Antarctica

On January 3rd we set off from Ushuaia for what turned out to be, not surprisingly, a trip of a lifetime on the MS Expedition to Antarctica, returning on January 12th.  Antactica can only be described as incredible.  Mountains covered in thick layers of ice that spill down in inumerable glaciers to the water´s edge dominate the landscape.  It is a place of little colour other than white snow, black rock, green water and blue ice.  It is one of the, if not the most, beautiful places on earth.  Not only is the scenery incredible but the ocean wildlife was everywhere.  While there we saw elephant, weddel, crabeater and leopard seals, minke, humpback and orca whales and thousands upon thousands of penguins.  We visited what is known as the Antarctic Peninsula, the arm that stretches north towards Tierra del Fuego.  Only about 2% of the coast has areas where it is possible to land and the majority of those are found on the peninsula. 

Before describing the trip the boat and crew need some describing.  The MS Expedition is a Canadian owned, Liberian registered, Bahamian financed, Danish built former car ferry, (built in 1979) that spends half the year in the Antarctic and then heads north to the Norwegian Arctic for similar tours.  We were two of 120 guests, including lots of Australians and Americans and not many Europeans.  We had the lowest class cabin but were pleasantly surprised at how comfortable we were, even having our own shower. Compared to the bunk beds we´d been used to in Argentina this was posh!  We were also strategically placed right next to the ´mud room´ where we were to dress for each outing once in Antarctica.  The main thing we did on the boat was eat, and then eat, and then eat some more.  Delicious meals were served by an entirely Filipino hotel staff (minus the Brazilian manager) in a dining room big enough for all guests to sit.  Breakfast was at 7:30 (buffet), lunch usually around noon (buffet), tea (four-ish) consisting of sandwiches or cakes and then supper at around 7:30 (sit down).  To say the meals were fantastic would be an understatement.  The Filipino themed dinner was one of the most delicious meals I´ve ever eaten!  To top it off there were two bars and thanks to an group of Australian air force pilots they were guaranteed to be hopping until two or three in the morning.

The crew were a mixed bunch as well.  The ship´s captain was Bulgarian, with a mix of Ukrainian, Polish and Filipinos reporting to him.  The Expedition staff (those who guided us around on landings and in zodiacs) were led by a Chilean, with Canadians, Americans, Brits, an Argentine and a Kiwi doctor reporting to him.  These people included boat drivers, biologists, geologists, environmentalists and even a fellow from Sudbury providing the nightly entertainment.  Whenever we had a question it wasn´t hard to find an answer.  The best staff member was an American biologist named John who talked like Captain Kirk and would say things like ¨people often ask me, they say ´John, can we feed the Orcas?´and I say ´no, you can´t feed the Orcas´¨.  He was actually pretty ridiculous.  His dance moves were even better.  He provided all the entertainment I needed for the entire trip. 

The MS Expedition

The rythm on the boat once we reached Antarctica was to have breakfast, then head out on an excursion via a 13ft zodiac (all named after Canadian provinces or territories - we got to ride the NWT once!) with a 50hp to either to the shore or in and around ice, then come back for lunch and do a similar excursion before dinner.  All of this was weather dependent but we were fortunate to not miss one landing or zodiac opportunity.  In total we left the boat nine times, setting foot on land seven times and cruising in zodiacs twice.  A previous cruise only got off the boat twice the entire time.
 

Our favourite zodiac

Our itinerary was as follows:

January 3-5 - crossed the Drake passage, which despite being considered the worst body of water in the world for weather and waves turned out to be fairly benign.  On the way out of the Beagle Channel we saw two Minke Whales surfacing for a bit, fairly close to the boat.  We were so fast crossing that we had an entire afternoon at Aitcho Island in the South Shetland Island group on the 5th, which is rare.  This is where we first saw Antarctica as well as lots of Penguis, a Weddel seal and lots of, what John called, ´Blubber Slugs´ - Elephant Seals.

South Shetland Islands - our first view of Antarctica

Ice fields in the distance of Aitcho Island

´Blubber Slugs´ (Elephant Seals) on Aitcho Island

A huge ice berg off of Aitcho Island.  An ice berg is defined as a piece of ice larger than a ´typical english thatched cottage´.

Mike pretty close to a Chinstrap Penguin on Aitcho Island.

January 6 - during the night we crossed the Gerlache Strait to anchor off of Cuverville Island by morning, where we hiked up for some pretty fantastic views.  Later that afternoon we visited Port Lockroy where a 1944 British base still has some buildings that are being maintained by a British foundation.  The Pt. Lockroy Base, part of a string of seven bases, was built to monitor potential German movements during the second world war.  It turned out to be of no use but was then converted into a scientific base until the 1970s (or so).  It still has a functioning Post Office and the site is home to thousands of Gentoo Penguins.  There were three sailboats anchored here waiting for ice to improve further south.  When we were in the zodiac on the way back to the big boat we watched as a leopard seal destroyed a penguin - something not seen all that often from so close.

