Summer seems to have arrived on Mt. Morning. The air outside my tent today was cool, and if it wasn’t entirely springlike, temperatures were certainly above freezing. Margins of a few icy ponds had melted, and little sprigs of algae unfurled green fronds under the surface.

We spent the day traversing the 25,000-year-old lava flows below Emperor Cone. Traveling with geologists, you don’t have to worry too much about forgetting your water bottle – our camp was almost always in sight. In about nine hours, we got no farther away from camp than 1 kilometer. But in that short space we found plenty to look at: wind-eaten rocks, two very different forms of lava, and a fence of hexagonal stone pillars, among other sights you’ll hear about another day.

Read more about our adventures on Day 17 of Polar Discovery.