Friday, March 18th
I just completed the video for the Antarctica trip. The link is http://vimeo.com/21185560. I've also posted it on facebook if that's easier. My email is kyle1baum@gmail.com if anyone wants to connect as a friend. It's just 8 minutes in length but covers the highlights.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Antarctica - Day #16
Kurt
Liam
Kyle
GregMonday, March 7th
I'm currently sitting on my buddy Greg's couch in Raleigh, NC at 2:30pm on Monday, March 7th. No issues with my 10 hour, 30 minute flight from Buenos Aires to Washington Dulles. I got in around 6:30am local time.
I spent about an hour getting my checked bag and going through customs. I then got some US cash from the ATM and called home to check in. I boarded my final plane at 8:30am headed to Raleigh, NC. I got into Raleigh around 9:45am and took a taxi to Greg's place - where I'll be staying for a couple weeks.
Uneventful last day of the trip --- but that's a good thing. I'm now going to go back and add some photos to the blogs throughout the trip.
This trip was truly a once and a lifetime experience. Truly. Because of the cost and logistics, I would not entertain the notion of going again. With that said, I would absolutely recommend the trip to anyone. It was incredible, scenic, challenging, rewarding, and alot of fun all at the same time. Perhaps my descriptions of choppy seas, tough marathon conditions, and anxiety of the unknown would make one ask the question: "Why would you go there?" You know what -- I'm getting ready to post a bunch of pictures and do a little video that will clearly answer that question. My words don't mean much - the pictures should tell the story.
I'm currently sitting on my buddy Greg's couch in Raleigh, NC at 2:30pm on Monday, March 7th. No issues with my 10 hour, 30 minute flight from Buenos Aires to Washington Dulles. I got in around 6:30am local time.
I spent about an hour getting my checked bag and going through customs. I then got some US cash from the ATM and called home to check in. I boarded my final plane at 8:30am headed to Raleigh, NC. I got into Raleigh around 9:45am and took a taxi to Greg's place - where I'll be staying for a couple weeks.
Uneventful last day of the trip --- but that's a good thing. I'm now going to go back and add some photos to the blogs throughout the trip.
This trip was truly a once and a lifetime experience. Truly. Because of the cost and logistics, I would not entertain the notion of going again. With that said, I would absolutely recommend the trip to anyone. It was incredible, scenic, challenging, rewarding, and alot of fun all at the same time. Perhaps my descriptions of choppy seas, tough marathon conditions, and anxiety of the unknown would make one ask the question: "Why would you go there?" You know what -- I'm getting ready to post a bunch of pictures and do a little video that will clearly answer that question. My words don't mean much - the pictures should tell the story.
Antarctica - Day #15
Good times
Sketchy waters in the zodiac
#7 - Antarctica
Liam - BOOM!!!
Land Ho!
It's all good!!Sunday, March 6th
I have to recap the activity last night - our final night on the boat before going into Sunday. The first thing that happened was some of the people talked the Quark crew into doing the Polar Plunge in the Beagle Channel. The water wouldn't have icebergs in it -- but it will still be very cold.
The Quark staff had a bet with all of us. If we could get a 50 percent participation rate, they would get 50% of their staff to do the plunge as well. Because we were a boat filled with competitive people, you can only guess as to what occurred. We had more than the necessary amount - AND - the entire Quark staff did the plunge. It was awesome! They made us put on a safety belt that was attached to a rope. We stepped down off the stern of the boat into a zodiac. They had a towel on one of the sides of the zodiac to prevent us from slipping. We all lined up 1 by 1 and jumped into the frigid waters of the South Sea. I did it. Strange feeling when you first enter the water and can't catch your breath. Once we completed it, they gave us a vodka shot. Music was playing, spirits were high. This set the pace for the rest of the night.
After the little swim in the Beagle Channel, we had our final dinner. We've become really good friends with a number of people. Specifically, Kurt, Liam, Greg, and myself have been sharing a dinner table with Alexis, Cindy, Diane, and Mike. Our waiter was the same guy every night - Celito. He was awesome. By the end of the trip, he knew our menu choices. The final night when we came down for dinner, there was a RESERVED sign on our table. Celito had made the sign and wouldn't allow anyone else to sit there but us. GREAT STUFF.
After dinner, we hit the bar and ended up staying into the early morning hours. Perhaps wine and drinks, 5 hours post seasickness patch, is not the best formula for success. Live and learn.
Sunday started with a very early wake-up call. We had to have our checked bags outside our rooms by 6:30am. We then had to quickly get all our gear packed up and ready for an 8am disembarkment. We took a bus over to the domestic terminal in Ushuaia. We had an 11:55am flight to Buenos Aires - arriving at 4pm. No issues.
On arrival into Buenos Aires, the group largely separated and went on their own. A few good-byes --- but mostly unceremonial for as much time as we spent with one another. We stayed together with our dinner table and went to McDonalds. We all had different flights, with Kurt's flight leaving first at 9:35pm. We hung around and all departed for our respective cities between 9-11pm.
Sunday ended for me aboard a United jet headed for Dulles airport in Washington DC.
I have to recap the activity last night - our final night on the boat before going into Sunday. The first thing that happened was some of the people talked the Quark crew into doing the Polar Plunge in the Beagle Channel. The water wouldn't have icebergs in it -- but it will still be very cold.
The Quark staff had a bet with all of us. If we could get a 50 percent participation rate, they would get 50% of their staff to do the plunge as well. Because we were a boat filled with competitive people, you can only guess as to what occurred. We had more than the necessary amount - AND - the entire Quark staff did the plunge. It was awesome! They made us put on a safety belt that was attached to a rope. We stepped down off the stern of the boat into a zodiac. They had a towel on one of the sides of the zodiac to prevent us from slipping. We all lined up 1 by 1 and jumped into the frigid waters of the South Sea. I did it. Strange feeling when you first enter the water and can't catch your breath. Once we completed it, they gave us a vodka shot. Music was playing, spirits were high. This set the pace for the rest of the night.
