South Shetland Islands 12/21

We woke up to the sound of being inside a super large ice maker set on “crush.” One look outside showed that a flotilla of what Fede calls “bergy bergs” (as opposed to the larger “ice bergs”) had settled all around the Ocean Tramp. We also saw our first cruise ship of the trip, unloading its red coat-clad passengers from a Zodiac on to OUR spit of land and penguins. We kept a close eye on the invasion, and were a little snarky about their chosen mode of transportation. In any case, Miguel had whipped up some cheesy eggs and toast (with the ever present, never empty pot of coffee), so we didn’t invest that much time being self-righteous.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We set off for Half Moon Bay, a 2K-long island that we tromped all over. There is a gigantic Chinstrap Penguin colony here on the island. Can I tell you? You wouldn’t need a tv if you had access to a penguin colony. The penguins are hours of entertainment, hopping, stealing rocks, swimming, grooming, singing, and watching their babies. We saw Adelie penguins here, too; they’re the ones with the crazy blue eyes. And a Weddell Seal. They are the big fatties who look at you with big moony eyes. They always look ready to cuddle. Or at least snooze.
I finally reached 10K steps on my Fitbit, somehow, on the 2K island. Before I left for Antarctica, I actually had 30 straight days of boxing, swimming, biking, running and yoga in Park City and had gained some fitness traction. I’ve already resigned myself to losing all of that in this current 30 day stretch, but it’s a sacrifice worth making for sure. My goal is low: I just don’t want to be shaped like a Weddell Seal when I get off the plane in Salt Lake. It may not be that easy of a goal to achieve.