It is not often that one gets to follow the path of greatness, and yet aboard the National Geographic Orion we have set a course to follow the harrowed journey of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men. Today we finished that journey by arriving at Stromness, the very whaling station that Shackleton forded the mountains of South Georgia to reach so that his men would be saved from their camp on Elephant Island.
Remnants of the bygone industry were still scattered about amongst the myriad of wildlife. Large propellers lay half buried in the sand in the shadow of the decomposing buildings where the whalers processed their catch. Our next stop was to Olsen Bay to enjoy the second waterfall of the day with hundreds of Antarctic Fur Seal pups playing in the fresh water stream. Spinning playfully, they were a stark reminder to just how wild South Georgia can be.
Lastly, we came upon Hercules Bay in order to view the Macaroni penguin colony. These crested penguins are dynamically different than those experienced on the Antarctic Peninsula, and example just how diverse the creatures that call the Southern Ocean home can be.
