Another of my hopes for our Antarctic adventure was the chance to see the sun set in one of the most remote landscapes on Earth. This wasn’t a given; first of all, the weather’s gonna weather, and I didn’t know if the skies would cooperate with a spectacular sunset at all. And second, the sun sets late this far south – well after 10:00 p.m. – and I wasn’t even sure I’d be awake. But there were a few nights when I made it to sunset, and on one night in particular it was just gorgeous. I stood on the stern of the ship and watched as the sun dipped lower and lower in the sky while we cruised over calm seas.

The orange to blue ombre effect of the Antarctic summer sky – might be the happiest color combination there is.

I stayed out in the biting cold wind as long as I could, watching the orange of the sky deepen and burnish all of the craggy mountaintops.

I finally went in when the sun was gone, although it still wasn’t dark and wouldn’t be dark for a few more hours. Antarctica is spectacular in every light, but there is something very special indeed about sunset.

Next week: paddles back in the water at Neko Harbour!