Antarctica, Deception Island
Day 4, landing 3; Telefon Bay
Our post-lunch landing at Telefon Bay offered a similar choice to the first landing of the day: a hike around the steep-sided caldera or a gentle stroll to nowhere in particular. After the morning's exertions, a slightly larger group than before opted out of the hike, although Michel did have to be persuaded not to head off again, sheep-like, with the serious walkers. He'd already explained that he hadn't intended to begin the first hike of the day, but through inattention to the expedition guides' instructions found himself unwittingly tagging along, only realising too late that he'd got himself in the wrong group.
Telefon Bay is rather unusual in that nothing lives there. Aside from some lichen and a perching gull, we saw no life at all - quite eerie. This trip was all about the desolate volcanic landscape.
Poor Rolf must have regretted leading our group as Niall quite took over lecturing on the geology. His enthusiasm, as usual, was infectious and soon people were examining bits of rock, identifying olivine phenocrysts, discussing the origin of the word "vesicular" (it's from the Latin vesica, meaning bladder, in case you're interested) and demanding to know the difference between sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks.
With no penguins to watch, Marie (a politician in the Austrian Green party, and, unrelatedly, the second pregnant trip member) insisted she'd seen a dead seal. We decided after some debate that it was just a rock and she was trying too hard to bring her job into the expedition!
