Our last day in Antarctica. We had landed on some islands, landed on mainland Antarctica, landed on sea ice and cruised round icebergs in a RHIB. Some had camped out in Antarctica. All the boxes were ticked. For many this is the long and short of Antarctica. They have the t-shirt and in future travel conversations they will say that they have done Antarctica. Of course, they haven’t. Not even close. Antarctica is not a small island, not even a country, it is an immense continent. The world’s fifth largest continent. As big as the USA, bigger than Europe and twice as big as Australia. It is immense and complex with many different terrain types, weather systems and environments. Admittedly, most of the environments are cold by human standards but that does not detract from the diversity. For much of the year travel is impossible. The only way to get to know Antarctica is to go there and stay there. Possibly for years. So, while there are some people that can undoubtably say that they know Antarctica, a few that can honestly say that they have done it, they are very few and far between.
Many years ago, I experienced a little of Antarctica. It affected me profoundly and left me with a persistent urge to see more. I enjoyed my time with the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). I worked on some interesting projects and really liked the international spirit of cooperation in science. Despite this, I never had the right attitude or willingness to conform needed to be a long-term employee. This came to a head when I asked for three months unpaid leave. My friend Rik and I had been planning a climbing trip to Nepal for over a year. When I approached my boss about this, he said no. He had been looking for an excuse to get rid of me. Somehow, I always thought I would go back to Antarctica but not as a tourist. That route never appealed to me. The years rolled on, I built a company, sold it, retired and it dawned on me that being a tourist was my only route back. Our trip to Antarctica with Hurtigruten was similar to most tourist trips. A day or more sailing across Drake’s passage, a few days pottering around the peninsula and then back to Ushuaia. It was fun and scratched the itch. But only a little. I saw some parts of Antarctica that were new to me and it made me think about just how much more there was. Enough ruminating. This was our last day and we a job to do.
Deception Island is an active volcano in the South Shetland Islands. Its unique landscape comprises barren volcanic slopes, steaming beaches and ash-layered glaciers. It has a distinctive horse-shoe shape with a large flooded caldera. This opens to the sea through a narrow channel called Neptunes Bellows, forming a natural sheltered harbour. It is one of the only places in the world where vessels can sail directly into the centre of a restless volcano. We arrived at the Bellows mid-morning. The weather had not improved at all and remained stubbornly overcast. The Bellows is an imposing entrance named after the way the wind can funnel between the rocks. We slipped through without problems and anchored in the bay.
The remains of several bases are spread along the shore. Whalers put up the first buildings later followed several scientific bases. BAS had quite a substantial base there for a while which included an airstrip and large hanger. In the years before 1970 there was substantial volcanic activity which led to the island only being used during the summer months. The Argentinians and Spanish still retain a presence although the main use for the island these days is tourism.
We were landed on the black beach and allowed to walk along the shore. In places the sand steams with geothermal activity. There were a few gentoo penguins and some very sleepy fur seals. At the end of the beach was a track across a snow field to shallow saddle. Queues of people were plodding up here and we joined the lines. At one point I stepped up higher to an easier looking trail and promptly got told off by one of the many expedition crew guarding the route. This was one of those times I had to try really hard to not say what going though my head. One reason to not cause a fuss what that, in keeping with the islands name, we had our own bit of deception to do in memory of my mother. She visited this area in 2018 with Diane. It is a long story but essentially mum wanted to come and see where I used to work and understand a little of why I talked about it so much. At the time, she did not like Diane and clearly felt that Diane and I should not be together. Practicalities dominated however and Diane was the only available travel companion. Fortunately, they came back the best of friends and burbling about penguins. They remained firm friends until Polly passed away last year. The ridge overlooking the ocean in one direction and the beach in the other seemed an appropriate place to take a moment to remember her. A vista of mountains, glaciers, icebergs, seals and penguins. Helen, you would have approved.
Back to the beach. Back to the RHIB. Back to the ship and two days later, back to Ushuaia. It was a jolt. After 94 days on the Amundsen, we were suddenly standing in a queue at the airport with our suitcases. It had been a good trip. Some parts were fantastic. Other parts less so but overall, terrific. What next?