Antarctica Icebergs

November 27, 2011
The Ross Ice Shelf came into view about noon. Size of France and is about 600 miles The vastness cannot be captured in with any lens. The icy cold winds coming off the shelf stirred my imagination about the explorers that had to tackle this massive piece of ice before beginning their journey to the south pole.

November 28th, 2011
Sadly, we continued to head north out of the ice. The day was mostly spent outdoors on the bow enjoying the ice and watching for wildlife on passing ice floes. Other passengers attended multiple lectures.

November 29, 2011
Another wonderful day was spent traveling through pack ice and among icebergs. The salmon colored evening sky made a stunning backdrop for the icebergs.

November 30, 2011
It was our last day in the ice. We celebrated Kapitan Khlebnikov’s final farewell to the Ross Sea on the stern as we passed the last iceberg. Next destination is Macquarie Island. We intend to have two landings and one zodiac rides around the islands. Thousands of Royal Penguins, King Penguins and Seals await us but there are two more sea days before we arrive. But now, we prepare for swells of the open sea during the next 700 miles.

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica cruise; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

The Kapitan Klebnikov in Antarctica - photo by Laurie Allread

Our plans for visiting McMurdo and Ross Stations, Scott’s Discovery hut at Cape Evans and hiking Observation Hill were delayed by the weather. Here in Antarctica, “weather is our master”, our expedition leader, Shane Envoy, has reminded us many times. Whiteout conditions and 40 knot winds lasted throughout the day with temperature of 30 degrees below zero when considering the wind chill factor. During the afternoon, the whiteout lifted but the winds continued to blow. Nevertheless some of the passengers ventured out to view the partial solar eclipse. The solar eclipse was only visible from Antarctica and Southern New Zealand. What a surprise. This rare event was not even on the itinerary!

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica cruise; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

Emperor Penguin - Photo by Laurie Allread

Last evening, we headed toward an area further close to Taylor Valley in the McMurdo Dry Valleys in hope to make a helicopter operation. About 2am the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s engines were shut down as the captain could not get the ship closer to the valley due to the thick ice. The goal was to park as close to Taylor Valley as possible to make the helicopter ride shorter to the valley.

Visibility was poor so the departure time of 8 am was delayed until the skies cleared until about 3 pm. It is quite an operation to get 100 people off the ship for a 60 minute excursion. The McMurdo Dry Valleys are the largest ice-free region in Antarctica. Parts of the Dry Valleys have not seen rain for over 2 million years. It one of the world’s largest desert with a approximate mean annual temperature of -19C. During our excursion we will land to walk around on a designated area and view the mummified seals that are over 1,500 years old.

During our waiting time, we’ve been off the ship walking around on the pack ice and watching penguins jump and in out of the water near the ship. The Emperors walk among us and gaze up at the ship with curiosity. They seem to be quite entertained by our presence.

Anyway my group is scheduled to fly to the Dry Valley about 11 pm tonight so it will be another late night in the midnight sun!

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica cruise; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

115 miles from the Antarctic Peninsula - photo by Laurie Allread

We spent the day heading toward Cape Washington or Coulman Island to visit emperor Penguins. The currents and wind changes throughout the day causing the ice to change directions. The sky is overcast and colder than the previous day. We spent the day watching the penguins scurry from the ship as it powered through the ice.

After lunch we took helicopter rides for landscape viewing and to view the ship crushing through the ice. It is not possible appreciate the power of the ice breaker until watching it’s power from the co-pilots’s seat where I was luck enough to sit!

Later, the sun appeared brighter than ever. The lectures were postponed and everyone gathered outside to view the Antarctica Peninsula from 115 miles away!

At 11 pm, sunglasses were still required due to the sun’s intensity. 360 degrees of ice, blue sky and patches of blue sea were all I can see. This is the bottom of the earth, is all I could think. I stopped taking pictures to look, to take it all in and to be in the moment. I hope that the camera in my mind never loses this image as no wide angle lens could possibly capture the vastness and awe of this place.

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica trip; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

Antarctica travel photo by Laurie Allread

November 15th 7pm
Lectures about albatrosses and geology kept most of the travelers busy all day. While others conversed with the staff, edited images and wrote in their journals. By dinner we were in the shrieking sixties, an area that known for having some of the roughest waves and highest winds in the world. Instead, the water continued to calms us with its gentle rolls. The best announcement of the day is that the icepack is a mere 417 miles away!!

