, took this video. He was clearly having tooooo much fun!

There is nothing quite like a steaming hot shower and breakfast buffet to warm the cockles of ones' soul.

Behind the scenes a LOT of clean up was underway. Bivvy bags, sleeping bags and the like were all spread out in the Aurora Lounge, sopping wet. The mud room was cranking out some heat and I'm guessing dehumidifying too, in an effort to dry boots, gill jackets and other layers we shed there before high-tailing it up stairs for that hot shower. Tomorrow, when we returned to the scene of the crime, we'd find dry gear... and that is only because the Ocean Endeavour elves were hard at work as we napped and got warmed up!

 We had a day at sea to recover some sleep and/or take in some science-y lectures about the wildlife, geology,  and history of this magical place. I did all of the above as the ship cruised around the Fish Islands in the  morning and Barilari Bay later that day.

It was another blue-sky day in Antarctica and behind the scenes, Capt. Alexi and his team were navigating us northeast... away from the storm that was responsible for our post-camping adventure. The wind and rough waters of Neny Fjord were quickly forgotten as we enjoyed a "boatload" of quality time with fellow passengers and crew. 

... And if you know me, you know I just LOVE to take pictures of clouds and sky. So, while there were no penguin chicks or whale tails today, I was still in my happy place. On deck. Camera poised. 

December 28th: Red Rocks Ridge and Stonington Island

 Dec 28th.

As Captain Alexi sought calmer, more protected waters around Neny Fjord the boat was all a-chatter about the Polar Plunge. Now me, I was a hard no from the get-go. But some people were considering it and others were being "persuaded". 

Mark joined me on the 7th deck overlooking the gangway, where the plunging passengers would voluntarily dunk themselves into the below freezing waters of Antarctica. Pictures make me happy... frigid water does not.

So, two things happened that are noteworthy:

1. In the not-so-distance, an iceberg the size of a small city block lost some car-sized chunks and the ensuing ripples (waves!) put a slight hold on the plunging for a time. Was I glad not to be a bathing-suit-wearing passenger left waiting in the drafty hallway for turn at jumping? Why yes... yes I was!  :-)

2. I turned my head for a second and realized that Steve had plunged!!! OMG! Thankfully the 'real' photographers (dressed as penguins, of course) were paying more attention and Rune even managed to capture a video for him, on his own phone.  For my part, I got the return journey only!

We are now 3-4 "landing days" in. You'd think I would have mastered the art of getting kitted up in the mud room by now. Nope! How many times can I put my life jacket on upside down? Feel strangled by the way my jacket hood is trapped by my life jacket? Be asked by a fellow passenger if I'd like some help adjusting my life jacket? (a.k.a. get help getting dressed!)

It's the pressure. Once in the mud room, you have a small space and limited time to get yourself together and are compelled to look the part, dress according to regulation and not hold up your fellow photographers seems to scramble my brain - every time! The only thing I seem to be learning is that I can get a head start on some layers before it's mud room time. 

It's a fine line between getting too dressed and risking sweating (which will later turn cold) and not being dressed enough when the call to prep for leaving the ship comes. 

Today we spent the afternoon at Stonington Island, where both an old British station and a US station are located. It's a picturesque point to be sure. The weather was 'typical' for us, meaning spectacular but we who knew no different would likely never appreciate this in the way our crew seemed to.

And of course we then toured in the Zodiacs a bit before returning to base; the Ocean Endeavour. 

A bit about glacial ice: It's made of packed snow and works its way down the mountain until it over-hangs the sea and then breaks off in chunks. Calving. Sea ice is flat and salty. Glacial ice towers, is oddly shaped and layers melt at differing rates. When the bottom melts enough, it becomes top-heavy and flips itself! You might have seen pics I've posted that appear striated or dimpled, or simply just round looking from a distance. 

The older the ice, the more pressure it has had to endure and the fewer bubbles it contains. It gets less white and more clear as it ages. 

Today we went fishing for 10,000 year old ice... to put in cocktails! I'd say our group found the oldest, clearest, most diamond-like ice. And yes, it was well handled and somewhat molested by the time it made it back to the ship! 

Once aboard, it became the responsibility of the Nautilus Lounge bar staff to chip it into cubes and toss it into our cocktails! They did not disappoint. 

My drink fizzed and popped as I drank it, often spitting bits of my White Russian right out of the glass! But as that was hard to capture and since Brittany's drink was prettier and more like a glacier... you get this picture instead.

It was time to get ready for camping.

Camping... A term used loosely but lovingly.  The extracurricular activity was tightly managed and expectations were set in line with reality. It is NOT going to be comfortable or warm. There are only two reasons to cut the overnight adventure short and they amount to;  hearing the ships horn blowing three times and racing back to the ship or an actual medical emergency. The ships doctor was camping with us, so he'd be the judge of that!

The first step was assembling our individual "sushi roll". A thin foam roll mat, a sleeping back on top of it and a liner inside that, all encased in a bivvy-bag.

The rules were simple; This is the only thing that will touch the ground except your boots, so if you want to sit down, lie down or put your bag down, it's all done on top of the bivvy bag.

Campers enjoyed a hot meal at the restaurant and sugared up...

Then as the dusky light took hold, we were transported by Zodiac back to a tranquil Stonington Island. Once there, one could select a nice spot to "set up camp" and then wander. The sun doesn't really set this far south. It dips behind a mountain briefly but stays light all night long.

We mingled and wandered 'til about 11pm then did some sort of contortion-act to shed the outer layers and boots, before climbing inside the toasty sleeping bag. (Yes, I'm being sarcastic!)