Frozen river camping and seal pups

I had intended for my next blog entry to be a highly informative post about what I actually do here, as it's occurred to me that I might be wrongly leading people to suspect all I do is mess about on boats in the sun and go on holiday.  Unfortunately I have entirely failed to write that post, so for now I'm just going to put up a few more pictures of me going on holiday in the sun which really won't help matters at all.  Anyway, it was so sunny last Tuesday (ok, maybe Tuesday a few weeks ago, but I lose track of time so easily these days) that Ella and I decided it would be best to forget work, do some swift packing and disappear off for a night of camping at Penguin River.  With not a cloud in the sky or a breath of wind in the air we headed off with massive rucksacks, ration packs (both beef stroganoff to avoid the inevitable food envy that occurs if we eat different things), far too much camera gear and a hip flask full of whisky to ward off the cold.

Who needs a sheltered camping spot when you can camp in the middle of a frozen river

It seemed like a good idea to take photgraphs while Ella put the tent up

By the time we arrived at Penguin River the sun was about to dip below the mountains and we were keen to ditch the large packs as soon as possible.  We vaguely debated where we should set up camp, but it isn't every day that the possibility of camping in the middle of a frozen river presents itself to you, so the decision wasn't a difficult one.  We were reasonably confident that the spot chosen was on the small spit of land which sits in the middle of the river rather than over the river itself but, since everything was covered in snow and ice, it was tricky to know for sure.  Once the tent was up and secured down with some large blocks of icy snow we headed off along the beach to Discovery Point on the hunt for seal pups.  Sadly there were none to be seen on this occasion, but the evening sun was quite delightful and the range and quantity of wildlife seen on our short walk more than made up for the lack of pups.

Ridiculous, but strangely adorable

Less adorable, but terribly impressive

The wreck of the Lyn where it ran aground on the morraine a few years ago

Male fur seal shouting away while sat on his tussock grass mound

As the sun set behind the mountains the temperature dropped markedly and we realised we were in for a cold night.  However, undeterred by freezing temperatures, we wrapped up warmly and sat on the beach watching the pink light drain from the mountains across the bay while eating large quantities of Dairy Milk (insulation for the cold night ahead and all that), which was not an entirely unpleasant way to spend an evening.  Eventually though the need for a nice cup of tea and rehydrated beef stroganoff got the better of us and we returned to camp.  The rest of the evening was mostly spent lying in our sleeping bags, wearing every item of clothing we had brought with us, with the door of the tent open looking up at the star-filled sky and the surrounding mountains which were beautifully illuminated by the almost full moon.  Unfortunately the whisky that was drunk while chatting extensively about life, the universe and everything was insufficient to ward off the cold entirely and I did wake up on a number of occasions with an extremely cold nose.  

Moon and evening sun over the Barff Peninsula

Ella looking suspiciously like an actual, proper Antarctic explorer....appearances can be deceptive.

The morning dawned bright and clear, but the clouds soon came in and, after re-checking the beach towards Discovery Point for pups (still none), we started the journey back to base before the rain/snow came.

Not quite so sunny today, but terribly atmospheric

More excellent cloud formations over South Georgia

We initially thought the blood-splattered snow indicated a couple of bulls had been having a scuffle on the beach, but the small brown and fluffy object on the snow alerted us to its presence by yelping loudly and we realised we had found the elusive first pup of the season.  We then spent a while watching the ridiculously cute ball of fur cry out loudly and nuzzle its mother incessantly until she finally lost her temper and gave it a loud piece of her mind.  All in all not a bad trip.

Hard to imagine he might grow into one of the enormous bulls which are lining the beaches right now

Absolutely adorable