Our next landing attempt was at Orne Harbor on the Forbidden Plateau, which is part of the Antarctic Peninsula in the Gerlache Straight. The landing area would have been a steep hike from the shore giving beautiful views, but the sea ice was too thick to safely reach it.

We were able to cruise around the harbor though. It was so quiet and peaceful gliding through the water around all those towering mountains. Every once in a while, a raft of penguins would swim by, breaking the surface to snap up a breath of air.

The campers were going to attempt an overnight camping excursion here too, but again, the weather wasn’t allowing it.

There was talk of attempting a landing at Cuverville Island in the afternoon, which had a flat hike, but the weather prevented both landing and cruising, so instead we played a new game called “What do you see in that iceberg?” So many were floating by our window, and some of them, when the light hit them just right, were magical looking. Some had faces, fairy houses and other weird things.

Our day ended with the covetous Antarctic landing still not to be had.

This post is part of a 10-post series of my adventures on the White Continent.

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