Grytviken and Stromness, South Georgia

Grytviken was the first whaling station established on South Georgia in 1904, and the Whalers Cemetery is located here. Ernest Shackleton's grave is the headliner in the graveyard. Stromness was establish 8 year later.

Shackleton's grave.

Norwegian church establish in 1904 at Grytviken. It was raining which accounts for the part of the image to the right of the steeple.

Inside the Norwegian church from the balcony which is about 5 feet wide.

This is a replica of the James Caird, the longboat used by 6 men (Shackleton, Frank Worsley (the skipper), Harry McNish, John Vincent, Time McCarthy and Tom Cream) to make the 800 miles trek from Elephant Island to South Georgia. The boat is really small, 23 feet, and it was doubted that they would survive the journey. But they did, and then Shackleton, Worsley and Cream made their way, with no maps, and anyway the region was unmapped, across South Georgia's interior mountains, glaciers, and icy crevasses, some 26 miles, on foot (and who knows what kind of footware - certainly not anything with GoreTex liners!), and did the trip in 36 HOURS. They had only 50 feet of rope, and a carpenter's adze to use as an ice-ax. They did put scres in their boots for crampons though. They gave up the rope after they rappelled down a waterfall near Stromness and emerged soaked and frozen. One final note: As part of a recent documentary on the ENDURANCE expedition, three world-class mountaineers, well-fed and completely equipped, retraced the journey to Stromness. It took them 3 DAYS. Granted, conditions have probably changed a great deal in the 90 years since, but it does point out what a remarkable feat was accomplished. I do regret that we did not have a chance to repeat the last 4 miles of that journey from Fortuna Bay to Stromness due to high winds - we are such sissies! The trip would have included the waterfall that gave the 3 men so much grief.

I've included this picture of a mounted Wandering Albatross to show how wide the wingspan actually is. These are 8 foot ceilings, and to get the albatross to fit, the wings are not spread out fully - there is probably another foot to a foot and a half further to go. Both the James Caird and the mounted Albatross are in the musuem at Grytviken.

Stromness Whaling Center - abandoned and off limits to us because of safety reasons. The area is now enjoyed by fur seals and King penguins without fear of being killed by whalers.