After the little swim in the Beagle Channel, we had our final dinner. We've become really good friends with a number of people. Specifically, Kurt, Liam, Greg, and myself have been sharing a dinner table with Alexis, Cindy, Diane, and Mike. Our waiter was the same guy every night - Celito. He was awesome. By the end of the trip, he knew our menu choices. The final night when we came down for dinner, there was a RESERVED sign on our table. Celito had made the sign and wouldn't allow anyone else to sit there but us. GREAT STUFF.
After dinner, we hit the bar and ended up staying into the early morning hours. Perhaps wine and drinks, 5 hours post seasickness patch, is not the best formula for success. Live and learn.
Sunday started with a very early wake-up call. We had to have our checked bags outside our rooms by 6:30am. We then had to quickly get all our gear packed up and ready for an 8am disembarkment. We took a bus over to the domestic terminal in Ushuaia. We had an 11:55am flight to Buenos Aires - arriving at 4pm. No issues.
On arrival into Buenos Aires, the group largely separated and went on their own. A few good-byes --- but mostly unceremonial for as much time as we spent with one another. We stayed together with our dinner table and went to McDonalds. We all had different flights, with Kurt's flight leaving first at 9:35pm. We hung around and all departed for our respective cities between 9-11pm.
Sunday ended for me aboard a United jet headed for Dulles airport in Washington DC.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Antarctica - Day #14
Final sunset
Polar Plunge in the Beagle Channel
Final sunset on the ship
Celito's sign to hold our table
Our group at dinner
Preparing for the Polar PlungeSaturday, March 5th
Today is our last day at sea. We'll be arriving into the port at Ushuaia, Argentina very early tomorrow morning. I'm writing this around 5pm Saturday afternoon. Tonight we have a final dinner celebration - so I wanted to get a jump on things.
The day has gotten better every minute. The shaking and constant movement of the ship has turned into relatively smooth waters. It's a great, great feeling to be out of the Drake Passage. We now have a visual of Cape Horn - the southernmost point of South America.
We had a couple seminars this morning. The first was titled - Icy Antarctica. We learned about the different movements of ice and how the seasonal changes occur. We then had a talk from the Marathon Tours group - providing an overview of our trip and pointing out some upcoming excursions.
I wanted to summarize the types of wildlife we saw on the trip. They have a daily recorder near the reception desk. This lists includes: 3 types of penguins (gentoo, chinstrap, adelie), 3 types of whales (orca, humpback, and minke), 4 types of seals (fur, leopard, weddell, crabeater), 3 types of albatross (wandering, southern royal, black-browed), 1 type of petrel (southern giant), 2 types of storm petrels (wilson's, black-bailed), 1 cormorant (antarctic), 1 sheathbill (snowy), 2 types of skuas (south polar, brown), and 2 types of gulls/terns (kelp gull, antarctic tern).
We really have been lucky on this trip. We had some aggressive weather, but it did not prevent us from running the marathon. We only saw the angry seas on the ride home -- it could have knocked us out if we had encountered this on our arrival. We had enough sunny days that we got to see the good and bad. It would not have been right if we didn't get some of the snowy, windy, and cold conditions that often defines the continent of Antarctica.
Tomorrow will be primarily a travel day - as I'll be catching 2 planes back to the US - for arrival in the morning of March 7th. I plan to keep the blog through the 7th. At this point, I think we're all happy and thankful about how things have turned out.
Hope to coming to you live from the airport in Buenos Aires tomorrow evening.
Today is our last day at sea. We'll be arriving into the port at Ushuaia, Argentina very early tomorrow morning. I'm writing this around 5pm Saturday afternoon. Tonight we have a final dinner celebration - so I wanted to get a jump on things.
The day has gotten better every minute. The shaking and constant movement of the ship has turned into relatively smooth waters. It's a great, great feeling to be out of the Drake Passage. We now have a visual of Cape Horn - the southernmost point of South America.
We had a couple seminars this morning. The first was titled - Icy Antarctica. We learned about the different movements of ice and how the seasonal changes occur. We then had a talk from the Marathon Tours group - providing an overview of our trip and pointing out some upcoming excursions.
I wanted to summarize the types of wildlife we saw on the trip. They have a daily recorder near the reception desk. This lists includes: 3 types of penguins (gentoo, chinstrap, adelie), 3 types of whales (orca, humpback, and minke), 4 types of seals (fur, leopard, weddell, crabeater), 3 types of albatross (wandering, southern royal, black-browed), 1 type of petrel (southern giant), 2 types of storm petrels (wilson's, black-bailed), 1 cormorant (antarctic), 1 sheathbill (snowy), 2 types of skuas (south polar, brown), and 2 types of gulls/terns (kelp gull, antarctic tern).
We really have been lucky on this trip. We had some aggressive weather, but it did not prevent us from running the marathon. We only saw the angry seas on the ride home -- it could have knocked us out if we had encountered this on our arrival. We had enough sunny days that we got to see the good and bad. It would not have been right if we didn't get some of the snowy, windy, and cold conditions that often defines the continent of Antarctica.
Tomorrow will be primarily a travel day - as I'll be catching 2 planes back to the US - for arrival in the morning of March 7th. I plan to keep the blog through the 7th. At this point, I think we're all happy and thankful about how things have turned out.
