This is our final day of shore landings before heading back
to Ushuaia. Our first stop was at Danco
where there’s a colony of Gentoo penguins (and one loan Adelie). This particular area gets a lot of snow so
they are a couple of weeks behind in chick hatching. The parents are still sitting on their eggs,
2 in most cases, awaiting the arrival of their chicks. We sat near the colony and watched all the
rock stealing shenanigans going on. One
particular penguin and a quite nice next of rocks that the other penguins were
taken stones from much to her/his dismay.
When both parents are near the nest, one can watch out for the
poachers. Only about half the penguin
chicks will survive their first year of life, but once they’ve reached that
milestone, their survival rate goes up tremendously. The average life expectancy is 15 years
although many live well into their 30’s.
There’s one female penguin that has been documented at well into her
60’s and still laying eggs.
During the shore landings there are several options other
than just hiking up the trails. You can
kayak, cross-country ski, rock climb, paddle board or snow shoe. Most of these cost extra and you could sign
up when you booked your cruise.
Our zodiac cruise took us near a waterfall coming off of one
of the big icebergs in the bay. It’s the
first one that we’ve seen on the trip so I’m not sure are rare it is. We also ran across a snoozing leopard seal on
an iceberg but by this time leopard seals seemed like old hat to us.
Our final landing after lunch also was our most
difficult. We docked in Orne Harbor
early in the after lunch for a continental landing. The point of interest here is a Chinstrap
Penguin rookery up on the top of the ridge.
The wind had picked up and it was spitting a combination of snow and
sleet. The assent was quite steep, so
switch backs were built into the snow covered trail laid out by our
leaders. The snow was also a little
slushy which made it slippery. There
being nothing to watch at our landing spot, we headed up to the top. The expedition parkas we had been given at
the start of the trip did a great job of keeping us warm and dry. After taking pictures of both the penguins
and the lovely scenery below us, we buttoned up tight, put on our sunglasses
and headed back down the windy hillside.
After a bit of sliding we reached the bottom.
By this time, the weather had gotten worse and we were told
by the people just completing their Zodiac tour to be prepared to get wet. That was all it took for the majority of us
to decide to skip the cruising and head straight back to the ship. The brave souls that stuck it out were
rewarded by a marvelous sighting of a mother whale and her baby. A bit soaked, I think they all appreciated
being able to get so close one last time.
We raised anchor and started our trip home late
afternoon. It took three hours before
officially entering the Drake. This gave
us time for a recap and dinner before the rough seas hit. I think most took sea sickness remedies and
went to bed early. I must say it was a
very bumpy ride most of the night. I
think this is still tame compared to what one can encounter, but it was plenty
for me.
Next: A couple of days at sea
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