ALMIRANTE BROWN

Monday, 18 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Gerlache Strait, Antarctica

ALMIRANTE BROWN

Much less than a town
Is Almirante Brown.
We had a perfect day
For our brief, happy stay,
And the sun was shining down.

FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!

Here BOTH Helen and I together climbed the whole hill (slowly). That Helen was willing to do it was pretty amazing. Many people climbed it – many old fogies. Amazing ! (This is an unusually fit tour group.) But not the oldest. Not everybody went ashore. Not everybody that went ashore climbed the hill. First there was a rather long walk up a straight, sometimes very steep, field of slippery soft snow. I held Helen by the hand and to and extent pulled her up. Then there was some rock climbing to do. Helen got some coaching and some physical help from some of the other men. We ended up on the tiny rock summit. I stayed seated up there, as is typical, since I have poor balance and feel insecure in such a place. Helen stayed seated too. One old fellow said he had climbed the Matterhorn 40 years ago. Another man walked around like he was in a living room and said he was 78 and had climbed the Matterhorn recently. Climbing down the rocks took some care but was easier than I expected. It was difficult for Helen. Then, following the almost universal custom, we slid down the snowfield on our rears in the well-worn groove, Helen right behind and clinging to me. Great fun! Pretty good speed at one point and Helen was squealing.

The weather was great. Warm. It wasn’t blue sky, but the sun was shining through the thin cloud layer.

Great views. A gentoo penguin colony, small compared to some we’ve seen.

On our ride back to the ship in an Arctic Circle Boat, we were taken close to a cliff where a flock of cormorants are nesting.

This is from today’s info sheet:

“”0800 approx. - The Argentine base of Almirante [Admiral] Brown is located on the Antarctic Peninsula mainland near Skontrop Cove in Paradise Harbor. It is named for William Brown, an Irish immigrant who became a national hero in Argentina and is known as the father of the Argentine Navy. In 1984, the station’s doctor went slightly mad and burned the base down. All seven members of the base staff were subsequently rescued by the American research vessel Polar Duke. The Argentineans sent down a crew every summer to rebuild the base but, as many other Argentine bases, it has been closed in recent years. The empty base makes for a nice landing where you can view the station and the gentoo penguins that call it home. A steep hike up the snow-covered hill is rewarded with a magnificent view of the entire bay.”

“Weather and ice permitting, we will begin landing with group #6.”

:-)

Bernie