Hope to coming to you live from the airport in Buenos Aires tomorrow evening.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Antarctica - Day #13
Incredible sites
southernmost point on the trip
Windy, cold day
Pretty special place
Ice Walls
Great backdrop
Unique iceberg shapesFriday, March 4th
Kurt and I are currently sitting in our room on the 4th floor of the Sea Spirit at 2pm on Friday, March 4th. We are in the middle of the Drake Passage. The #8 out of #10 difficulty rating has proven to be accurate. This is crazy. We are catching air and jumping over waves. We're sitting here, we feel the boat hit the wave, then we can tell that we are suspended in mid air. Then, BAM - we hit the ocean again. The whole boat rattles.
Neither of us are sick - to this point. We're hanging in there. To leave the room is questionable. You literally bump into everything in site. We just went to lunch. An older gentlemen got his entire chair flipped over while sitting at the table. The drinks were flying around. We got some food - and got out of there.
We're starting the movie - "The March of the Penguins". More later.
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The rest of Friday was mostly spent inside our cabins, laying horizontally. The Quark staff had a couple presentations throughout the day - I did not participate. During dinner, one of the girls at our table flipped over twice. Another person flipped over in the lounge. I know that I can't decribe the feeling at this point of the game -- but perhaps the word - unstable - comes to mind.
After dinner, a few of us went up to the Bridge (the area where the captain drives the ship). There is an open-door policy on this ship. Everyone leaves their keys in their cabin doors and we are all allowed up on the Bridge. The captain told us that they have seen 24ft. waves on this passage. The Marathon Tours guide told us that this is the 2nd worst crossing he's ever experienced in 12 years.
I'm writing on Saturday morning about 10am. We're told that we should enter calmer waters by 3pm and should reach the protection of the Beagle Channel by late evening. This trip has been great - BUT ----- I'll be happy when my legs touch ground once again.
Kurt and I are currently sitting in our room on the 4th floor of the Sea Spirit at 2pm on Friday, March 4th. We are in the middle of the Drake Passage. The #8 out of #10 difficulty rating has proven to be accurate. This is crazy. We are catching air and jumping over waves. We're sitting here, we feel the boat hit the wave, then we can tell that we are suspended in mid air. Then, BAM - we hit the ocean again. The whole boat rattles.
Neither of us are sick - to this point. We're hanging in there. To leave the room is questionable. You literally bump into everything in site. We just went to lunch. An older gentlemen got his entire chair flipped over while sitting at the table. The drinks were flying around. We got some food - and got out of there.
We're starting the movie - "The March of the Penguins". More later.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rest of Friday was mostly spent inside our cabins, laying horizontally. The Quark staff had a couple presentations throughout the day - I did not participate. During dinner, one of the girls at our table flipped over twice. Another person flipped over in the lounge. I know that I can't decribe the feeling at this point of the game -- but perhaps the word - unstable - comes to mind.
After dinner, a few of us went up to the Bridge (the area where the captain drives the ship). There is an open-door policy on this ship. Everyone leaves their keys in their cabin doors and we are all allowed up on the Bridge. The captain told us that they have seen 24ft. waves on this passage. The Marathon Tours guide told us that this is the 2nd worst crossing he's ever experienced in 12 years.
I'm writing on Saturday morning about 10am. We're told that we should enter calmer waters by 3pm and should reach the protection of the Beagle Channel by late evening. This trip has been great - BUT ----- I'll be happy when my legs touch ground once again.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Antarctica - Day #12
One of our most southern positions
Whale bones
Penguins in the foreground, mountains in the background
Port Lockroy
Views from the ship
Views from ship
Clear skiesThursday, March 3rd
Our final day in the Antarctic. We got an early wake-up call over the announcements as we were transversing the Lemaire Channel. This is a 7-mile by 1-mile passage that runs from False Cape Renard to Cape Cloos, separating Booth Island from the Antarctic continent. Kurt and I threw back the window drapes and watched the scenery. This area reminded me of the Norwegian fjords. Towering peaks in excess of 985ft on either side of the ship. The highlight was seeing a couple Minke whales breeching out our window. Incredible!!!
We made it through the Channel and on to Petermann Island, southwest of Hovgaard Island, in the Willhelm Archipelago. It was discovered by the Dallman expedition of 1873-1874 and named after August Petermann, a German geographer and supporter of polar exploration. The French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his vessel overwintered here in 1909. On the beach near the cove is an abandoned Argentinean refuge hut, built in 1955. There is also a memorial cross nearby for 3 British scientists who died near here in August 1982. Petermann island is home to Adelie penguins (500 breeding pairs), the most southerly colony of gentoo penguins in Antarctica (2,000 breeding pairs), and blue-eyed shags.
This island was incredible. This will be the furthest south I will ever be in my entire life. There was a huge rock that overlooked the sea where we captured some incredible pictures. Our whole group got together for the memorable shot. (to be posted later). We saw a few of the Adelie penguins - the 3rd species so far on the trip.
Back to the ship for some lunch. The afternoon found us in Pleneau Bay. Here we found an iceberg graveyard, where both large tabular icebergs and older, rolled icebergs have run aground. Many of these have originated from as far south as the Ross Ice Shelf. We took a 1-hour zodiac ride around these amazing icebergs. This trip was our last and most fun zodiac ride of our journey. When we got into the boats, the seas were relatively calm. By the time we were ready to return, the wind gust had picked up dramatically. The seas were angry - and I'm not over-stating this. Huge waves were crashing over the boat. We were getting soaked --- and loving it. The zodiac driver was holding on to me so she wouldn't go overboard. She said: "I hope you don't mind" I said - "You can do whatever you want to me - just stay in this boat". It was great. Better than the best roller-coaster I've ever been on. A few folks were getting a little scared - but it was a major adrenaline rush for me.
Late afternoon - we were supposed to be given the option of doing a Polar Plunge - jumping into the ocean. Due to the heavy winds, they called it off. I was bummed - I would have did it.
