Friends, family, co-workers, tweeters and facebookers have all asked me lots of questions about my experience since I've returned. Here are the ones that have been coming up the most.
1. So… How was it?!
Legendary! EPIC! Amazing. Better than I expected. Far beyond what I could have imagined. I didn’t quite expect to be so moved! So touched. But, when you’re surrounded by incredible, remote wilderness, it’s impossible not to be affected by it in some profound way. I’d like to bring the spirit of Antarctica and the connection I had to it into my everyday life. Not sure what that means quite yet, but it was too special and too important for me to overlook. It’s hard to explain exactly what about it was so life-changing or why… it just was.
Since I’ve returned, I’ve already looked into several ways of going back, donated to many organizations dedicated to its preservation (more on that in a future post), and researched like-minded people, companies and organizations whose lives are focused on Antarctica.
Needless to say, it was that good.
2. What did you do every day?
On the Drake (2 days in both directions), I spent most of the time going to educational lectures presented by the Expedition Guides. We had ornithologists, marine biologists, historians, geologists - all teaching us about their expertise in Antarctica.
On the peninsula, we visited two locations per day each with activities including kayaking (if you signed up for it), zodiac cruising, or going ashore. In many cases, I got to do all three. On land, we hiked and watched the penguins (so many curious penguins, they got so close!) and other wildlife. The zodiac cruises got us up-close to the icebergs and glaciers. In between each location, we were aboard the ship, watching wildlife (whales!) from the deck, having meals, listening to more lectures or getting in a quick nap until it was time to do something amazing again. Since it was always light... there was always something to see. I didn't sleep much!
Read More