Almirante Brown Station and Neko Harbor, Antarctica

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Antactica Dec. 2017 - Jan. 2018
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Today we pulled into Brown Station, one of 13 research stations operated by Argentina in Antarctica.  I found it odd that such a small country would have so many stations in Antarctica until I learned that the Antarctic Treaty is periodically reviewed and, while there is not specific expiration date, things could change.  It would be easy to convert “research stations” into “sovereign bases.”  A little scary to think about.  Let’s hope it never comes to that!  We actually arrived at the station about a month before the station opens, so we had free run of the place.

Paradise Harbor is yet another beautiful place to see.  There are lots of gentoo penguins to see here, but the real thing to do here is to climb to the top of Punta Proa, a 275 foot high promontory that provides unbelievable views of the area.  This was another one of those steep hikes where you needed to stay in others’ footprints or you would sink to your knees.  But unlike in Danco Harbor where you had to climb up and down (climbing down was almost worse than up), here you got to slide down on your butt.  What a blast!  The other thing, though, is that while sitting on top of the promontory, you never really appreciated how much of a cliff we were on.  Seeing it from the ship added a whole different perspective.

Brown Station
As you can see, it’s a long ways to anywhere.
This was the site of yet another hike/climb in deep snow.
Sure, it was a bit steep…
… but, as usual, the spectacular views made it all worthwhile.
Made it to the top! You can see the people starting their climb on the bottom…
… to get to this point on the top!
Great views from up there!
Getting down is a lot easier here!
Of course, what you don’t see is what is on the other side of that promontory. Cliff diving, anyone?!
In addition to climbing, people went kayaking.

We were then off for Neko Harbor.  This area is known for its calving glaciers that can cause problems for landings (the resultant waves can be a bit tough on landing boats and the people in them).  For good or not, we didn’t see a glacier calve here.  Deb went out on a hike here to see the hundreds of Gentoos that breed here along with a number of leopard seals.  I, on the other hand, took a nap!  There was a “slice of life” moment here as the kestrels attacked the rookery.  Because of the saturation of the attack, they are frequently successful…

Next stop — Neko Harbor. Here we had a local guide that showed us the way.
This place is all about Gentoos and Leopard Seals.
Of course, this is when nature comes home to roost — literally. Here you have a kestrel that is attacking the penguin nests.
All too often, this is how things turn out. Sad, especially given all the effort both parents put into their chick.
As usual, the scenery is breathtaking!

This was the location where several “lucky” passengers were able to camp out for the night.  Because this was such a popular thing to do, there was a lottery.  Deb entered the lottery with one of the single women and I promised to dream about them if they won.  Unfortunately, they didn’t.  Of course, camping was sort of an exaggeration — they went ashore at 9:30 pm, set up camp, took photos, built a snowman, had a snowball fight, and then rested a bit until they had to start tearing down camp at 3:30 am and making their way back to the ship.  Also, they set up a port-a-potty with probably the best view in the world.  Unfortunately, you had to take out what you deposited!  Sure, it was an experience, but nah!

Antarctic camping?!
Tents drying out the next morning.

 

This entry was posted in Antarctica, Cruising, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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