It's 10:10pm now, I'm sitting in the conference room catching up on the blog. We are heading back through the Shetland Islands right now, and will be enteriing the Drake Passage within the next 8 hours. We have been warned that we need to prepare for the "Drake Shake". On our trip here, the waters were relatively calm we were told - maybe a 2 on a sclae of 10 (I still almost fell out of bed). Tonight, we are to expect an 8 on the scale of 10. We should be seeing waves in excess of 30 ft. We're already jumping waves and we haven't even made it to the really bad stuff. I just put on the patch about 3 hours ago. This could get very, very interesting. The staff are all taking medication as well.
Here's to calm, peaceful waters ---- and a well-constructed ship ---------------------------- Keep the faith!!!!!!!!!!!
Our final day in the Antarctic. We got an early wake-up call over the announcements as we were transversing the Lemaire Channel. This is a 7-mile by 1-mile passage that runs from False Cape Renard to Cape Cloos, separating Booth Island from the Antarctic continent. Kurt and I threw back the window drapes and watched the scenery. This area reminded me of the Norwegian fjords. Towering peaks in excess of 985ft on either side of the ship. The highlight was seeing a couple Minke whales breeching out our window. Incredible!!!
We made it through the Channel and on to Petermann Island, southwest of Hovgaard Island, in the Willhelm Archipelago. It was discovered by the Dallman expedition of 1873-1874 and named after August Petermann, a German geographer and supporter of polar exploration. The French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and his vessel overwintered here in 1909. On the beach near the cove is an abandoned Argentinean refuge hut, built in 1955. There is also a memorial cross nearby for 3 British scientists who died near here in August 1982. Petermann island is home to Adelie penguins (500 breeding pairs), the most southerly colony of gentoo penguins in Antarctica (2,000 breeding pairs), and blue-eyed shags.
This island was incredible. This will be the furthest south I will ever be in my entire life. There was a huge rock that overlooked the sea where we captured some incredible pictures. Our whole group got together for the memorable shot. (to be posted later). We saw a few of the Adelie penguins - the 3rd species so far on the trip.
Back to the ship for some lunch. The afternoon found us in Pleneau Bay. Here we found an iceberg graveyard, where both large tabular icebergs and older, rolled icebergs have run aground. Many of these have originated from as far south as the Ross Ice Shelf. We took a 1-hour zodiac ride around these amazing icebergs. This trip was our last and most fun zodiac ride of our journey. When we got into the boats, the seas were relatively calm. By the time we were ready to return, the wind gust had picked up dramatically. The seas were angry - and I'm not over-stating this. Huge waves were crashing over the boat. We were getting soaked --- and loving it. The zodiac driver was holding on to me so she wouldn't go overboard. She said: "I hope you don't mind" I said - "You can do whatever you want to me - just stay in this boat". It was great. Better than the best roller-coaster I've ever been on. A few folks were getting a little scared - but it was a major adrenaline rush for me.
Late afternoon - we were supposed to be given the option of doing a Polar Plunge - jumping into the ocean. Due to the heavy winds, they called it off. I was bummed - I would have did it.
It's 10:10pm now, I'm sitting in the conference room catching up on the blog. We are heading back through the Shetland Islands right now, and will be enteriing the Drake Passage within the next 8 hours. We have been warned that we need to prepare for the "Drake Shake". On our trip here, the waters were relatively calm we were told - maybe a 2 on a sclae of 10 (I still almost fell out of bed). Tonight, we are to expect an 8 on the scale of 10. We should be seeing waves in excess of 30 ft. We're already jumping waves and we haven't even made it to the really bad stuff. I just put on the patch about 3 hours ago. This could get very, very interesting. The staff are all taking medication as well.
Here's to calm, peaceful waters ---- and a well-constructed ship ---------------------------- Keep the faith!!!!!!!!!!!
Antarctica - Day #11
Iceberg cruising in the zodiacs
pictures from the zodiac
Kurt and I on the "continental landing"
Small shoreline of Neko Harbor
Seal watching from the zodiacWednesday, March 2nd
Today we started the day off by disembarking for Neko Harbor. This was our very first "continental landing" - this basically means that we were on the continent proper - and not the islands off the South Shetlands or Antarctic Peninsula.
Neko Harbor lies on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay, approximately 7 miles south of the Errera Channel. It was discovered by Gerlache during his Belgian Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), It is named for the floating whale factory ship, "Neko", which often used this bay. "Neko" operated between 1911-1912 and 1923-1924 in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula. The site is home to approximately 250 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins, some of which nest around the remains of an Argentinian refuge hut which was blown down by a storm in 2009. Weddell seals are commonly seen on the island.
This landing was a tough one. There was only a very small section upon which the zodiacs could enter. A "continental landing" is rare - as most islands are not accessible due to the ice coverage. We made it. We were able to climb up this small ice field. It was great to see the penguins sliding on the ground beside us.
Back to the boat where we had a great barbecue lunch and then the Marathon Awards Ceremony After recognizing the winners of each division and the overall, they did an auction for the mile markers and marathon banners. The funds raised would be given to charity. It was a neat event and good to see the many ages of runners who completed the race. 14 people were given special recognition - as they had completed their 7th marathoned continent. Something I hope to do in the future.
The afternoon found us back at Port Lockroy - the area we had visited yesterday. Port Lockroy lies on the western side of the Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago. It was discovered by Charcot during his French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-1905 and named for Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and sponsor. Goudier Island is home to the restored British Antarctic Society hut and museum. The hut was Station A, referred to as Bransfield House. It was occupied between 1944 and 1962. Research carried out at this site focused on surveying the region, geology, meteorology, and botany - but after 1950, the emphasis switched to ionospheric research. The hut was restored in 1996 and is open to visitors during summers.
The big draw to Port Lockroy was the gift shop and museum. We were able to actually purchase something on the continent itself. I bought a couple postcards and mailed them. They are expected to be delivered sometime in November of this year. Wow! The mail was just picked up a few weeks back, it won't be taken again until the summer of next year.
