27 Jan 2016

Shackleton's Hut

The weather was perfect with virtually no wind and peeps of a blue sky as we landed to visit Ernest Shackleton’s hut. We enjoyed a leisurely walk over the snow and then made the short climb to the top of Cape Royds where the 360 degree views were spectacular. The hut sat below us in the valley and we pondered why Shackleton had built it here, which way he had departed for the pole and how 15 people had lived in such a small building. The first to enter were the lucky iceberg competition winners while others contemplated the Martian-like volcanic landscape and were entertained by the southernmost Adelie Penguin rookeries. There was a palpable sense of place as expeditioners took their turn to go inside the hut. It is difficult to convey in words how it feels to actually visit these historic icons. It is the same challenge as trying to capture Antarctica with a camera. You can’t, it is too big.

Back aboard the Spirit of Enderby we headed south to get as close as we could to the South Pole. Fast ice blocked our path to the US McMurdo Station and New Zealand’s Scott Base, but there was still plenty to see. We got great views of Orcas spy-hopping as they looked for a juicy seal or penguin lunch, though their attempts to tip them off their icy rafts were not successful this time. The US ice breaker Polar Star was busy in the ice channel leading to McMurdo as we made fast to the ice edge that extends for 20 miles across to the Transantarctic Mountains. The gangway was lowered and everyone disembarked onto an icy wonderland of floating sea ice. Some communed with the Adelies that rocketed out onto the ice and ran over to see what was happening. Helicopters from Scott Base buzzed us and all the while the sun shone overhead in a brilliant blue sky. It was fascinating to watch long hairline cracks appearing as the sheet below our feet crunched and groaned. We returned to the ice after dinner to enjoy dessert and hot chocolate al fresco. A classic group photo was taken to mark the occasion before we strolled off in small groups to enjoy the peace and silence of the great white. After a memorable Antarctic day we sailed away under the midnight sun towards Cape Bird.