Dan’s Adventures in Antarctica: Wednesday November 2, 2011

Today was quite a magical day. Sandwich, Marissa and I set off to go fishing near Cape Evans. We were going to meet up with another research team at Cape Evans for a bit first. Here we are driving in the Pisten Bully (PB).

When we got to Cape Evans, we stopped our PB at a crack and then noticed something in the distance. More Emperor Penguins! We jumped out to take some pictures hoping they would be just as curious of us as we were of them. They did not disappoint. Like I said before, unless you have a permit, you can’t approach them. However, when they approach you, you can’t help but take pictures!

Our Pisten Bully and Mt. Erebus in the Background.

Here come the Emperors!

We kept backing away and they just kept following us. Especially Lydia! She really wanted a picture of the penguin’s backs but every time she moved away from them, they moved toward her. Perhaps she is the Penguin Whisperer!

As we were getting ready to keep moving, in the distance we saw an Adelie Penguin. It was running fast toward us so we just waited a bit and sure enough, it came right up to us. It then kept running and went toward the Emperors. It then approached them a bit slower. It looked like a younger sibling trying to keep up with their older sibling. So cute!

Next, we planned on going into the Terra Nova (aka Scott) Hut. This hut was where Scotts Terra Nova team lived and worked. The Adelie Penguin was still really interested in us and followed us all the way to the hut. It started chasing after Sandwich when she was going to get the keys for the hut!

We all took our “Hero” pictures in front of the hut with Mt. Erebus in the background.

Then the Adelie came back around to the front of the hut, checked all of us out, ran right past me and back out to the sea ice toward the Emperors. We were joking and saying that the Emperors must have dared the Adelie to run through our group!

We hiked up a hill where a cross has been erected in memory of some of the men who lost their lives during the expeditions. From there, we had a great view of an iceberg stuck in the sea ice.

Inside of the Terra Nova hut.

The pantry and kitchen.

Bunk beds. You can see pictures of the men’s dogs above their bunks. They must have missed their dogs as much as I miss mine.

Chemistry set.

Written in pencil (hard to see), this says, “Losses to date:” Meaning the men who they have lost. At the bottom, it says, “Shack ?” in reference to Ernest Shackleton. His men who had stayed back at the hut had no idea if he was dead or alive. Shackleton had set out long before on the Nimrod Expedition hoping to cross Antarctica from sea to sea via the South Pole. His expedition was doomed before it even started as his ship was trapped in the ice and slowly crushed. However, he was able to return all of his men to safety.