The other really interesting thing about this island was the whale bones that were found on the shore. Pretty incredible stuff to see just how large some of these whales can get.
Back to the boat where we had some dinner and watched a movie in one of our rooms. The night ended with some good times in the bar --- knowing that we have just 1 more day of landings to go before heading out to sea.
Today we started the day off by disembarking for Neko Harbor. This was our very first "continental landing" - this basically means that we were on the continent proper - and not the islands off the South Shetlands or Antarctic Peninsula.
Neko Harbor lies on the eastern shore of Andvord Bay, approximately 7 miles south of the Errera Channel. It was discovered by Gerlache during his Belgian Antarctic expedition (1897-1899), It is named for the floating whale factory ship, "Neko", which often used this bay. "Neko" operated between 1911-1912 and 1923-1924 in the South Shetlands and Antarctic Peninsula. The site is home to approximately 250 breeding pairs of gentoo penguins, some of which nest around the remains of an Argentinian refuge hut which was blown down by a storm in 2009. Weddell seals are commonly seen on the island.
This landing was a tough one. There was only a very small section upon which the zodiacs could enter. A "continental landing" is rare - as most islands are not accessible due to the ice coverage. We made it. We were able to climb up this small ice field. It was great to see the penguins sliding on the ground beside us.
Back to the boat where we had a great barbecue lunch and then the Marathon Awards Ceremony After recognizing the winners of each division and the overall, they did an auction for the mile markers and marathon banners. The funds raised would be given to charity. It was a neat event and good to see the many ages of runners who completed the race. 14 people were given special recognition - as they had completed their 7th marathoned continent. Something I hope to do in the future.
The afternoon found us back at Port Lockroy - the area we had visited yesterday. Port Lockroy lies on the western side of the Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago. It was discovered by Charcot during his French Antarctic Expedition of 1903-1905 and named for Edouard Lockroy, a French politician and sponsor. Goudier Island is home to the restored British Antarctic Society hut and museum. The hut was Station A, referred to as Bransfield House. It was occupied between 1944 and 1962. Research carried out at this site focused on surveying the region, geology, meteorology, and botany - but after 1950, the emphasis switched to ionospheric research. The hut was restored in 1996 and is open to visitors during summers.
The big draw to Port Lockroy was the gift shop and museum. We were able to actually purchase something on the continent itself. I bought a couple postcards and mailed them. They are expected to be delivered sometime in November of this year. Wow! The mail was just picked up a few weeks back, it won't be taken again until the summer of next year.
The other really interesting thing about this island was the whale bones that were found on the shore. Pretty incredible stuff to see just how large some of these whales can get.
Back to the boat where we had some dinner and watched a movie in one of our rooms. The night ended with some good times in the bar --- knowing that we have just 1 more day of landings to go before heading out to sea.
Antarctica - Day #10
Seals on the rocky shore
A humpback whale
Ship anchored at sea
Abundant icebergs
Icebergs with a blue-tint from the sun reflection
More scenery
remote sitesTuesday, March 1st
Today we awoke to the most spectacular scenery of the trip. Blue skies, sunshine, and icebergs/mountains surrounding the ship. We were able to step out on the track from our 4th level room and be awestruck We were anchored just off the shore of Cuverville Island.
Cuverville Island lies in the Errera Channel, between Ronge Island and the Arctowski Peninsula. The island was discovered by Gerlache's 'Belgica' expedition of 1897-1899, and named after a vice admiral in the French Navy. This small rocky island has vertical cliffs measuring 650 ft in elevation and has extensive moss cover. Culverville Island is home to the largest gentoo penguin colony in the region (4,800 breeding pairs), along with southern giant petrels, kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, snowy sheathbills, and south polar skuas.
We spent a couple hours on land walking amongst the penguins and capturing the amazing sites. This island had smaller chicks and even had some still on the nest. The gentoos make their nest on the rocky shore. In a couple weeks, they will return to the ocean for feeding. We saw a number of penguins going through the molting process - where they shed their feathers, resulting in the slick, black coating we're familiar with seeing. Some of the mothers were feeding the chicks by regurgitating krill to give to their young.
Before returning to the boat, the zodiacs took us for a short cruise through the icebergs. Awesome!! We saw a number of crabeater seals and got to appreciate the size and shape of the blue-tinted walls of ice. The area we were cruising is completely ice covered in the wintertime. The icebergs were sitting on the ocean floor - with only a portion exposed above the water.
Once back at the boat, we had some lunch and then were put on a holding pattern - as the weather began to turn bad. The ship made its way through the Neumayer Channel on the way to Port Lockroy. Our goal was to disembark at Port Lockroy in the afternoon, but this was delayed a day.
First day post race - the majority of the crew ended up at the bar on the 4th floor. It was a pretty festive bunch. We had a great late afternoon and evening. It can get a little crazy when 100+ marathoners and adventure travellers get together with celebration on the mind.
Today we awoke to the most spectacular scenery of the trip. Blue skies, sunshine, and icebergs/mountains surrounding the ship. We were able to step out on the track from our 4th level room and be awestruck We were anchored just off the shore of Cuverville Island.
Cuverville Island lies in the Errera Channel, between Ronge Island and the Arctowski Peninsula. The island was discovered by Gerlache's 'Belgica' expedition of 1897-1899, and named after a vice admiral in the French Navy. This small rocky island has vertical cliffs measuring 650 ft in elevation and has extensive moss cover. Culverville Island is home to the largest gentoo penguin colony in the region (4,800 breeding pairs), along with southern giant petrels, kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, snowy sheathbills, and south polar skuas.
