Photos and article by Ron Miller

Sometimes incredible adventures come when you are not really looking for them. Yet, they end up being something to treasure the rest of your life. A dream come true at a time you weren’t even dreaming! Such was the chance for my wife and I to head to Antarctica this January — a winter-time destination from here to head into summer there. Not only are seasons reversed, but the landscape is so delightfully different that it can’t help but make a jaw-dropping impression. Besides the chance to see a portion of this southern-most continent, the journey allowed visits to other countries in the southern hemisphere as well.

On average, Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on earth. (It is considered a polar desert since it averages only 6.5 inches of precipitation per year). It also has the highest average elevation mostly due to an ice cap averaging 1.2 miles thick! This ice sheet is so large that it contains 61% of the earth’s fresh water. Antarctica is the fifth largest continent; forty percent larger that Europe and twice as big as Australia. 

Those of us on this voyage are among the fortunate .02% of people who have ever laid eyes on the White Continent. Most people in previous centuries endured unbelievable feats of endurance and raw courage to get that privilege.

Fortunately for us, there were specialists on board who shared their areas of expertise. An ornithologist, ecologists and biologists with advanced degrees, a geologist and a historian, were all there to impart knowledge and love of Antarctica. Who knew, for instance, that icebergs, bergy bits, growlers and brash ice all had exact definitions and that we would pass through all of these frozen formations. We tried not to think of the Titanic as we slowly plied the waters of this southern-most continent!

The cruise itself began in Argentina with stops in Uruguay, the Falkland Islands, two towns in Tierra del Fuego and Chile. Cruising included 4 days in Antarctica.

The Falklands, my favorite stop, allowed us to get up close and personal to huge colonies of penguins. To get to the penguin colonies, we jumped into English Land Rovers and drove two and a half hours from the port to another part of the island. We encountered a huge colony of hundreds of King penguins there, each standing three feet tall and dressed, as it were, in beautiful feathered tuxedos. This species is second in size only to Emperor penguins. These striking birds have bright orange patches on their heads that extend from their ears along the sides of their necks, to their throat and down to their upper chest. Below that orange is a yellow patch which fades into their white bellies. Their back is silvery gray. King penguins walk in a slow, regal manner that helps keep them from overheating. For a bird that returns to icy seawater to eat, land temperatures in the summer can become overwhelming. However, at sea, these incredible athletes can dive for eight minutes at a time to a depth of over 200 feet while searching for food. Their diet includes lantern fish, ice fish and various cephalopods.

Interspersed around the King penguin colony were individual burrows of Magellanic penguins. These penguins are much smaller and stick close to their burrows. We were warned to be careful not to upset them because that might cause them to throw up a day’s worth of food which would require them to go fishing again. The Magellanic penguins have curved black and white bands along their faces and bellies. During the breeding season, a bare patch of pink skin can be seen around their eyes. Folks in the Falklands also call this species “jackass penguins” not because they don’t like them, but because these shy birds make vocalizations that sound similar to braying donkeys.

Finally, we also got to see Gentoo penguins which are the third largest penguin species. They build nests on the ground using local vegetation and are part of the brush-tailed group of penguins so named for their long tails. Gentoo penguins’ head and face are black with the white patch above each eye that meets at the top of the head. The bill is yellow to orange as are their legs and feet. A white eye ring surrounds their eyes. 

It was so fascinating to watch these penguins interact with each other within their colonies, hear their calls, and observe adults feeding their chicks. Most pairs only have one chick and the young ones often join together in a creche while waiting for a parent to return from the sea. The chicks in their fluffy down often look larger than the adults. Until the chicks get their adult plumage, they are not waterproof and do not swim.

From the Falklands we headed south across the Drake Passage for four days cruising around Antarctic islands and along the Antarctic Peninsula. Historic islands like Elephant, King George and Deception Island were some of the destinations. 

Elephant Island is where Sir Ernest Shackleton in April, 1915 and his men finally found some sort of refuge after their ship, the Endurance, was crushed in drift ice and sank. They used their life boats to get to the island and spent a brutal Antarctica winter until their rescue. To effect that rescue, Shackleton, with five of his men had to battle for 16 days across ferocious seas to reach South Georgia Island where he met with whalers and eventually rescued the stranded party. The 22 men on Elephant Island spent four and a half months sleeping under two life boats and in an ice cave while living on seals, penguins and whatever provisions they had been able to salvage from their ship before it sank. Shackleton’s book, simply called “South,” records all the unbelievably harrowing experiences that his men lived through. It is a fascinating read and one that I purchased upon return to the White Mountains.

Breathtaking scenery was around every corner especially when we entered calm bays such as Admiralty, Charlotte, and Wilhelmina (named after a Dutch queen) where it was mandatory for the captain to proceed very slowly due to Antarctica Treaty requirements. The speed limits are designed to protect the whales, orcas, and seals and of course avoid any sudden impact with the numerous floating icebergs. 

Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins swam around the ship, porpoising in and out of the sea with incredible speed. It was a challenge to try and capture them on film just as they popped completely out of the water. We also saw hundreds of Adelie penguins simply floating on icebergs or resting on Antarctic shorelines.

We also spotted many humpback whales and a pod of orcas. Seals, too, could be seen swimming or resting on icebergs. The icebergs provide a convenient conveyance to new hunting grounds while the seal rests but orcas have also learned how to dislodge seals from some icebergs to satisfy their own nutritional cravings.

Black-browed albatrosses and giant petrels could be seen daily in their search for food in Antarctic waters gliding on wing spans the height of a man.

Weather could change, and did, many times a day. Passengers were constantly bundled. I often had three layers of clothes on with two pair of gloves when proceeding outside. We looked more like penguins than people aboard a cruise ship! The weather warmed up to a balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit in Antarctica. While that doesn’t sound real exciting, it contrasted with temperatures back in Pinetop on the same days which registered a high of nine degrees. We were, therefore, 23 degrees warmer in Antarctica in January than if we had been back home!

We proceeded almost as far as Latitude 65 degrees south as we slid through the Gertache Strait along the Antarctica Peninsula before rounding Anvers Island and heading northeast. We weren’t back to the relative safety of the tip of South America until we once again crossed the Drake passage and rounded Cape Horn. There we entered the Beagle Channel to head to Ushuaia, Argentina, a fascinating place billed as the southern-most city in the world.



I have now had the privilege to visit all seven continents on this earth and while each continent has unique and fascinating attributes, Antarctica’s raw, wild beauty can be summed up as both terrific and somewhat terrifying.