After a foggy morning in
Prion Island,
the weather improved as the Ocean Nova cruised into Fortuna Bay.
Several dozen of us were dropped off here to re-enact the last part
of the Ernest Shackleton walk. After he had traversed 800 miles of open
ocean from Elephant Island, Shackleton landed at Cape Rosa and started hiking
to the whaling station of Stromness, passing through Fortuna Bay where
we would start our ground adventure.
Fortuna Bay, South Georgia - click for high-res photo
Rugged mountains above Fortuna Bay would have looked formidable to Shackleton and his men
Zodiac'ing out from the Ocean Nova - easier than 16 days in a lifeboat from Elephant Island! ;-)
Baby fur seals keep a close-eye on the cameraman - mouseover image for previous view
Bigger seals bark at cameraman - mouseover image to see more mellow behavior
Jim's picture answers the question for those wondering where the seals come from ... ;-)
An Albatross chick trying to stay cool in the 60°F warm weather - mouseover image for close-up
Paul and James hanging out on Fortuna Bay, South Georgia
Our intrepid hikers ready to re-enact the last part of Shackleton's walk
Andy gives the thumbs-up to start the hike - mouseover image for close-up
Alek doesn't look quite as studly ... but check out those legs in the Wellies! ;-)
The weather could not have been any better for this hike - as you can see
in the picture above, I'm in shorts - it got
to almost 70°F later that day!
After consulting the Shackleton Walk brochure, we started our hike up into the mountains toward Stromness, South Georgia.
Antarctica Cruise index
After consulting the Shackleton Walk brochure, we started our hike up into the mountains toward Stromness, South Georgia.
Antarctica Cruise index