Antarctica Travel Blog Nov 26: At Last, Cape Evans and the Stunning Mount Erebus

November 26th, 2011

Much to our surprise, the winds increased to 44 knots which again prevented the helicopters from flying to Ross Island for sightseeing. The expedition leader gave up on the weather and decided we should head north, approximately 140 miles northeast to the Ross ice Shelf. Then, as soon as ship started backing up, the wind speed decreased to 30 knots, just enough for us to take a quick flight to visit Cape Evans. We weren't able to visit either base or hike Observation hill, but visiting Scott's Discovery Hut at Cape Evans was worth the wait. Seldom, are passenger ships able to get through the ice to see the famous hut.

After dinner the Captain headed the ship north east toward our next destination, the Ross Ice Shelf. The evening sun shining over Mount Erebus was magnificent. The top of Mount Erebus was finally in total view!

(This is Laurie's fourth visit to Antarctica. She is blogging her way through this epic month-long Antarctica cruise; the Kapitan Khlebnikov's Ross Sea Centennial Voyage. Tune in for daily updates from the field. Pictures from Laurie's past Antarctica travels are found on her website.)