As magic hour (the hour leading up to sunset, or following sunrise) approached, it was time to head

It s 2:15 AM on January 12th, but you wouldn t know it by looking outside. We haven t crossed the Antarctic Circle, so the sun still rises and sets, but it never really gets dark, which means we can go out at any time, which means sleep is now a luxury.
I cannot believe that we have already been traveling northern california vacation rentals for over a week. I had no idea what to expect when it came to living northern california vacation rentals aboard a yacht this size with a group this size. Prior to this trip I had never spent the night on anything smaller than a small ship. So, naturally, instead of taking a short trip somewhere to see how I liked the whole sailing thing, I opted for the three-week excursion with absolutely no possibility of escape (save for a medical evacuation). Clearly, I m a leaper, not a looker.
Life on the Sarah is kind of like summer camp for adults. It s cozy. Space is a premium and privacy northern california vacation rentals is pretty much nonexistent, but you get into a rhythm and things start to feel like second nature. It helps that we seem to have a good group. As for sailing, I think I get it now. There s a certain freedom in being able to take to the sea. I have always loved the ocean, but harnessing its power this way is something I could not have completely comprehended before this trip.
We anchored in the brackish waters of Paradise Harbor (Skontrop Cove) tonight, surrounded by bergy bits growling against Sarah s hull and the rumblings of a calving northern california vacation rentals glacier. Ice. This is the Antarctica I remember.
Actually, the last few days have been filled with memories, northern california vacation rentals starting with Whalers Harbor at Deception Island a couple days ago. I had not been to Telefon Bay before, northern california vacation rentals but Whalers Harbor was the first place we landed when I came this way in 2009-2010. It has changed dramatically, as all things constantly do in these parts, but it was still as romantic and creepy as ever.
If Deception Island resembles Mars, then maybe Whalers Harbor resembles what an abandoned colony would look like on our neighboring northern california vacation rentals planet: A graveyard set in the shadow of a monochromatic mountain; weathered crosses, some with names, others without; A wooden box, perhaps a coffin, dug up and cast aside in a macabre display; Abandoned buildings surrendered to the elements and grasped tightly in spidery tentacles of ice; rusted out silos and bits of peeling paint the only colors in an otherwise colorless landscape; and silence. There is no future, only the past repeating itself.
In its heyday, Whalers Harbor was one of the most efficient whaling stations of its time. During its twenty-year operation, over 100,000 whales were brought in. Those silos I mentioned are really northern california vacation rentals gigantic tanks that were used to store whale oil. The whaling station closed in the 1930s and several northern california vacation rentals research stations took its place, northern california vacation rentals but the island was completely abandoned when it erupted in the 1960s. Since then, the volcano has erupted several more times. Deception Island is also has the honor of being the location from which the first flight from Antarctica northern california vacation rentals departed. Like any number of structures on the island, the airplane hangar is rusted, but still standing.
One of my favorite shots from the last trip was taken at Whalers Harbor (it s on the site on the And Then page, I believe). Biscoe House is a beautifully weathered wooden building.  It is partially collapsed and some of it has been reduced to wooden northern california vacation rentals debris. Most of its paint has been stripped away by the snow and ice, but what remains is bright and full of crackly character. There are beds and machines and all sorts of things left behind inside and taking northern california vacation rentals a peak is like finding a window through time. I could spend hours there and never get tired of it.
Whalers northern california vacation rentals Harbor in general is a weighty place. The destruction that has taken place there is still palpable and it is embodied in every dilapidated structure, washed up boat, anonymous northern california vacation rentals grave, and grain of volcanic sand. But there is also a lighter side to this spot. It is the perfect place to take a dip when you haven t showered in a week! Our actual polar plunge is yet to come, but the natural heat of the volcano northern california vacation rentals warms up the water along the shoreline of Whalers Harbor, so it s actually pretty nice for a few moments until you have to dry off in the chilly wind and realize that you are nicely crusted in salt.
After rinsing off, we hopped back onto the Sarah and left the South Shetland Islands for the Gerlache Strait and more southern pastures. Afternoon brought us to a spectacular iceberg, to which we were able to get closer than I could have imagined (the perks of being in a relatively small vessel). The first time I came down, people told me that I would go to Antarctica to see the animals, but that I would fall in love with the ice. They were right. As dramatic as life in Antarctica is for the penguins, seals and other animals, it is nothing compared to the drama of the ice.
I m laughing right now because earlier we had a bit of a discussion about the need for drama in photographs. It became a sticking point during one of our critiquing sessions, and my guess is that we haven t heard the last of it, both in seriousness and in jest.
