“I hold…that a man should strive
to the uttermost
for his life’s set prize”
Robert Browning
South Georgia echoes with voices from the past. If one stops to listen, the bellows and wails of fur seals, of elephant seals and whales reverberate as they did when sealers and whalers stole their lives. The spirits of Sir Ernest Shackleton, Frank Wild, and Tom Crean still stand on the ridge above Stromness, listening for the whalers’ call to work. Two such extremes in our minds, yet each were striving for their own prize. One set sought fortune through exploitation and the other sought fame through exploration. What would we choose as our “set prize”? Would it be the ultimate goal, a legacy left behind? Or would it simply be seeking pleasure each and every day?
Diversity abounds here in South Georgia, a tiny land in the great southern sea. We are miniscule in its vastness and powerless in the scheme of its existence. Sunshine gives rise to fog, mist envelops us, or wind churns the turquoise waters to froth. We drink in the magnificence of the mountains where glaciers still scour the rocks. We savor the moment. These are our daily rewards.
Light and clouds wrapped the peaks at the head of Fortuna Bay as the sun colored the sky above a delicate baby blue. Over the ridgeline lay the harbour of Stromness to which we ventured next. Hidden from the wind, the rusting hulks of whaling stations seem inconsequential now in a time when wildlife teems on the beaches. Male fur seals aggressively defend their territories in preparation for the arrival of very pregnant mates. Our own images are reflected in the big dark eyes of rotund elephant seal “weaners” waiting vainly for their mother’s return. We must wade through the wildlife to reach the valley beyond, drawn by the knowledge that the footsteps of “The Boss” tread here 100 years ago. Many felt the victory of reaching the famous ridge or sitting in front of a waterfall down which the party slid.
Grytviken too was a whaler’s bay but today it holds the hope of the future. Through the eradication of exotic species, research, and fisheries regulation, the South Georgia Heritage Trust and the Government of South Georgia strive to protect the island and its wildlife for future generations. We enjoyed their hospitality and gave a toast at Shacketon’s grave.
At the end of the day as crimson clouds backlit the mountains, it would be safe to say, many moments could be cherished.
