2. Other

ANTARCTICA

HIGHEST, DRIEST, WINDIEST CONTINENT

Envision a land with no visible vegetation and minimal human intrusion. Add vast stretches of impenetrable ice and jagged peaks to the mix. This uncanny place is Antarctica, our highest, driest, windiest, and most environmentally tempermental continental.

In less than an hour we observed four seasons - sun, overcast, rain, sleet, and snow. During the equivalent of a small hurricane (80 mph winds), our ship yawed and pitchpoled through the night. Thankfully, my comrades and I were spared return to our homes to share images and stories. Despite the perils, I am also grateful for the privilege of journeying there.

It is our destiny and responsibility to be proactive stewards and protect this
unique haven. Though low on terrestrial biodiversity, its oceanic bionutrients are the richest on the planet.

I invite you to read my award-winning article, reprinted from The Richmond Times
Dispatch at http://www.gallagherstravels.com
Click Destinations, then Cruises and Journey to the Bottom of the Earth.
Read More
The safety conscious zodiac crew tested the waters and then ferried passengers to the islands and Antarctic mainland.
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The safety conscious zodiac crew tested the waters and then ferried passengers to the islands and Antarctic mainland.

boardingzodiac

  • *This image won #1 in Virginia Outdoor Writer Association's 2008 "Excellence in Craft" Competition. <br /> <br /> The Gentoo Penguin's insulating feathers are a crucial adaptation to the harsh Antarctic environment.
  • A rare afternoon of sunshine taunted us our last day in Antarctica. <br /> A lone Chinstrap Penguin wattles uphill while other chinstraps nest on the background rocks. This is my signature image of the journey to the bottom of the earth.<br /> ***Third place - State of Virginia Photo Competition***
  • A nesting Chinstrap Penguin reaches for pebbles to stack its nest. Higher stones are a status symbol to this species.
  • Some of the lyrics from Yankee Doodle are supposedly so written for or because of the Macaroni Penguin with the colorful confetti eyebrows.
  • This elephant seal pup is molting.
  • Why are these Gentoos Penguins nesting amongst these innocuous elephant seal pups?<br /> Perhaps this behavior is an instinctive response to strength in size and numbers against chick and egg predation.
  • The Gentoo Penguin, like the Chinstrap and Adelie, is a member of the Brushy Tail group.
  • This waddling flightless Gentoo Penguin is heading for the sea to sate itself with krill.
  • Besides the distinct whiff of guano, one of the first things one detects when landing on Antarctica is the welcoming cacophony of penguin sounds. The Gentoo Penguin with raised head and open beak is breying, much like a donkey does.
  • Both genders of this Chinstrap and other brushy tail penguins share nest duty.<br /> This one's mate is away at sea for several days feeding on krill. When it returns, the pair will undergo an intriguing ritual of bowing, breying, and other gestures and vocalizations.
  • Adelie Penguins
  • A pair of cryptic Brown Skua, predators of penguin chicks.
  • I, for one, felt perhaps a lot like the early Antarctica explorers when we first spotted land.
  • The safety conscious zodiac crew tested the waters and then ferried passengers to the islands and Antarctic mainland.
  • Zooming in a Zodiac toward an island
  • The pebbly beach of eerie Deception Island.
  • Our ship, the World Discoverer.
  • My surprisingly posh room aboard the World Discoverer.
  • The 354-foot-long World Discoverer had Finnish-Swedish stablizers to steady it over rough seas and a device, which pushed some ice out of its path.
  • Our first landing on Aitcho Island.
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