On the way to Cuverville Island.

The view from the side of Cuverville Island.  We slid down the snow to get down and Mike´s pants almost came off.  Another guy busted his face off the snow.  Good times. 

Massive ice at Port Lockroy

A permanent resident at Port Lockroy - a Gentoo Penguin

The blue is caused by a lack of air due to compression - this ice might be 10,000 years old.  New ice and snow is white because it is filled with air.  The ice was Mike´s favourite part of Antarctica.

January 7 - Early in the morning we set sail for the narrow Lemaire Channel which is often so choked with ice that it is often impossible to pass.  It was incredible how the boat smashed 50ft pieces of ice into little shards as we worked our way down the channel.  We eventually stopped in a bay filled with ice bergs where we were toured around on zodiacs (John was our driver, awesome!).  We saw a leopard seal up really close and even got to stand on some sea ice for some pictures.  It was here that made our furthest south at 65´05´´ S.  In Inuvik we are at 68´30´´N so we were about 15,000km from home! That afternoon we cruised back north in our first real sun and warmth to Neko Harbour where once again we climbed for great views and some sliding (which we didn´t do, snow wasn´t good for it).  On the way a group of about 30 Orca whales swam past, obviously on a mission to get somewhere - unfortunately we didn't have a camera on us.  Once at Neko Harbour we waited patiently for pieces of ice to bust off the glacier but none did.  Neko Harbour was the only place we actually touched the continent proper.

Two crabeater seals lounging in the Lemaire Channel

Our path through the ice in the Lemaire Channel

Mike waiting for the call to board the zodiacs.  Already dressed!

A Leopard Seal up close.  This was a big one, so says John, at about 10ft long.

A crabeater seal - the most numerous seal in the world and all live in Antarctica.

The icebergs in the Lemaire Channel were amazing; all sorts of shapes...

...with beautiful colours...

...and strong enough to stand on.

On the way to Neko Harbour.  The ice on the mountain tops was common.

A couple of crabeater seals lounging in front of this volcanoe lookalike, due to clouds, in Neko Harbour.

It was almost hard to take a bad picture here.

A humpback whale diving just before we had dinner.

The ship surrounded by ice.  Often the bergs would bump into the boat.  When we asked the Polish second in command about this he shrugged and in a fantastic accent said ¨shit happens¨.

January 8 - In the morning we sailed a short distance to what is called Paradise Bay where a Chilean and Argentine base are located.  We took a tour of the face of a glacier, hoping to see a piece of ice fall in (we saw a little one).  From there we motored south to Daco Island where we again hiked up the snow for some great views and heat!  After our visit there we began the night crossing of the Gerlache Strait again, this time heading for Deception Island.  The evening of January 8 was gorgeous, super warm and clear.  The bar was pretty full and Elise and I both partook.  We saw a couple of humpback whales both breach at the same time off in the distance.  The beauty of the scene prompted John to clench his fist and yell 'YES!'.  A note about the bases.  Antarctica is not owned by any country,  though seven nations (Britain, Norway, Chile, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and S. Africa) have made claims.  The current governance of the continent is through a UN treaty that neither recognizes or dismisses these territorial claims - it merely ignores them.  It was entered into in the early 1960s and still functions today.  The treaty is based on conditions requiring the peaceful use of the continent for scientific purposes only and complete transparency.  To be a decision maker with respect to the treaty a country must establish and support a year round base on the continent.  To date some 21 (?) nations have done this, including the United States and Russia.  However the treaty is periodically reviewed with the next review scheduled for 2041(?) and it is always feared that either mining extraction will be allowed or the treaty will be abandoned.  The original claimant nations are very keen to maintain bases, even if just to wave a flag in case the treaty fails.  Since Chile and Argentina have overlapping claims you will typically see a Chilean base near an Argentine one. 

The view from our window the morning of January 8

The Admiralty Brown Argentine base at Paradise Bay.  Don't let the fresh paint fool you - the base will not be used this year other than as a symbol.

More cool ice.

More cool glaciers.

Same.

Same, but near Daco Island.

The view from the top of Daco Island.

Just chillin' in Antarctica, you know.

Zodiac right up close to some crabeater seals at Daco Island.

The ride across the Gerlache Strait.

Same.

Same.

Roger (Netherlands), Mike and Mike (Australian) drinking scotch with 50,000 year old ice.

