Summer Cold

 

With the dog days of summer, here are some pics from one of the iciest places on Earth, Antarctica. I took thousands of photos during my monthlong trip but have shared very few. Here are some more!

Thousands of king penguins dot the beaches in South Georgia Island's St. Andrews Bay.

My friend Doug and I were stoked to set foot on the mainland after planning the trip for two years. 

King penguins were among the seven species we saw during the trip. 

The expedition ship Ortelius is dwarfed by an iceberg.

A rock-hopper penguin rock hopping.

Days at sea allowed me to spend lots of time looking for pelagic birds like this southern fulmar.

Wilson's storm petrel.

Cape petrel.

I spent hours watching wandering albatrosses soar on the wind behind the ship.

Snow petrel.

Giant petrels.

Adelie penguins on an ice ledge. How did they get up there?

Skua, villain of "Happy Feet."

A spectacle of king penguins. Wowza.

An Adelie with a growing chick. 

Snowy sheathbill.

The ocean surf is not friendly.

Prion.

Adelie on an ice sheet. Their feet are studded with bumps like a snow tire.

Fun trip back over the Drake Passage. The previous day saw 24-foot seas and we were confined indoors. I never get seasick. That's super useful in Ohio.

I got to photograph penguins in a snow squall in the South Orkney Islands.

The crew of the Ortelius rendered assistance to this sailboat that dragged anchor overnight and was hung up on a shoal and listing off Antarctica in gusting winds. No other help was nearby.

The crew pushed the nose of the sailboat into the wind. When the tide returned, the sailboat was able to free itself and continue its voyage safely. Mission accomplished!

Every day was a new adventure.