The surface of the Earth has no lines drawn on it, other than those that we have created with roads, walls, crops, and the like, but there are a few lines of latitude that hold significance to the traveler and explorer. The Equator dividing the Earth in north and south hemispheres; the Arctic Circle at 66º33' N latitude is relatively easy to obtain as millions of people live north of that line. However the Antarctic Circle at 66º33' S is far more difficult to reach, even in our modern era. Sometime in the evening last night our ship had reached beyond that significant parallel. Awaking this morning below the circle meant we'd have all day to explore the wild, scenic and icy world 2/3rds of the way to the South Pole.
We sailed into Crystal Sound and Lallemand Fjord later in the morning to find fairly dense pack ice dotted with crabeater seals hauled out to rest and molt in the remnants of the mid-summer days. The surrounding landscape of rocky craggy peaks topped and draped with the persistent skirt of ice that is so prevalent on this side of the Antarctic Peninsula. The bow of our ship plowed through the flows of pack ice, occasional glimpses of sunlight poured through dense clouds as choppy waves began to form on the sea beyond the edge of the flows. Massive icebergs, cast off from the ice sheets and glacial perimeter were frozen in the pack and throughout the open water their hulking blue and white towers added an extra element to the scene. As we turned to head out of the fjord the captain jotted down our furthest southerly point on the dry erase board on the bridge, 66º58”03' S.
Throughout the day we encountered a wide array of weather, an ever building wind accompanied with occasional heavy snowfall painted a scene of genuine Antarctic exploration. With limited options to explore under these conditions we were set on enjoying the surroundings from the comfort of the ship. Several presentations were scheduled ranging from various aspects of history of exploration, photography to the natural history of the abundant seals found around the Antarctic Peninsula. We sailed north in the evening leaving behind the southerly landscape for points further north.
