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South Georgia – Right Whale Bay

Up close and personal with penguins and seals.

Our first opportunity to land on South Georgia was in Right Whale Bay, on the morning of 5 March. The stony beach was home to several thousand King Penguins and hundreds of fur seals. We were able to wander among the seals, across the grass, and around the edges of the penguin colony, slopping through the mud, penguin guano, and wet rocks. The weather threw us a bit of everything – drizzle, flurries, sleet, sunshine, and a stiff wind bursting downslope from the glaciers above. We were dressed warmly and the excitement of meeting penguins face to face – quite literally – made for an exciting morning. Read on and don’t miss the gallery of photos and videos!

South Georgia

An overview of our five-day visit to South Georgia Island.

Finally, on the 5th of March after two days at sea en route from the Falkland Islands, we approached the shores of South Georgia island just as the sun rose over its shoulder. Watch this brief video panorama as the ship approaches Right Whale Bay on the northern shore at the west end of the island.

Sunrise and first glimpse of South Georgia.

Where is South Georgia Island – and what makes it such a special place? Read on for an overview of our action-packed five-day visit to this incredible corner of Planet Earth.

South Atlantic – at sea

Two days from the Falklands to South Georgia – and two days back again.

It is a looooong way to the island of South Georgia, even from the Falkland Islands. We spent a full day at sea sailing from Ushuaia Argentina to the Falklands, then two full days at sea sailing from the Falklands to South Georgia… and then reversed that trip on return.

Fortunately, our time at sea was not in the least bit boring! And, perhaps surprisingly, there were many things to photograph along the way. Read on!

Stanley – Falkland Islands

A brief stopover on our way to South Georgia.

As noted in the prior post, we boarded the National Geographic Endurance in Ushuaia, Argentina, and sailed down the Beagle Channel and out into the South Atlantic. After two nights and a full day of sailing, we pulled into the port of Stanley in the Falkland Islands. In this post, I share a bit of what we found.

Two nights and a full day of sailing from Ushuaia to Stanley in the Falkland Islands.

National Geographic ‘Endurance’

Aboard the newest ship in the Lindblad / National Geographic fleet.

As noted in the prior post, for our trip to the Falkland and South Georgia Islands we first flew to Buenos Aires, and then onward to Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in the world. We were fortunate to travel aboard the newest ship in the fleet operated by Lindblad Expeditions in partnership with National Geographic: the National Geographic Endurance.

First view of our ship, the “Endurance”.

This beautiful ship was purpose-built for travel in the Arctic and Antarctic – optimizing comfort, safety, and functionality, as well as energy efficiency. In this post I’ll give you a brief look at the ship, but you really must visit my photo/video gallery and Lindblad’s own website for a deeper look.

Argentina

My first-ever visit to South America!

Our trip was focused on the Lindblad / National Geographic cruise to the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island, but to get there one must first fly to South America. We and our tripmates first convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After a quick tour and an overnight rest in a hotel, we were off again to the airport for a three and half hour flight to Ushuaia, at the southern tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego. Here we met up with our cruise ship, the National Geographic Endurance, for the two-week round-trip cruise. Before we take off, let me share a few highlights from Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.

Casa Rosario (“Pink House”) – the president’s office – in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Return to port

Home from the South Atlantic.

We’ve returned from a three-week trip to the South Atlantic, notably, from a National Geographic expedition out of South America’s Tierra del Fuego to the Falkland Islands and to South Georgia Island. It was a fantastic trip – great weather, wonderful people, incredible wildlife – and led to me snapping over 10,000 photos and videos. It will take me some time to digest and organize them, and write up the story, but here’s a bit of background and teaser shots.

David and Jack riding a Zodiac to shore in South Georgia.

Off to the Antarctic

A photographic expedition.

I’m off on another adventure – this time to the Antarctic. It’s an exciting opportunity to spend ten days touring the Falklands and South Georgia Islands in the Antarctic Sea with National Geographic Expeditions. The ship departs from Ushuaia – the southernmost city in the world – near the tip of Tierra del Fuego.

Most of the trip is aboard the Lindblad ship Endurance, which is designed to travel in that region. Indeed, just last year the Endurance came across a huge pod of fin whales foraging near Antarctica – likely the biggest congregation of whales seen in more than a century. Read more and watch this brief video. I hope we’ll be that lucky!

Winter returns

As it should be.

After a month of warm temperatures – often above Freezing at night, and into the 40s, 50s, during the day – and the nearby forest floor had melted nearly clear of snow, I was glad to see winter conditions finally return. We had 6″ of fresh powder snow on Thursday. Sure, it was topped by an hour or two of sleet, but the woods felt properly wintry this morning as I climbed my usual route to the hilltop, stopping only briefly to explore the fresh tracks left by the hillside residents, leaving my own track to mark the day.

At the top of the hill the morning quiet was punctuated by a busy woodpecker, hopping from tree to tree to seek his breakfast.

Woodpecker in the woods behind our house.

Mount Moosilauke

It’s been six months, old friend.

For various reasons, I have not had a chance to hike any Big mountains for many months, but was eagerly looking for a day when the weather, my schedule, and my friends would all converge. Today was that day – beautiful blue skies, crisp temperatures, and decent trail conditions. We followed the Glencliff Trail – which is part of the Appalachian Trail – up Mount Moosilauke. This is my favorite winter approach; despite it having the greatest elevation gain of any approach to the summit, it is the shortest approach in winter and allows one to traverse the beautiful ridgeline between south and north peak.