May 9th, Mother's Day North Seymour Island and Pinnacle Rock

North Seymour Island is a flat table top island growing out of the Pacific Ocean. Tuff and basalt with a vein of limestone make the island seem like a lunar landscape. Great Frigate birds nest in the low branches. The gular, or pouch, fills as the males look for mates. More than one male sits in the trees flapping their pouches calling, "Look at me, I have the biggest pouch." Sounds like some of the males I know...lol. It was a flat circular hike.









Mother birds feed their young opening their beaks so the babies can stick their whole beak and head down the gullet to reach the predigested food. Ouch!








Fur seals, which are smaller than their cousins, the sea lions, sunned themselves on the rocks as we rode the panga nearby.









Galapagos penguins surfed as I watched, amazed that I could be this close!











The boardwalk and steps leading to the top of Pinnacle Rock were steep and better than the stairmaster! The lunar landscape continued to astonish my senses.










After the last eruption, lava tunnels, very fragile now, dot the landscape. The lava rushed from the top of the crater, now extinct, and cooled into tunnels as they reached the sea.













The view from the top of the boardwalk was incredible!














At last, the motley crew, all together after our amazing hike to the top.