Yesterday’s winds gave way to an overcast but pleasant morning. Captain Graser steered our ship into the stunning Lemaire Channel. A few icebergs floated past with penguins perched atop or a dreaming crabeater seal stretched out on the sparkling ice. The cold night and the snow that fell stuck to the mountains creating a texture that made the day look like a watercolor painting. Then the sun broke through a small opening in the clouds and dropped dazzling light on just one hillside or just one glacier. The effect was stunning. We talked about the painters of the late 1800s who painted the majesty of nature along the Hudson River. It felt like we were living in the most splendid painting. After we headed south, we turned around and came right back northward. The light changed each minute making the scene feel as freshly discovered as it had only moments ago.
The call was sounded that killer whales had been spotted in the Gerlache Strait. They drew closer, then farther, then closer again to the ship. A glimpse sent everyone off to port then starboard then port again. They were headed in a southerly direction and our presence was just a chance encounter on their way to do their bidding.
We rounded the corner and got out of the wind as Ronge Island appeared on our starboard bow. We knew it would be our last landing for the trip. The sun came out and the wind disappeared. We walked up the hill and sat as Gentoo penguins continued their travels up and down the troughs they had made in the snow. We watched the now familiar brown skuas work the colony looking for an unattended penguin chick or two. We sat in the snow and marveled at all that had become familiar in the short time we have been here. All too soon it was time to leave.
It was time for us to board our ship, National Geographic Orion and head back towards home, but there is no leaving the Antarctic. The sights, sounds, smells and adventures live on in each of us. It has shown us the truth about the world and once we have seen it, once we know it, there is no leaving what we have experienced.
