Vicki Wilkinson-Baker: Sightseeing on the ice

By Vicki Wilkinson-Baker

Published: 10:01AM Saturday February 19, 2011 Source: ONE News

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  Source: ONE News

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  • Photogallery: Antarctica February 2011(13 photos)

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Much wiser people than me say you have to be careful what you wish for.

Well when we were planning this trip down to the ice I wished for bad weather so we could stay longer. Guess what? The forecast for day isn't that flash so the Airforce 757 won't be flying down to pick us up.

It seems fine where we are but apparently it could be too risky for the plane to land later in the day. The forecast for tomorrow looks slightly worse. What a shame!

It wasn't just a blanket wish for bad weather though. I was quite specific about what was required. We needed to get the Erebus visit successfully out of the way because of the huge amount of work that had gone into planning that. After that things could deteriorate. There was a fleeting moment where I thought it was unfair on the summer staff who have been here for months and are planning to travel home on the same flight, but I figured, they love the place, hopefully they won't mind an extra day or two.

We've managed to do a bit of sightseeing. And there's plenty to see.

Penguins to start with. Yes I did go on about them last time but they really are amazing. The emperors are moulting at the moment and not at their best but they don't seem too bothered by it. They just stand there and look at us. Flap their wings every now and then and let out the odd squawk.

They are very cool. There's a group of 15 just hanging out together not far from Scott Base. No one is too sure what they're doing or where they're going. Apparently they're not waterproof while they're moulting so they need to wait for all the old feathers to disappear. They're all at different stages of the process - it's nice how they wait for their friends.

Even closer are dozens of seals lying about on the sea ice. Just snoozing I guess. It's hard to tell if the same ones stay there the whole time or whether they disappear under the ice for a while only to be replaced by another one that looks just the same. Life looks pretty easy for them right now. Soaking up the last of the sunshine.

The sun is lower in the sky now, summer is coming to an end and the long dark winter is approaching. In fact the first sunset occurs today, Saturday night.

The sun will dip briefly below the mountains. And from that point on, the amount of sunshine each day slowly decreases until there's total darkness for about four months.

The sea ice is melting. "Breaking out" is the term they use down here. Around by McMurdo the ice is disappearing and a blue, blue sea rich in nutrients and marine life is lapping the shores. There were whales there yesterday having a look around.

Last night we climbed Observation Hill. On the top sits a cross, placed there to remember Scott and the men who died with him on their way back from the South Pole nearly 100 years ago.

Their names are all listed there but they're fading with time. It's a great place to take in the view and reflect on those who've lost their lives exploring this vast and beautiful continent.

Read more Vicki Wilkinson-Baker commentary here.