Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 12 November

 Warning: penguin guano. They get it everywhere. If you're wondering why some penguins look like they have pink on them, that is their poop.

12 November, 2025

National Geographic Explorer

20:54

I have found my Achilles heel and it is penguin guano. If I ever smell it that strong ever again, it'll be too soon.

My hope for 3:00 stars didn't pan out, too much overcast. 

C.C. and I were lucky to be in the first group of kayakers. We were out for 45 minutes after breakfast in Skantorp Cove in Paradise Harbor. It was snowy and windy. I sat in the back to steer while C.C. sat in front to set pace. It was an amazing experience paddling through the icy water, but we froze. My gloves are still damp. 

It was freezing.

We needed to stay away from the icebergs just incase they flipped.

We were some of the first back because after we  drifted out, we weren't sure how long it would take to get back. It was a struggle and a few kayakers hit icebergs by accident. The second group of kayakers couldn't go out due to the winds picking up. Everyone else took zodiac rides. C.C. and I will do that tomorrow.

We weren't supposed to be in front of the ship.

After we got back to our room and peeled out of our wet clothes, I spent some time in the sauna while C.C. napped. After lunch, I attended the Washington University professor's lecture on the Antarctica ice sheet. Unfortunately the west side of the continent - which is the side we are on - is rapidly heating up. This is causing the land to spring up and give the impression that the land is growing. He had done a lot of research on seismic activity on the continent and said that the hardest thing about research was leaving his warm sleeping bag in the morning. I asked about his most unexpected experience and he said it was nearly being stranded on Elephant Island when their zodiac swamped and they lost their motor. 

We reached Neko (pronounced nee-ko) Harbor and our guides set up a hike up a hill filled with penguins. C.C. and I were in the last group to go out, so we attended a lecture about penguins, their love lives, and life cycles first. Apparently no one knows yet what several species of penguins do during the winter months. They can't be tracked. Also, the inside of a penguin's mouth is horrifying. Their molting cycle makes them look hilarious, though.

This is Neko Harbor

We quickly stuffed our faces with tea time sandwiches and sweets before going on our hike. It was our first official landing on the continent proper. We got pictures and everything.

The hike up the hill was much easier then it looked. It had warmed up quite a bit. So, naturally I fell and hit the ground with one of my bare hands. I was so happy to wash it when I got back on the ship.

We spotted our third penguin species at this landing. There was a single Adelie amongst the gentoo. The skua were happily flapping around.

An Adelie penguin.

The views were amazing - especially since the sun finally broke through the clouds to give us blue sky. The smell was stomach turning and I almost retched. I hurried back down from the hop of the hike as quickly as was safe. It was icy and the penguins have the right of way. This does not stop the penguins from approaching you. We did see a penguin fall off a rock and awkwardly try to brush it off. The group had a good laugh.

There were thousands of penguins.

As I reached the bottom of the hill, I noticed the unexpected addition of a seal. The Russian guide, S,  thought it was a leopard seal. Apparently they are harmless to penguins to the penguins on land. We later learned that it was another Weddell seal. S. also told me me that penguins are not as soft and cuddly as they appear. They actually have the texture of sandpaper. 

He looks like he's smiling.

I had a little trouble getting back to the zodiac because of all the penguins. Finally, some of the guides just told me to ignore them and get to the boat so we could leave. I was feeling sick to my stomach, so I raced to the zodiac and avoided the penguins like on a Mario Kart circuit.

The cocktail hour and debrief was nice. I started feeling better after a ginger ale and alcohol-free beer. Some food helped, too. 

I really liked the underwater report. It's so colorful with the algae and sponges. There was even a sea star that looked like it had feathers. S. followed up his ice presentation with a brief description on the different colors ice can be. He had fun telling us that if we hadn't seen red ice (as oppose to pink penguin guano ice), that we needed to come back and search the Antarctic again. I also submitted a photo to the ice photo contest. 

I did delay going down to dinner to ask the plant naturalist about indigenous mushrooms. There is one species native to the continent. It is small, brown capped, full of micro organism, and poisonous to humans. We are unlikely to see it this time of year. 

I am tired and a little crispy. I did get sun and wind. I hope its clear tonight.

Teddy enjoyed the view.

Until the next one.

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