PENGUINS!!! PENGUINS!!! WE HAVE PENGUINS!!!

Paula and I went on a field trip to Cape Evans on Sunday. This is one of the Delta trips that I will be driving/guiding soon. It is about 15 miles north of us on the Western shore of Ross Island. Well as we were traveling we spotted 9 Emperor Penguins on the Sea Ice. We quickly stopped and got out to view them. As soon as we got out of the Delta they started coming right for us!

We stood in a group and watched and listened to the group as they came towards us. They are very noisy. The Antarctic Treaty starts clearly that you cannot interfere with wildlife. And anytime that you are close enough to wildlife that they are reacting to your presence means that you are to close. So, after they came to us, we stood still for a while and then started backaway towards the Delta. They followed us again. We were walking along and they went sliding by us on their bellies. They can really move quickly on their bellies. Faster than I have ever gone on the Emery Park ski hill.

So the group we were with was made up of mostly winterovers that left today or this week sometime. And most of them have been here for 14 months and have not seen any penguins. Last year was a bad year for wildlife in MacTown. So, to see Emperor Penguins at this time was incredible. They are very uncommon in MacTown and it is very early. I haven't looked it up yet, but we were likely 100 miles from the ice edge. A very lucky day for us.

And here is the Delta that I will be driving for the trips. It is actually not very good in the snow. We had to dig it out 6 time on our trip. However it was the first trip out to Cape Evans and so the road was not very compacted.

Ok, how about a little lesson. Cape Evans is the site of the base camp for Scott's expedition to the South Pole. They setup camp there in 1911 and stayed the winter and in 1912 the expedition to the pole was started. Scott's crew did make it to the South Pole, however when they arrived, there was a Norwegian flag posted. So they did not make the first trip to the South Pole, and they were beaten by only a few months. Oh, and did I mention that none of the party survived the trip back. Not exactly a successful trip.

The Hut is left almost exactly like they left it. There is food on the table, clothes hanging up, science equipment, and even a Penguin carcass on the table. Everything is incredibly preserved.

The other interesting view on the trip was of Mt. Aribus. It is the large volcano on Ross Island. It is an active volcano and it is the only volcano on the planet with an active lava pool at all times. When ever you see Aribus it has steam coming out of the top of it. The lave pool is several hundred feet down into the crater. Scientist spend allot of time studying and filming the lava pool. Once the Beakers get into town here and have their cameras set up on the rim I should be able to get some photos of the pool to pass on.

Well I am off to dinner. Sheppard Pie, as requested by my supervisor. And by the end of the week I will post again (if I can get on a computer) and whine and complain about all of the mainbody trash that is coming in. I will actually have to wait 20 seconds in line for dinner tonight. And it will only get worse. One flight today, two on Wed. and Thurs. 500 extra people by next Tuesday. Now I know how the winterovers felt when us idiots invaded their nice little town.

Until next time.

R.J.