In this scene we saw two whales breach side by side, just to the left.

January 9 - With sore heads we woke up and found ourselves near Deception Island.  I didn't (couldn't ?) get breakfast and Elise dragged me into the mud room and we got in the zodiac and headed in.  Deception Island is a collapsed volcanoe that has formed a perfect harbour.  It was home to a very large whaling station, run by Norwegians, until the 1920s, then was a scientific station for the British until the 1960s.  At some point both the British and Chilean bases on the island were smoked out due to a massive mud slide caused by volcanic activity.  While we were there the weather turned, with rain and sleet blowing horizontally.  While others were cowering, we kind of loved it, both commenting on how it reminded us of home.  The island was pretty neat but didn't really remind us of typical 'Antarctica' because its volcanic origins make it hotter so no snow sticks around.  After Deception Island we cruised over to Half Moon Island and spent our last hours in Antarctica before heading to Ushuaia again.  The island had lots of penguins, including our first Macaroni Penguin (with the yellow hair on top). 

Deception Island.

These massive drums were used to hold whale oil.  Some seals and whales were once hunted almost to extinction in Antarctica.  Seals are making an impressive comeback, while the whale populations are slowly recovering.

The old whaling station turned research station that was mud-flooded out.

Half Moon Island penguins.  Mainly Gentoos and Chinstraps with...

...one Macaroni penguin, the only one we saw the entire trip.

January 10 - 12 - We recrossed the Drake and this time we had an indication of the weather with 80km winds and 4m waves.  At points our porthole was completely under water.  We pulled into Ushuaia on the morning of the 12th, made our way up to Antarctica Hostel one more time and contemplated what we had just experienced.  Truthfully we were both a little bumbed out thinking we wouldn't be able to enjoy the rest of our trip after having seen such an amazing place - we're both incredibly lucky and glad to have done it, regardless of the cost.

Hola from Antarctica.

Paso de la Oveja

We decided to spend Chrismas camping in the mountains behind Ushuaia and did what is known as the Paso de la Oveja trek, also sometimes known as the Paso Caminante trek.  This blog post is a little more detailed on the off chance that some trekkers might be interested - we found the 2007 Lonely Planet Patagonia guide to be pretty wrong in places. 

Our entire trek was really two different treks back to back, as is common.  We began with the Lago Encantada trek.  To do this trek take a cab to the ´gate´ that any cab driver or hostel owner will know about.  Once there walk along the path until you start seeing red topped trail markers.  This trail is really well marked along the river side and throughout.  Cross the river on a rickety bridge and then make your way through swampy forest until a sign on a tree indicating the trail up the mountain side.  Then get ready for about an hour to two (depending on your pace, ours is slow) of uphill climbing at times steep and muddy, but entirely doable and enjoyable.  About half way up you will see a fork to Lago de Los Tempanos - don´t go there if you´re planning on camping.  You can get there from Lago Encantada regardless, pretty easily. 

Once at the top you´ll make your way around a beautiful glacier lake with forest on the left - several good campsites are found in there and the water is good to drink.  It can be muddy on the lake edge.  If you´re up for it after setting up camp you can continue on either to the ´right´, up a scree pass and to the top of the mountain facing the campsites.  An Aussie couple we walked with did this and said the views were phenomenal and worth the slog.  Bring wind proof clothes.  Elise and I decided to tackle the steep rise directly behind the forest to get a glimpse of the glacier on the other side.  This we did slowly because, well, it is very steep and at the top gets a bit scrambly in places - don´t fall!  Once over the top it is all loose rock, some of it pretty sharp so watch your step, but eventually you get a great view of the glacier and Lago de Los Tempanos but can´t get to it unless you decend into the valley below.   We decided not to walk back the way we´d come and pretty quickly we crossed a trail leading back to Lago Encantada, roughly marked with small cairns every now and then.  To find the trail to Lago de Los Tempanos from Lago Encantada go up the hill through the forest behind the campsites and keep heading left along the forest edge.  Eventually you will find a path heading up the ridge that should take you right to the lake, probably a couple of hours there and back.  That night we ate steak and potatoes by a fire (not supposed to have fires but all the firepits indicated the rules are frequently broken).  It was a gorgeous place to camp. 

