gallery - antarctica
This was tough climb for a photo. Everyone is dressed for sub-freezing, but the bright sun radiation makes the climb arduous and hot.
Only 10% of an iceberg is above water.
Birds try not to crowd each other...and keep their distance.
This is a small iceberg. In 1956, an iceberg from Antarctica was as big as Belgium. Icebergs can flip over and cause giant waves.
There are myths about why some icebergs are blue. My non-scientific theory is that the blue ones are old, melancholic, and perhaps heart-broken to be drifting away.
This is end of summer (March 1st) in Antarctica. A sunny day and 32 degrees. The average temperature in winter is 70 below zero. Penguins are cute, but smelly.
Every year, penguins stay out of the water while their feathers drop out and are replaced. This is called "molting". So, they just stand around like this waiting for the new feathers to push the old ones out....for four weeks. This photo is probably week three in the molting process.
These guys walk right past you without a care in the world. Let's keep it that way.
See the gap between the mountains? It is the Lemaire Channel. Often times it is ice-free only a few weeks each year, so traveling through it is a rare experience. The skies at sunrise were golden - as result of Volcano eruption in Chile 1,000 miles away.
I swear this whale swam up close to look us square in the eyes....then she winked.
This British weather station has been re-claimed by the Penguins.
All activities in Antarctica are regulated by the "Protocol on Environmental Protection" to the Antarctic Treaty.

When we left our ship to go on land, we 1)vacuumed our clothes to remove seeds and 2) washed our shoes with disinfectant to protect the wilderness.
Sun through the clouds.