Grytviken and Jason Harbor, South Georgia Island
It was a blustery morning as the long hikers set out to hike from Maiviken to Grytviken. The beautiful and adventurous hike took them over a low pass, through impressive wind gusts, by stunning scenery and eventually to Grytviken. While they hiked, the ship repositioned to Grytviken and sent the rest of us ashore to explore the historic whaling station.
It is hard to believe that within the lifetime of many of us onboard, whaling was happening in Grytviken. It was built in 1904 as the first shore based whaling station in Antarctica. Through the years the station processed whales and seals and was finally closed in 1964 after 60 years of operation. The South Georgia government has maintained and preserved this site and created a fascinating museum. Wandering the exhibits and the rusting ruins provided a captivating and sobering picture of a bygone era, and the tons of whales processed through here. We truly had a glimpse of life from different time.
Our final stop at Grytviken was to the Whalers’ Cemetery. Steve MacLean gave us an interesting overview of the memorials and graves nearby. Yet our main reason for the visit was to toast “The Boss,” Sir Ernest Shackleton. It was on his final trip to the Antarctic in 1922 on the Quest that he suffered a heart attack and died. His wife decided that he belonged here in the South that he loved so much and Grytviken is his final resting place.
After lunch, Sarah Lurcock from the South Georgia Heritage Trust gave an interesting presentation on rat eradication on South Georgia. The Norwegian rat, introduced 200 years ago, will hopefully soon see its last days of dining of seabird and South Georgia pipit eggs. The South Georgia Heritage Trust has an ambitious and well-organized plan for eradication to take place over the next few years. Some birds, like the South Georgia pipit have been reduced to only 30 % of its original range.
Our afternoon was spent enjoying the sun, scenery and wildlife at Jason Harbor. The usual suspects were there to meet us – southern elephant seals, fur seals, king penguins, giant petrels and a large herd of reindeer. Some of us strolled the beach while others went higher up the hillsides to enjoy the views. We all found time to sit and soak in the scenery and wildness around us.