Looking at the glacier over Lago de Los Tempanos

Next day we got off to a lazy start and headed back down the well marked trail to begin the second hike, which is the Paso de la Oveja trail.  Here we had some difficulty finding the start of the trail, which is really a four wheeler trail that ends at the border to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park.  Our suggestion to find the trail head is to head back to the red sign you´ll have passed indicating ´Paso de la Oveja´ and ´Lago Encantada´ with an arrow.  Here start walking along trails that head up the left side of the valley - we didn´t do this and wound up slogging through mud for a half an hour until we found the obvious trail, higher up the valley side than we anticipated.  Once on the trail it is clear which way to go and you´ll have a pleasant walk through the forest for about an hour or so until you meet up with the National Park.  Here the 4 wheeler trail ends and a proper hiking trail begins, marked every now and then with yellow trail markers.  Our LP guide suggested there was camping spots a full day´s walk away but before the trail to Lago Caminante.  We found out later that these spots had been either abandoned or were not considered part of the trek any longer.  From the park boundary the trail winds its way through forest and meadows, sometimes muddy and sometimes not so well marked.  It happened a number of times that we went down what looked like a well trodden path only to find it end, then we would double back and find the fork and eventually a trail marker.  It was obvious others had frequently made the same mistakes as us.  After a bit of confusion as to where to cross the river at the end of the day (we eventually straddled across some fallen logs) we decided to just camp next to a river in the middle of the forest in a fairly flat, soft spot.  It was a fine campsite and that night, Christmas eve in fact, we had a sausage and soup supper.  For all we know where we camped was in fact the old camp sites, but we figure we´d already passed them by that point.

Christmas eve campsite

Christmas morning we woke up, ate our porridge breakfast and set off to get to Lago Caminante.  We were happy we had camped where we did because about 20 minutes after setting off we climbed a rather steep switchback, past a waterfall, through forest until not more than an hour later (I think) we reached the trail marker for Lago Caminante.  It would have been a tough climb at the end of the previous day.  The Caminante trail is not so hard, but looks hard because of its steepness.  Once up we walked along a flat to eventually see the lake - what a beautiful place to camp and spend Christmas!  Walking down the slippery path towards the lake we could hardly wait to set up camp and relax.  It was early in the day by the time we got there and we had the place to ourselves, at first.  We pitched the tent, gathered some firewood and Elise had a nap on the grass under beautiful sun while I skipped stones (am I alone in having a stone magnet in my hand?  I throw them at everything).  That night we ate a delicious Christmas supper of macaroni and cheese with hotdogs, accompanied by red wine and a little bottle of champagne (I was carrying them, very happy to lighten the load!).  It was certainly a memorable Christmas.  We shared the site with about 12 others that night. 

We stayed there on Boxing day, lazing around in the morning while the clouds rolled in.  I decided in the afternoon to head for a hike on my own up the mountainside at the lake´s edge to see Lago Superior.  Again it was a steep, this time wet, climb for an hour or so.  Once up it the view is spectacular towards Lago Caminante and also further north to some other, larger lakes.  I eventually climbed down the other side, over snow patches, to get to Lago Superior where I found a well worn trail back to Lago Caminante - I was gone for about three hours.  We would totally suggest spending a day exploring around Lago Caminante if you can afford the time.  It is GORGEOUS.

Elise having a Christmas nap at Lago Caminante.

Our decorated tent.  The Ocelot has held up well so far, totally worth the investment.

Mike with Christmas dessert - mushed up chocolate.

Lago Caminante from the mountainside - our campsite was in the trees near the river on the right of the lake.

On December 27 we left, sadly, rejoined the main trail and were planning on camping in the valley once past the pass.  Getting to the pass is an uphill slog over loose rock and was WINDY, wow.  After the pass the scree trail hangs on the left side of the valley and is marked every now and then with the familar yellow trail markers.  We again were dissapointed with the guide as it said the trail would head closer to the valley floor and now it either doesn´t or isn´t marked very well.  We walked, and walked, and walked being pushed by enormous gusts of wind until a rock fall trail marked the way down along a switchback.  Once at the bottom we met with some german fellas who were planning on heading up and told us we might as well go back to Ushuaia because it was only about another 2 hours along the trail with no good campsites along the way.  These guys were hilarious as we gave them our extra food ¨we love Canadian people!¨  I wonder if they´re still alive.  The trail turned out to be awful - past fallen trees that made the going really really tough.  We´ve also found out we didn´t need to do it - once at the bottom of the rock fall switchback trail head to the right instead of to the left and apparently you´ll come across a better trail that follows the valley floor, much nicer.  Eventually we made it back to Ushuaia, thoroughly exhausted by our trip but really happy to have seen such a nice piece of Tierra del Fuego and spent such a cool Christmas.

Elise barely holding on to the cairn marking the top of the Paso.

Mike following the trail along the edge of the valley - Beagle Channel is in the distance

The next week we celebrated New Years at the hostel (really fun night, what we can remember anyways) and essentially waited for our trip further south...