We spent a couple hours on land walking amongst the penguins and capturing the amazing sites. This island had smaller chicks and even had some still on the nest. The gentoos make their nest on the rocky shore. In a couple weeks, they will return to the ocean for feeding. We saw a number of penguins going through the molting process - where they shed their feathers, resulting in the slick, black coating we're familiar with seeing. Some of the mothers were feeding the chicks by regurgitating krill to give to their young.
Before returning to the boat, the zodiacs took us for a short cruise through the icebergs. Awesome!! We saw a number of crabeater seals and got to appreciate the size and shape of the blue-tinted walls of ice. The area we were cruising is completely ice covered in the wintertime. The icebergs were sitting on the ocean floor - with only a portion exposed above the water.
Once back at the boat, we had some lunch and then were put on a holding pattern - as the weather began to turn bad. The ship made its way through the Neumayer Channel on the way to Port Lockroy. Our goal was to disembark at Port Lockroy in the afternoon, but this was delayed a day.
First day post race - the majority of the crew ended up at the bar on the 4th floor. It was a pretty festive bunch. We had a great late afternoon and evening. It can get a little crazy when 100+ marathoners and adventure travellers get together with celebration on the mind.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Antarctica - Day #9
Early pack of runners led by Greg
Kurt, Kyle, and Greg at finish
A fast Irishman
A nervous start
Kurt & I early in the raceMonday, February 28th
It's 11pm here aboard the Sea Spirit. I just stepped out of the bar to post a brief update before calling it a night. Success. All 4 of us finished the marathon today well under the cut-off time. We're healthy and in good spirits. We took home 7th, 25th, 30th, and 42nd place out of 76 marathon finishers. We'll take that. My buddy Liam came in strong once again. The rest of us finished in the middle of the pack.
Anxiety is gone, exhaustion has set in. More to follow - but just wanted to let you know it's "all good" in the South Seas. Thanks for the encouragement and good wishes. We needed every bit of it today -- it was a brutal course. (descriptions to come)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's Wednesday, March 2nd at 6pm here in Port Lockroy Antarctica. Sorry on the delay the past 2 days. We headed south after the marathon to the Antarctic Peninsula. Internet connectivity has been extremely sketchy. Everytime I'd go to post something, the file would crash. I have a little window here to hopefully give a brief race-day overview.
MARATHON DAY
The day started with a 6:30am wake-up call over the ship's audio system. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble" Pretty great. The head of the dining area has a voice that sounds like the famous boxing announcer. Each day we've received a smilar start.
We ate a quick breakfast and prepared for our 8:15am departure to St. George Island by zodiac. This will likely be the one and only marathon I'll ever run where you must be transferred to the start line by a boat. I was extremely nervous leading up to the start. Luckily, the distance to the shore was very short or I might have gotten sick pre-race. We were slightly delayed getting all of the zodiacs (100 people) to land, so the race began at 9:20am, rather than the originally scheduled 9am start.
The most difficult part of the early morning preparation was deciding how many layers to wear. The weather (no wind) was just around the freezing mark, but the winds were steady at 15-20 knots. We also had to prepare for anything - as we've been told that conditions can change almost instantaneously. I opted for a dry-wick long-sleeve shirt under a wind resistant running jacket on my upper body. I had on running tights under a wind-resistant outer layer on my lower body. I wore 2 pairs of socks, a neck gaitor, a dry-wick sock-cap and a light-weight, wind resistant pair of gloves. I brought along a pack with a back up pair of running shoes as well.
The beauty of the course we would be running was that it was 5 separate loops. We would be coming past the start-finish line after 5+ miles. Therefore, I had my pack filled with heavy duty clothing if necessary. When we arrived on shore, there wasn't much time. I had to quickly change out of my rubber boots into my trail shoes. I put on my running belt and checked my food. I'd be carrying 2 squeeze bottles of power gel. We were not allowed to bring any wrappers whatsoever on land. I had 3 - 16-oz bottles of water for the entire race. I placed these at the start line so I wouldn't be carrying any liquid. During my training during the past 2 months, I've used very limited water and food on my long runs in preparation for the lack of support in this race. The training would prove valuable. At 9:20am on Monday, February 28th, 98 runners began the 12th annual Antarctic Marathon.
Miles #1-5 (out and back to the Chinese Research Base - #1)
I'm not sure if it was due to the quick start, the location, or just my nerves -- but I began the race nearly hyperventilating. I couldn't catch my breath. Kurt and I were going to stay together for a little while - but he powered ahead of me the first 2-3 miles while I lagged behind trying to get it together. Right away, we discovered that a combination of the wind, the mud, and the hills would make this one of the most diffficult marathons I would ever run. The overall female winner (who we have made good friends with), would later say this was the toughest marathon she ever ran --- and this is her 54th marathon. By the end of the first loop, I was coming around. I had caught Kurt and we were getting into a rhythm as we passed the start/finish line.
Miles #6-10 (out and back to the Uruguayan Research Base - #1)
This section of the course was the most difficult. This was due largely to the massive mud pits we encountered. There were times we had to broad jump over puddles and streams along the route. I thought I'd lose my shoe from sticking in the wet mud a couple times. The wind was steady with high gusts. I felt good physically however. I finished the second loop just under 2 hours.
Miles #11-15 (out and back to the Chinese Research base - #2)
The greatest part of the race was how we continued to pass the other runners along the way. By this time of our trip, we know most everyone. We would give each other high 5's and words of encouragement along the way. This really helped keep the spirits high in tough times. Other than the staff positioned around the course and an occasional research person coming out of a building, we were largely on our own. These 5 miles went well. I was falling into a comfort zone. Even though I would stop and walk on some of the very steep hills - I kept moving forward.
