LAND AHOY!!
We lucked out. Crossing the Drake Passage was smooth sailing. The expedition team kept calling it the “Drake Lake” since the waters were so calm. We left Ushuaia on Monday evening and spent all day on Tuesday on the Drake. We had a full lineup of programs to attend. From discussions on native Antarctic birds, glaciers, whales, and penguins combined with safety demonstrations, to preparation discussions for boarding Zodiacs and interacting with wildlife. We had plenty to do during our Drake crossing. It was easy to meet people and we quickly formed a group of friends that would hang out together for the entire trip. The excitement was certainly building among the 199 passengers to eventually see land. We couldn’t believe we were on our way to Antarctica! By Wednesday morning, the excitement had peaked. I looked out my window when I woke up that morning and I saw a fin whale coming up for air next to the ship. So cool! We knew we would be spotting land soon since we could see the GPS on the ship’s monitors. And as we were eating lunch on Wednesday… LAND!!! Many people had waited a lifetime to get to Antarctica. And now we had arrived!!
NO DOCKS IN ANTARCTICA
For those of you that have been on a cruise ship in the Caribbean or elsewhere, you are used to getting off the ship at each port of call from a gangway plank to the dock. As you can imagine, there are no docks in Antarctica for cruise ships. In fact, there is nothing besides land and wildlife in Antarctica. No hotels. No one trying to sell you an excursion trip or a hair braiding or a handmade craft. In Antarctica, the ship anchors away from land and everyone hops into a Zodiac boat which takes the passengers to land. Before we got onto the Zodiacs, we were called down to the mud room (gear preparation area to put on boots, waterproof pants, coats, lifejackets) in four different groups so we didn’t all show up at once. Once we were ready, they divided us into groups of ten to board a Zodiac. All of the expedition guides were trained to drive the Zodiac. The Zodiac pulls up on a beach and we all hop onto land.
ISLANDS DON’T COUNT AS STEPPING ONTO A CONTINENT
Its been a dream of mine for most of my life to visit all seven continents. It truly feels like a dream and at times the dream has seemed unattainable. Europe: easy. Asia and South America: a little more difficult. Australia and Africa: difficult. Antarctica: how the heck will anyone do that? But like any goal in life, you take it one step at a time. Once I checked off Africa and Australia, I realized that the only one left was Antarctica and it seemed within reach to accomplish my dream. Even on the Drake Passage heading down to Antarctica, it didn’t seem real. Many of the people on the ship were going to achieve the same dream of reaching all seven continents. The excitement had built and when we arrived at Barrientos Island for our first landing, we all felt that this landing didn’t count. It wasn’t the true mainland. It would be like a US resident visiting Aruba and saying they have been to South America. Sure, technically Aruba is located in South America, but it’s not the mainland.
WE MAY NOT MAKE LANDFALL ON THE MAINLAND
On the second day of heading off the ship for land excursions, we planned to make landfall on the mainland in the afternoon. However, we learned quickly that we had to remain very flexible since landing sites and weather can be unpredictable. Our cruise was the first expedition to Antarctica of the 2017-2018 season so many of the planned landing sites were not ready for landing. The entry channel of original site we wanted to land on was blocked by icebergs. Our ship was large enough to push the icebergs out of the way, however the Zodiacs would have trouble getting through the ice and it could be dangerous so an announcement was made on the ship to scrap the original plans. Those that were achieving the seventh continent became nervous. We wondered, “Will we actually make landfall on the continent? We came all this way and we may not get to step on the mainland?”
STEPPING ONTO MY SEVENTH CONTINENT
It was snowing pretty hard and visibility was low. Our spirits were a little low because the thought of not actually stepping on the mainland was beginning to creep in. “Could we actually say that we have been to Antarctica if we didn’t step on the mainland?” I know this seems silly to think about but we had made it all the way to the southernmost continent and for many of us, it would be the only opportunity to visit. But in the end, it worked out. We found another landing site that was accessible. Brown Station is an Argentine scientific research base that was only used in the summer time and the scientists had not yet arrived. The expedition crew had to carve out some stairs in the ice and snow at the landing site since the ice was very tall at the shore level. But we took the Zodiac out in the water for the first part since only 100 people at a time are allowed on land. So the first 100 passengers had their time on land and then we swapped. I couldn’t believe it – and it still hasn’t quite sunk in yet – but I stepped onto the Antarctic mainland. I had achieved my dream of visiting all seven continents. Wow, I really have been all over the world.
BEING PRESENT. BEING AWAKE. BEING ALIVE.
While we were at Brown Station, we hiked up to the highest point that overlooked the harbor. It was snowing and the cloud ceiling was very low. The view was so pretty and everything was still. No sounds except the wind. I took in the view and just relaxed. I was moved by the stillness and by being there. Words really can’t describe the feeling. As I sat in the snow atop this hill looking out over the harbor with the slow flakes falling around me, I reflected on the past couple weeks, the past several months, the past year, and most of my life. For the first time in a long time, I haven’t really thought or planned ahead. I just took each moment as it has come to me. I was present in each moment. As a human being, I am awake to life. I am alive. I thought to myself “This is the best moment in life. Right now.” And I think we rarely are living in the “right now”. It was incredible. It was empowering.
This is part 2 of a multi-part series about my adventure to the southernmost continent.
Next up… “The Polar Plunge: Jumping into the Antarctic water”
Awesome man…Congrats!!!! So Cool!!