Brown Bluff is a volcanic structure...

that erupted beneath a thick glacial ice cover, technically termed a “tuya.”

(Click image to enlarge.)

Descending hikers from a vigorous glacier hike on the south side of Brown Bluff.

Descending hikers from a vigorous glacier hike on the south side of Brown Bluff.

Kevin Clement, Shirley Metz and yours truly. Shirley is the first woman to ski to the South Pole in 1982.

Kevin Clement, Shirley Metz and yours truly. Shirley is the first woman to ski to the South Pole in 1982.

Point Wild on Elephant Island...

is where Ernest Shackleton’s men waited patiently for rescue for nearly five months on a lonely rocky platform. Today, a monument stands honoring Captain Pardo of the Yelcho who ultimately took the men off the remote island.

Sir Ernest Shackleton wrote the final entry in his log...

on the evening of 4 January 1922, as his ship lay anchored in the Grytviken harbor on South Georgia. Sadly, later that night he succumbed to a heart attack and died in the place he loved most. I used an astronomical charting program to determine, for that night at that location, the star he likely saw was Sirius, the brightest star in the evening sky.

Page from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s log book, courtesy Scott Polar Institute.

Page from Sir Ernest Shackleton’s log book, courtesy Scott Polar Institute.

grytviken night sky 4 jan 1922.jpg

Allow me to quote Shirley Metz...

the first woman to ski to the South Pole in 1982, and one of the members of the expedition staff that I will be joining soon, from recent email correspondence with her:

I always find it amazing that, on a day such as this, all the components of a 3-week expedition that have been in the planning process for at least 2 years, are now in place.  

People are flying from all directions towards one pinpoint of a destination - Ushuaia, to board a ship that many have never seen. Some are complete strangers while others have known each other for years - but all are with the single purpose of exploring the most mysterious and fascinating place on the planet. 

In 3 weeks time, most of us will travel back whence we came. However, all will be smitten and changed forever by our encounter with the magical spell of Antarctica.  Our lives are forever changed. It is an affliction for which there is no cure. The only hope is to struggle in an attempt to return, somehow, and in whatever fashion, be it beyond the grave, to be held captive, once again, by Antarctica's icy grasp.

Oh my, I've thought this thought for over 30 years but never put it in writing...

Geologists should always get window seats...

when traveling on an airplane as demonstrated by these quick pics on the first leg of my travel southward.

East face of Steen’s Mountain in east-central Oregon, catching the morning light.

East face of Steen’s Mountain in east-central Oregon, catching the morning light.

Basin and Range physiography of northern Nevada.

Basin and Range physiography of northern Nevada.

View to west across the high Sierra toward the deeply shadowed Yosemite Valley. Half Dome is prominent.

View to west across the high Sierra toward the deeply shadowed Yosemite Valley. Half Dome is prominent.

Heading to Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina...

at the bottom of the world in order to join the expedition staff aboard the M/V Silver Explorer for two months as we explore the sub-Antarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula in the Scotia Sea. Stay tuned to this blog for occasional posts during the next two months - there will be penguins!

The development of the Scotia Sea (plate) gradually opened the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica beginning approximately 30-40 million years ago, allowing the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, thereby isolating the sou…

The development of the Scotia Sea (plate) gradually opened the Drake Passage between South America and Antarctica beginning approximately 30-40 million years ago, allowing the formation of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, thereby isolating the southern icy continent from warmer ocean waters.