Lisa Trapp, 2011 Antarctica student blogger, writes:
December 25, 2011
It was Christmas Day and steam was rising from the waves hitting the black sand shores of Deception Island. Snow lingering on the sand further from the water was blown up and around in little hurricanes by the blustery wind. Sadly, it was our last day in Antarctica.
Deception Island is the result of an active volcano, which created hot black sand beaches and ash-layered glaciers. Abandoned whaling stations dot the shoreline as well.
Upon landing, I kicked at the small shells in the sand as I walked by the skull of a whale. I was heading toward “Neptune’s Window,” a short hike leading to an overlook that on a good day would allow you to see the Antarctic mainland on the horizon. I was hesitant to keep walking; some part of me felt like if I stopped and refused to walk anymore I would never have to leave. But I also wanted to get to the view, and I had participated in all of the hikes on the trip and I didn’t want to be one hike short.
So I continued walking, past a few boards sticking out of the ground like a small fence, past the two wooden boats that remained fermented in the ground and past the whale spine that stretched far from the ocean and disappeared beneath the sand. I tucked my scarf a little closer to my face before barreling my way up a slope that had seemed far less steep than it actually was.
The view from the top, although beautiful like the rest of the continent, just made me sad. One lone iceberg could still be seen floating on the ocean, and all I could feel was how quickly my experience was drawing to an end. I whisked a smile across my face, snapped a few photos, watched an Antarctic tern float on the wind and glanced at my watch. It read 10:30 a.m. It was almost time.
I heaved my way back down the slope and once more found myself plodding along the beach. I kept pace with three chinstrap penguins that were walking in a row along the water’s edge. I marveled at their ability to withstand such extreme temperatures. The water, according to Chad was 33.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and the chilly wind that gusted past left the air a biting 30 degrees. Of course, this was a warm summer for them!
My watch read 10:50 a.m.; this was it. I found a spot beside a large metal building that had managed to survive years of cold and sheltered myself from the wind. A Zodiac pulled up on the beach and waited there patiently. My comrades from the ship joined me beside the building. A smile cracked across my lips as I glanced at a friend of mine. My watch read 11:00 a.m. The time had come for….
Read tomorrow to find out what crazy thing we did next!