From the iceberg, it was on to Enterprise Island. Given my earlier description of Whalers northern california vacation rentals Harbor, it should come as no surprise that I LOVE old ship wrecks. The way that something so obviously man-made integrates with and becomes a part of nature over time fascinates me. In the waters off Enterprise northern california vacation rentals Island lay the century-old remains of a steamship that sank in the early 1900s. I ve heard different versions of the story, which means that the truth probably lies somewhere between the two and in a book that I ll have to find at some point, but whether she was a whaling ship or a sealing ship, whether she was grounded here or elsewhere and then brought here, she s here now and she is home to numerous nesting Antarctic terns.
We anchored within northern california vacation rentals view of the wreck and then took the dinghy out for a closer look. Remember, not a cruise ship, so no ladders and gangways. What we do have is a railing to hold onto and a blind stretch down the side of the boat until we find the porthole which doubles as a step. Throw in 35+ pounds of camera gear and a pair of wet boots and it s sometimes a bit precarious, but it s another one of those things that has become second nature.
As we came around the ship s towering bow, there was another sailboat anchored to the ship and I was struck by the juxtaposition northern california vacation rentals of the modern sailboat and the hollowed out shell of the century-old steamship. Then again, that juxtaposition is the nature of a visit to Antarctica. So much of this continent northern california vacation rentals remains uncharted, and the human impact here, while significant, is often minimally visible. All we have are abandoned glimpses northern california vacation rentals of a past age of exploration coupled with a modern age of attempted conservation.
After a few passes around the ship and surrounding areas, we headed further south and eventually made it to our anchor for the night, but not before something amazing happened: we were given permission to shower! I use that term loosely, as we don t have a shower, so much as a human-sized bird bath. Basically, I leaned northern california vacation rentals over a large basin and washed my hair with lukewarm water and the all-purpose
northern california vacation rentals You might be wondering why we needed permission. The only water we have is what we re carrying. Same goes for food. There is a three-week supply of food, but there is no way that we could carry enough northern california vacation rentals water on the boat to last nine people that long. Avoiding dehydration is far more important than avoiding smelling like a pair of old gym socks, so we drink, but don t shower until we know we are about to refill the water supply.
There was supposed to be a waterfall at our destination that Skipper northern california vacation rentals Henk usually uses to get freshwater. Unfortunately, we jumped the gun, as the waterfall didn t pan out. We ve since been advised to be careful with our water use until we can fill up somewhere. At least I know how to make a water still thanks to the Voyage of the Mimi in fifth grade. I have been dying to make a Mimi reference since the water issue cropped up, but I realized northern california vacation rentals that no one on the boat would have any idea what I was talking about. Sigh. Know your audience.
northern california vacation rentals The sun was still pretty high when we anchored northern california vacation rentals at Cuverville Island, but the light looked promising so we bided our time and had dinner, courtesy of Margo, our co-skipper (and my roommate), and Henk. Incidentally, our flag is mostly gone. You know how boats often fly the flag of their origin or registry? Yeah, we have been flying a slaughtered lamb. Literally. (Sorry, northern california vacation rentals Randi.) It had been strung up on deck since we left Ushuaia. Naturally, it was meant as a warning sign to all those Antarctic pirates. For the record, it was delicious! Salted by the sea over the last week and then roasted here in the boat.
As magic hour (the hour leading up to sunset, or following sunrise) approached, it was time to head ashore. I love the late night landings. The world is absolutely northern california vacation rentals magical in the middle of the night. There is a greater sense of space and the shadows are less harsh, but so much more dramatic. Cuverville Island was dotted with penguin rookeries, hungry skuas, and a thick layer of soft snow. The softness northern california vacation rentals and depth of the snow cover made moving around a little difficult and we had not broken northern california vacation rentals out the snowshoes, but that did not stop Philipp, one of my tripmates, from walking northern california vacation rentals all the way to the top of the mountain. He took one for the team.
The sinking northern california vacation rentals sun warmed up the sky, throwing shades of purple and pink over tabular bergs and glaciated mountains that are usually cast in shades of blue. I had hoped to capture a warm silhouette of the nesting gentoo penguins, but the light never quite materialized the way we hoped it would. I got a couple close-ups of skuas of which I am particularly fond, but we called it quits when the light went flat just before midnight, and made our way back to Sarah s saloon. With Henk and Margo asleep, we promptly raided the chocolate stash like a bunch of rats. My guess is that we will