Miles #16-20 (out and back to the Uruguayan Researh Base - #2)
This was the toughest loop. I couldn't quite smell the finish and I had to deal with the mud and steep hills once again. Even though it was hurting, I actually had a chance to look around a little. The lakes, the mountains -- what an unbelievable place. Just keep it going - you can do it.
Miles #21-26.2 (out and back to the Chinese Research Base - #3)
1 loop for my 5th marathoned continent. I was doing OK. No stomach pain, just the typical hurt that one would expect at this time of the race. I kept running and was able to make up some ground on a few of the runners. I ended up finishing at 5:09 - #25 out of 76 total marathon finishers. I was very happy with the result. Traditionally, they say to add 30 minutes to an hour to your standard marathon time for this race. The overall winner came in at 3:24. He is a 2:41 marathoner. Only 4 people finished under 4 hours.
Greg, Kurt, and I all finished very close to one another. We took several pictures at the finish line. As we were standing there at the finish, a lone penguin waddled in front of the finish line. A coule runners were coming in. The staff was yelling: "Stop - let the penguin have the right away". Wow - what a way to finish the Antarctic Marathon - time delayed by a minute for a penguin crossing ---- it doesn't get much better than that.
The rest of the day was fantastic. We even got to see a pod of orca whales (killer whales) from the ship before dinner. The drinks were flowing and the celebration was well underway. A great, great feeling to have the race behind us. We all commented how difficult the past couple of days have been when we had so much time to think about the race.
It's now time to have a little fun. Here's to a rewarding, challenging, and ever-memorable day in the Antarctic.
It's 11pm here aboard the Sea Spirit. I just stepped out of the bar to post a brief update before calling it a night. Success. All 4 of us finished the marathon today well under the cut-off time. We're healthy and in good spirits. We took home 7th, 25th, 30th, and 42nd place out of 76 marathon finishers. We'll take that. My buddy Liam came in strong once again. The rest of us finished in the middle of the pack.
Anxiety is gone, exhaustion has set in. More to follow - but just wanted to let you know it's "all good" in the South Seas. Thanks for the encouragement and good wishes. We needed every bit of it today -- it was a brutal course. (descriptions to come)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's Wednesday, March 2nd at 6pm here in Port Lockroy Antarctica. Sorry on the delay the past 2 days. We headed south after the marathon to the Antarctic Peninsula. Internet connectivity has been extremely sketchy. Everytime I'd go to post something, the file would crash. I have a little window here to hopefully give a brief race-day overview.
MARATHON DAY
The day started with a 6:30am wake-up call over the ship's audio system. "Ladies and gentlemen, let's get ready to rumble" Pretty great. The head of the dining area has a voice that sounds like the famous boxing announcer. Each day we've received a smilar start.
We ate a quick breakfast and prepared for our 8:15am departure to St. George Island by zodiac. This will likely be the one and only marathon I'll ever run where you must be transferred to the start line by a boat. I was extremely nervous leading up to the start. Luckily, the distance to the shore was very short or I might have gotten sick pre-race. We were slightly delayed getting all of the zodiacs (100 people) to land, so the race began at 9:20am, rather than the originally scheduled 9am start.
The most difficult part of the early morning preparation was deciding how many layers to wear. The weather (no wind) was just around the freezing mark, but the winds were steady at 15-20 knots. We also had to prepare for anything - as we've been told that conditions can change almost instantaneously. I opted for a dry-wick long-sleeve shirt under a wind resistant running jacket on my upper body. I had on running tights under a wind-resistant outer layer on my lower body. I wore 2 pairs of socks, a neck gaitor, a dry-wick sock-cap and a light-weight, wind resistant pair of gloves. I brought along a pack with a back up pair of running shoes as well.
The beauty of the course we would be running was that it was 5 separate loops. We would be coming past the start-finish line after 5+ miles. Therefore, I had my pack filled with heavy duty clothing if necessary. When we arrived on shore, there wasn't much time. I had to quickly change out of my rubber boots into my trail shoes. I put on my running belt and checked my food. I'd be carrying 2 squeeze bottles of power gel. We were not allowed to bring any wrappers whatsoever on land. I had 3 - 16-oz bottles of water for the entire race. I placed these at the start line so I wouldn't be carrying any liquid. During my training during the past 2 months, I've used very limited water and food on my long runs in preparation for the lack of support in this race. The training would prove valuable. At 9:20am on Monday, February 28th, 98 runners began the 12th annual Antarctic Marathon.
Miles #1-5 (out and back to the Chinese Research Base - #1)
I'm not sure if it was due to the quick start, the location, or just my nerves -- but I began the race nearly hyperventilating. I couldn't catch my breath. Kurt and I were going to stay together for a little while - but he powered ahead of me the first 2-3 miles while I lagged behind trying to get it together. Right away, we discovered that a combination of the wind, the mud, and the hills would make this one of the most diffficult marathons I would ever run. The overall female winner (who we have made good friends with), would later say this was the toughest marathon she ever ran --- and this is her 54th marathon. By the end of the first loop, I was coming around. I had caught Kurt and we were getting into a rhythm as we passed the start/finish line.
Miles #6-10 (out and back to the Uruguayan Research Base - #1)
This section of the course was the most difficult. This was due largely to the massive mud pits we encountered. There were times we had to broad jump over puddles and streams along the route. I thought I'd lose my shoe from sticking in the wet mud a couple times. The wind was steady with high gusts. I felt good physically however. I finished the second loop just under 2 hours.
Miles #11-15 (out and back to the Chinese Research base - #2)
The greatest part of the race was how we continued to pass the other runners along the way. By this time of our trip, we know most everyone. We would give each other high 5's and words of encouragement along the way. This really helped keep the spirits high in tough times. Other than the staff positioned around the course and an occasional research person coming out of a building, we were largely on our own. These 5 miles went well. I was falling into a comfort zone. Even though I would stop and walk on some of the very steep hills - I kept moving forward.
