G N G GROUP

We landed near the old whaling town of Grytviken on South Georgia to visit the museum and to pay our respects to Sir Ernest Shackleton at his gravesite just outside of town. Having passed the inspection of our boots to make sure we were not bringing any bad “stuff” from the Falklands, we walked along the shoreline past fur seals, one of which was displaying some decidedly non-PC behavior, squashing and biting a tiny female with his aggressive mating behavior. The fur seals were interspersed with a few king penguins and elephant seals as we made our pilgrimage up the slope to the whaler’s cemetery. You must read the entire story of the Shackleton expedition (1914-1917) to appreciate the remarkable strength and leadership that he displayed to get all of his men safely through the journey. I recommend Alfred Lansing’s “Endurance” as a spellbinding read that will leave you in awe of this remarkable feat. After an unbelievable journey across the most treacherous waters in the world in a craft basically the size of a lifeboat, Shackleton climbed over the high jagged and unexplored peaks of South Georgia and found his way to Grytviken to seek a rescue party for his men left back on a tiny spit of land called Elephant Island. There in sight of the town of his rescue, we gathered along the cemetery fence, standing at the ready with our glasses of Jameson whiskey to pay our respects. One of our expedition’s bird experts was quite the raconteur, and he of course was the one to propose the toast. It was a stirring toast and one that really summarized the greatness of the man. His gravestone marked him simply as an Explorer, but he was so much more. There in this humble, but incredibly beautiful setting, near to his long-sought Grytviken, Shackleton had been laid to a well-deserved peace. It is entirely fitting that by his side is buried Frank Wild, his right-hand man as noted on his gravestone, and the one who kept the larger contingent of the men safe for 105 days on Elephant Island, waiting for Shackleton’s return. It was especially poignant to our cruise that we were there as the world celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the expedition.  His loyal friend, Frank White, is also buried here. A fittingly remote place for these intrepid men to rest in peace. The main reason for coming to South Georgia though, is the penguins. Thousands of them and also the comical elephant seals.