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Windy Antarctica

By RomanticHeart | August 10, 2010

Should Antarctica be the subject of a conversation, penguins and albatrosses inasmuch as elephant seals and icebergs will be spoken of. Considering how high, dry, and windy the continent is, it still remains to be one of the most spectacular sights with 10 pound tiny baby fur seals to 3 million tons in ice mounds that hold frozen water in massive amounts amounting to 3.3 billion gallons. Read this site if you want antarctica tours information.

In terms of spending the Christmas holiday, two well traveled teachers chose Antarctica to spend it in even if this is a land of voyages ending up in tragedy not to mention a land of frozen wastes. Although Antarctica is an extraordinary choice, the reason for the teachers’ decision lies in the fact that they haven’t been there. A trip like this led to much thinking time and they were even able to read a travel magazine covering the explorer.

What the women found out was the necessity of preparation. From three pairs of socks, one being wool, worn under 15 pound boots to insulated underwear worn with a regular set of clothes and a parka to a covering via rubberized pants and slicker that are seamless and waterproof, these are needed for just one day in Antarctica. Two pairs of gloves, one waterproof, complete the costume.

Everyone is susceptible to frostbite other than having some cold feet. This is how summers are in the Southern Hemisphere. Only able to move to 32 degrees was the water even if the ice was warming up above the freezing point and the breaking ice pack allowed for traveling to be done. When air temperature was measured by one Antarctic research station, a reading of 47 degrees came from the thermometer. This is considering how it was exposed to the sun for the entire day and on that evening the Explorer faced snowstorms and sleet storms. Go to this site for further information on antarctica vacations.

Part of the information given to the women was that other than unpredictable weather the winds could also be detrimental to itineraries. However, never in their 24 days on the southern ice cap did the women encounter anything like the 84 below wind chill that hit the two ladies’ hometown on Christmas Eve.

The most feared passage, the Drake Passage, was passed. Through the tip of South America in Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula is the route of this passage that led to a number of casualties. Bunk seat belts were used by the women as they strapped themselves in for sleep during the 48 hour passage of the Explorer. Because of much bouncing around, one of the ladies had bruises.

At least a million penguins were there. Access was possible when it came to penguins and their nests. For the penguins, fussing is such a big deal. Watching them was satisfying. Then there were a number of seals too. What they do is scoot around with open mouths. Should you get too close to them and their babies they would probably bite.

The entire trip was to die for. Not only the sky but the water too was a pristine shade of blue. As big as city blocks were the three storey icebergs that floated along the way some of which had a bunch of penguins on board. They saw old whaling stations, closed for 20 years since the treaties of the 1960s. No matter how it took them to see the South Pole the old huts left by the early explorers were really something, and some of them still had the canned foods left by these travelers.

Starting their trip was a trip to Punta Arenas on the south end of Chile to the Shetland Islands, and then moving on to Antarctica then the South Orkneys, then to South Georgia and then the Falklands before going back. Both see this as an unorthodox way of spending Christmas.