Miles #16-20 (out and back to the Uruguayan Researh Base - #2)
This was the toughest loop. I couldn't quite smell the finish and I had to deal with the mud and steep hills once again. Even though it was hurting, I actually had a chance to look around a little. The lakes, the mountains -- what an unbelievable place. Just keep it going - you can do it.
Miles #21-26.2 (out and back to the Chinese Research Base - #3)
1 loop for my 5th marathoned continent. I was doing OK. No stomach pain, just the typical hurt that one would expect at this time of the race. I kept running and was able to make up some ground on a few of the runners. I ended up finishing at 5:09 - #25 out of 76 total marathon finishers. I was very happy with the result. Traditionally, they say to add 30 minutes to an hour to your standard marathon time for this race. The overall winner came in at 3:24. He is a 2:41 marathoner. Only 4 people finished under 4 hours.
Greg, Kurt, and I all finished very close to one another. We took several pictures at the finish line. As we were standing there at the finish, a lone penguin waddled in front of the finish line. A coule runners were coming in. The staff was yelling: "Stop - let the penguin have the right away". Wow - what a way to finish the Antarctic Marathon - time delayed by a minute for a penguin crossing ---- it doesn't get much better than that.
The rest of the day was fantastic. We even got to see a pod of orca whales (killer whales) from the ship before dinner. The drinks were flowing and the celebration was well underway. A great, great feeling to have the race behind us. We all commented how difficult the past couple of days have been when we had so much time to think about the race.
It's now time to have a little fun. Here's to a rewarding, challenging, and ever-memorable day in the Antarctic.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Antarctica - Day #8
Our group on an icefield
Sitting in the dock of the bay
Amazing icebergs
The 4 fellas with the mountains in the background
Icebergs everywhere
We woke up to this scenery the day after the marathon
Taken off the deck of the shipSunday, February 27th
Happy Birthday to my sister-n-law Linda today! Hope you're having a great one.
It's 10:20pm right now on Sunday, February 27th. I'm currently sitting in the Oceanus Lounge on the 3rd level of the Sea Spirit. We're docked in the bay just off shore from King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. I have a ton of nervous energy going. I thought I'd write a bit before going to bed.
Today was largely a rest day. We were set to disembark at 10:30am to tour Robert Point (Robert Island), but the wind was blowing at 30 knots, with speeds gusting to 40knots. The conditions were deemed to be too dangerous to reach land on the zodiacs. We ended up pulling anchor and making our way to our marathon destination point - King George Island.
They did have a couple afternoon seminars today. The first seminar - "Antartica and Climate Change" was really interesting. You hear about global warming all the time. Today made things a little more clear to me, as we were lectured by a researcher from New Zealand, who specializes on this topic. In the middle of the seminar, an announcement came overhead: "There is a humpback whale on the starboard side of the ship." Everyone jumped up and looked at each other: "Which way is starboard?" Finally the presenter pointed us in the correct direction. Someone gave me a hint to distinguish starboard (right) from port (left). 'Left' has 4 letters and so does 'port' -- that's how you can remember. We did get a few glances of the whale. Cool - my very first visual of a whale at sea.
More resting, than dinner, and then a final marathon briefing. The course will basically involve 5 loops of 5+ miles each loop. We start at the Russian/Chilean research bases and then do loops to the Chinese and Uruguayan research bases. We're told conditions are fairly favorable. Winds at 10-20 knots, with outside temperatures around freezing without the wind. We've also been cautioned that things can change quickly - so be prepared.
I have so much anxiety - I just want to get this thing going. Although I'm trying to maintain positivity and confidence on the exterior, there's certainly rumblings on my insides.
Here's to a good day tomorrow! "Running Against the Wind" - Bob Segar ----- this might be an appropriate song to have in my mind.
We'll be back after 26.2 --- Keep the Faith!
Happy Birthday to my sister-n-law Linda today! Hope you're having a great one.
It's 10:20pm right now on Sunday, February 27th. I'm currently sitting in the Oceanus Lounge on the 3rd level of the Sea Spirit. We're docked in the bay just off shore from King George Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. I have a ton of nervous energy going. I thought I'd write a bit before going to bed.
Today was largely a rest day. We were set to disembark at 10:30am to tour Robert Point (Robert Island), but the wind was blowing at 30 knots, with speeds gusting to 40knots. The conditions were deemed to be too dangerous to reach land on the zodiacs. We ended up pulling anchor and making our way to our marathon destination point - King George Island.
They did have a couple afternoon seminars today. The first seminar - "Antartica and Climate Change" was really interesting. You hear about global warming all the time. Today made things a little more clear to me, as we were lectured by a researcher from New Zealand, who specializes on this topic. In the middle of the seminar, an announcement came overhead: "There is a humpback whale on the starboard side of the ship." Everyone jumped up and looked at each other: "Which way is starboard?" Finally the presenter pointed us in the correct direction. Someone gave me a hint to distinguish starboard (right) from port (left). 'Left' has 4 letters and so does 'port' -- that's how you can remember. We did get a few glances of the whale. Cool - my very first visual of a whale at sea.
More resting, than dinner, and then a final marathon briefing. The course will basically involve 5 loops of 5+ miles each loop. We start at the Russian/Chilean research bases and then do loops to the Chinese and Uruguayan research bases. We're told conditions are fairly favorable. Winds at 10-20 knots, with outside temperatures around freezing without the wind. We've also been cautioned that things can change quickly - so be prepared.
I have so much anxiety - I just want to get this thing going. Although I'm trying to maintain positivity and confidence on the exterior, there's certainly rumblings on my insides.
Here's to a good day tomorrow! "Running Against the Wind" - Bob Segar ----- this might be an appropriate song to have in my mind.
We'll be back after 26.2 --- Keep the Faith!
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