Icicles And Quicksand
January 2, 2009
We trekked over to East Rookery today, an area of nesting penguins separated from the rest of Cape Crozier by a tall snow cornice. Walking around the base of the cornice brought us close to some spectacular icicles.
Of course, the very presence of icicles means it’s been warm enough lately to melt snow into dripping water. In fact, rivers are running through the penguin colony now, fed by melting snowfields and gouging canyons into the muddy, guano-filled earth. I hit a patch of quicksand today in what looked like a rocky area, sinking 12 inches into gooey mud before extricating my boots from the sludge. There is a puddle of water in the middle of my tent. Above-freezing temperatures have their consequences.
Penguin And Snow Cornice
Walking Under Giant Icicles