ANTARCTICA WEEK 2
Scott’s Discovery hut
I cried a lot today. But in a good way.
Andrea mentioned that she saw some seals near hut point the day prior. When I woke up today, the sun was shining over the sea ice and by noon it was the warmest day we’ve had on ice so far. It was still -15°C/5°F but that’s pretty warm by Antarctica standards. I made a plan to leave with my cameras after fueling up on coffee (which is delicious by the way) and left for the short walk to hut point right outside of town.
Two hikers descend towards Robert Falcon Scott’s Discovery Hut
I made a slow ascent towards the hill and stopped to photograph Patty, one of the Kiwi’s in the program who was just getting into his vehicle.
Weddell Seals
After peering over the hill, tears welled up into my eyes. Two Weddell seals were asleep and resting 100ft away from me. One of the main reasons why I even applied for this warehouse position was to just have a CHANCE at seeing the wildlife endemic to Antarctica and I accomplished that on my 5th day here.
A Weddell Seal hauled out on the Ross Ice Shelf Sea Ice.
Temperatures of the Ross Ice Shelf vary from about −5°C/23°F in the summer to about −35°C/-31°F in the winter with a record low recorded at -65°C/-85°F. These are bone chilling and deadly temperatures for humans. Meanwhile the Weddell seals just lay atop the ice and swim in the sub-zero waters to feed.
Two Weddell seals under a towering Mount Discovery in the Royal Society Range, Antarctica
After about an hour of exhilarating displays of… yawns and sleep, the seal closest to the breathing hole began a brief but otherworldly whistle and trilling pattern. The sounds echoed over the ice and up towards the cliffside I was standing on.
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