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica trip; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

Laurie Allread prepares for her fourth voyage to Antarctica. This picture was taken on her trip to Snow Hill in 2008

This afternoon we conducted bio security which entailed of vacuuming out our personal backpacks and outer gear to prevent pathogens from being introduced into the delicate environment of the Subantarctic Islands. Also, attendance of the zodiac briefing was required to ensure everyone’s personal safety.

Pete McClelland from the New Zealand Department of Conservation gave a lecture about the unique plant life and wildlife on the Subantarctic Islands. The New Zealand government requires a permit to land on all these Islands. Additionally there are many rules regarding the times permitted to enter and the number of people to enter at once. Pete said that the islands are for the birds, thus we are merely visitors. Our visit to Snares Island tomorrow is the first of our many explorations of this region. The stars of these islands are the Yellow Eyed Penguin and Erect Crested penguin that are endemic to these islands. Many travelers are to see those birds to complete their list of the 17 penguin species. Everyone was excited to meet the Captain and his officers at the Welcome Cocktail party. The Captain, Viktror Vasil Yev, has operated the Kapitan Khlebnikov for many years. I’m confident he will get us to the Ross Ice Shelf with a safe return to Australia on December 7th. Sposibo, Captain Vasil yev! For being our Captain! New Russian word of the day “Sposibo” — Thank you.

(This is Laurie’s fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica trip; the Kapitan Khlebnikov’s Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie’s past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)

357 dead sharks found on board illegal fishing vessel - photo courtesy of the Galapagos National Park

For me, this news carries with it a mixture of emotions — frustrating, disheartening and at the same time encouraging that the Galapagos National Park (GNP) and Ecuadorian government seem to be effectively working together to enforce the law. Reports from the GNP state that this is the largest shark seizure in history.

Sharks are hunted around the world for their fins – a delicacy in parts of the world. Shark finning is a graphic process where the fins are cut off the large fish while still alive. The shark is then thrown overboard, back into the ocean where it slowly bleeds to death. Interestingly enough, the sharks found in this case had not been finned, rather where whole fish. Half of the 29 species of sharks that call the Galapagos Marine Reserve home are considered threatened.

When deciding to take a Galapagos trip, there are important choices you can make to support the Galapagos National Park and conservation efforts in islands. Click here to learn more about traveler involvement in Galapagos conservation efforts and the significance of protecting the islands.

The Atacama Desert has been experiencing an unusual amount of snow. The cold front that came through the region dumped nearly 32 inches of snow on the desert — more snow then the region has seen in the last half-century. The Atacama Desert is known as one of the driest place on Earth. The Atacama averages just 2 inches of precipitation a year; there are regions in the Atacama that have never seen a drop of recorded rain. The desert stretches roughly 600 miles from Peru’s southern border into northern Chile.

Cold temperatures and snowy weather have been affecting other regions of Latin America as well. Earlier this month, the classic Inca Trail trek was actually closed for a few days due to the unusual and heavy snow fall. It has since re-opened.

Electric storm in the midst of Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano eruption in Chile. Photo by Daniel Basualto/EPA

UPDATE June 9, 2011: Flights on LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas are experiences ongoing delays and cancellations. For the most recent statement released from LAN Airlines, click here. For the most recent statement released from Aerolineas Argentinas click here. American Airlines just released the following statement:

More changes are, of course, in store as ash moves throughout the atmosphere and the eruption subsides.

Ashes from the eruption of Chile’s Puyehue Volcano over the weekend have put a hold on flights into Argentina’s Patagonia region. The eruptions of the Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcanic complex — a ridge just west of the Chilean-Argentine border — started on Saturday. Winds quickly took the massive ash cloud east, covering places like Argentina’s popular Bariloche region, in dust. As a safety measure, airlines, LAN and Aerolineas Argentinas, have temporarily suspended flights from Buenos Aires to Patagonia. At this time, Chile’s in-country flights have not been disrupted as strong westerly winds continue to push ash over Argentina. While cancellations are subject to change, current details are as follows:

Aerolineas Argentinas
Cancelled until June 12th: All flights between Buenos Aires and Bariloche, Chapelco and Esquel
Cancelled until June 7th: All flights between Buenos Aires and Trelew, Neuquen, Viedma, Rio Gallegos, El Calafate, Ushuaia, Rio Grande and Comodoro Rivadavia

LAN Argentina
Cancelled until June 8th: All flights to Bariloche, Neuquen, Bahia, Blanca, Comodoro Rivadavia and Rio Gallegos.

Chile has over 3,000 volcanoes; 500 of which are considered active — 60 eruptions have occurred in the last 450 years. Puyehue Volcano last major eruption was in 1960. If you have any questions on how the eruption might affect your Argentina, Chile or Patagonia travel, please contact Adventure Life.