“Our last day of landings? Already?” was the general consensus of us all. Our last two stops were both in the South Shetland Islands which are part of the sub-antarctic islands before going back into the Drake Passage.
Landing #9: Deception Bay
Deception Bay used to be a volcano and now the caldera is filled with water but the land portion also has dry craters. It was dusty and really felt like we were on the moon.
We hiked around, visited the black glacier (from the volcanic ash), and went swimming again! This time was colder but super fun because our professor came with us! I really don’t know why we do things like swimming in Antarctica to ourselves.
Landing #10: Halfmoon Island
Our last landing! Ugh, just typing about it makes me sad! Halfmoon is a super little island that is shaped according to it’s name.
We started on one side of the island visiting what would be our last penguin rookery. I spent a long time watching the penguins and a seal nearby, trying to soak it up as much as I could. Then we walked around to the other side of the island where we hiked up a mountain (Lots of hiking the last couple days. We suspect their trying to tire us out before the long journey home). The view from the top looked over the bay and there were humpback whales feeding and splashing their tails in the air. It felt like a good conclusion to our time in Antarctica. But man, I did NOT want to get on the zodiac to go back. I think I was the very last one to leave before the guides did. Our last time in Antarctica. Our last zodiac ride. Our last time on land for the next 3 days. Lots of sad things, but things I will never forget.
Of course, my description of the landings was the short version and there are many things I could never do justice to here. I’m looking forward to showing everyone my pictures and telling people about the little stories and details that happened along the way. But first! We had to tackle Drake again, which will be rewarded by holding penguins and exploring Patagonia.
*On a real-time note: One of my group members made this fun little video from moments of our time in Antarctica. Credit goes to Yvonne! Enjoy!*
