Camping in Antarctica

Updated: I've added a couple of video clips below for both places.

A question that I was often asked before I left for this trip was: What are you going to do in Antarctica? Aside from my usual answers of "look at icebergs" or "see penguins", my often third answer was "camping". Yes, I can proudly say that as of last night, I have camped overnight in Antarctica. However, it was not nearly as extreme as it sounds.

Thirty of us adventurous/brave/stupid/insane people signed up to experience what it would be like to camp in an Antarctic summer. I believe most of us were hoping for clear skies, peace and quiet void of the ship's engines, and a pause to the endless rocking that goes with sleeping aboard a cruise liner. Well, one in three (no more boat rocking) ain't bad.

We were zodiac'ed to a tiny island in a little harbor surrounded by vast glaciers. Once we landed, tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads, were distributed, and we were left to set up our tents whereever we wished. In teams of four, we searched for the perfect site. My team decided we would venture a bit farther from the rest of the group, and set up camp so we could overlook the water and glaciers' edge.

Setting up the tents went quickly. That was good thing too, since it started to drizzle as we assembled the poles. Then it started to rain. By the time we were able to get our gear in the tent, some of it was damp. But our spirits were high, and we mulled around the camp, taking pictures, and chatting with the other inhabitants of "Tent Island" (I have no idea what the real name of the island was.) Finally, around midnight, we decided to try to get some sleep. "Try" being the key word.

As we settled in to our bags, the wind began to pick up. The rain began to beat harder against the tent. Explosions like gunshots from the glacier breaking up could be heard at sporadic times. If we wanted peace and quiet, we got the exact opposite. Oh, also, since we were so far south, darkness never fell. There was light at all hours of the evening. But nonetheless, my tentmate Greg and I managed to sleep for a few hours as the wind whipped at the walls of our nylon shelter.

 (Photo courtesy of G.Zimlich)

Wake up was early - 5:45 am. After getting dressed, stuffing away our sleeping bags and rolling up our mats, I unzipped the tent door. Looking over to our neighboring tent, I was surprised to see they had already collapsed it. Apparently though, after chatting with them, it turned out they themselves had not done collapsed it; rather, the mighty winds from the night before had done the job for them. The gusts were so great that it snapped two of the support poles. And even more impressive was they were not the only ones to suffer this mishap. Three tents in total succombed to Mother Nature's fury.

Having said all of that, I loved the camping. I wanted to experience what it was like to sleep in the natural enviroment of Antarctica. I loved looking over our little island and seeing a dozen tents pitched, each with people who were looking to try something a little different. In a strange way, the rain and wind made the experience even more authentic.

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Although not as blustery and wet as camping last night, the rest of today was not exactly a pristine day. So much in fact, this afternoon's excursion was cancelled due to weather issues. This was probably for the best -- after getting only three hours of sleep last night, it was nice to relax in the ship. But I am getting ahead of myself. We did have a landing this morning at Waterboat Island. At this location, there happens to be a Chilean research station. A small group of military men man the post, conducting weather research and counting the wildlife population. Sounds like a pretty nice gig, right? Nope. At this station, there also happens to be a penguin rookerly. Remember how a couple posts ago I had given the definition of rookery? Well, Waterboat Island takes the cake. It was the muddiest, filthiest, pile of penguin guano we had seen yet. I'm not sure what the soldiers did to tick off there superiors, but it must have been awful.

Having said all that, I'm still glad we went. Even with the muckiness of the site, it provided another glimpse into what makes Antarctica Antarctica. It's a wild place. And wild places do not always look pristine. The snow isn't always white, the skies always blue. By seeing Antarctica for it's pros and cons, I can honestly say that it's still pretty fantastic.

Other than that, I don't really have much left to say about the topic. I'll let the pictures do the talking for me.