We started our first day in Antarctica with a wake-up call from Expedition Leader Michael Jackson. Overnight the ship repositioned to our first landing in Mikkelsen Harbor. After breakfast we loaded our Zodiacs and set off towards land. We explored in two groups, one went ashore while the other attended a presentation from Certified Photo Instructor Nathan Kelley called, “iPhone Photography”, then the groups swapped activities. The island was covered in snow and a large colony of gentoo penguins. It was so beautiful. While we were there, the wind picked up and we were sprayed upon our return.
In the afternoon we cruised the bay, pushing through all the ice on our way to the glacier. The views were really special.
We thought we were done for the day, but our expedition leader had a surprise for us after dinner. National Geographic Explorer drove itself into the ice! After our expedition team checked the conditions, we were told we could go out and walk on the fast ice. It was amazing! Finally, it was time to leave and prepare ourselves for more adventure tomorrow.
