The morning was gray with light rain. We sat just off a long, sandy beach at Carcass Island—named for a ship, not a body. After breakfast, long-distance hikers headed to shore where they passed a Magellanic penguin on their route. Beyond the beach, one can climb to the top of a ridge to explore the heath and the great slabs of lichen-covered rocks or just meander along the slope.
While long-distance guests hiked, National Geographic Explorer headed to a protected, natural harbor in front of the Carcass Island settlement. From there, the rest of the hikers and those on a photo walk headed out.
The hikers reconvened mid-morning in a house where a mid-morning tea has been prepared. There was tea and coffee, as well as a huge table covered with various cakes, cookies, and scones. After eating our fill, we noticed the sun had come out. After lunch we headed to nearby West Point Island, a special place where we were given choices: walk or ride in a Land Rover to the top of the island and to the other side to see a steep slope, the Devil’s Nose, and colonies of black-browed albatross and rockhopper penguins! It was a great place for photos and just looking around.
The plants and lichens there were extraordinary. There were not many flowers as it was fall in the southern hemisphere, but there were lots of interesting shapes and colors and most everything is miniature—too low to appreciate when standing up straight. We spent much of our time crawling around, making discoveries, and capturing images.
