This morning we were heading north to Cape Hallett which nestles seaward of the towering Admiralty Range on the western edge of the Ross Sea (Cape Adare at the entrance to the sea lies 100km to the north). The captain is trying for a landing on the sea-ice but much of the ice in the area is too fragile so they went in search of another safer spot. Incidentally it is -4.5C and feels like -18C. Eventually they found a stretch of ice which is super slippery but unlikely to crack under our feet. A bit scary for me going out on slippery ice but we are fitting our boots with crampons - whoa! In the meantime, we prepared ourselves for the adventure, and boosted our spirits with a delicious Sunday brunch overlooking the ice - mimosa, crab, caviar, crab tacos - and a slow cooked piglet. Boy do we feel spoilt.
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| Sunday brunch |
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| The landing party preparing for us |
None of the crew had been here before so everyone was excited. We actually wore snowshoes and I have to say I felt safer in those than just walking in gum boots. Only a little snow here and there so it’s icy. Ice, ice all around with cracks running here and there and everywhere. We had to stay between the cracks clustered together in groups with our guide. Seeing so many cracks was a bit disconcerting especially as you could feel the movement between the sheets - but it was thrilling at the same time.
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| Straddling a long crack |
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| Of course everyone wanted to stand on either side of a crack! |
People set off in small groups to explore this piece of fragile ice. A number of people fell in their snowshoes but there were no injuries. All too soon it was time to get back on board. When we got back to the ship, we found that many of the pieces of ice at the edge, even quite large ones, had broken off and drifted away while we were well away from the ship. So we were fortunate that we were on more stable ice away from the edge. All part of the thrill of the adventure!
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| An exciting place far away from everything |
Before leaving the area we cruised around a large Adelie colony. Some people landed to wander through the colony but we stayed in the zodiac to just cruise. It was quite glorious winding through icebergs of phantasmagorical shapes and colours some dotted with curious penguins. Cameras didn’t stop clicking!
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| The penguins spilled up the hill |
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| Some people landed to wander through the colony; we stayed in the zodiac to cruise. |
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| The mud room |
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