A rare opportunity

It doesn´t feel like we´ve spent a week out here, it feels like a year or more. Strange to think that such a short time in Antarctica can fundamentally change your view of the world.

I started the trip by reading about Shackleton´s adventures which may have prepared me for the journey to the most unpredictable and inhospitable continent in the world. But I think also spending 7 days and nights on a small boat with a team of inspirational people from over 24 countries in the world; small & large companies, students, teachers; all their experiences contribute to a fascinating melting pot of ideas on how each of us can each contribute to making a difference to the world we live in, and preserve this planet for future generations.

I´ve survived on surprisingly little sleep during this week. Every day of our expedition has been packed with adventure - up at 6am to see sunrise, land on Chilean and Argentinian Bases, share expertise in environmental initiatives, listen to Robert Swan´s amazing adventures and tireless endeavours to protect the planet, and so much more. The fact that the crew are also out on deck (with a minus 30 wind chill) taking pictures of Orcas, Whales, Seals, Pengiuns shows how rare some of these sitings actually are and also how blessed we are with such glorious sunshine and wild skies. Every time I lift up my new digital camera I think the results are brilliant, but even a video would not truly capture the beauty of this constant 360 degree panorama.

Over the last few nights we´ve been camping at Dorian Bay, a rare opportunity in the Antarctic. But a real challenge to remove every single thing we brought onto the ice cap in order to protect this environment! We survived the experience, managed to get some sleep and enjoyed the climb up to the ridge where we camped. This morning at 6.30am we headed off again on a RIB with10 of us, only visible with the full moon, to land again at Dorian Bay. I joined the ´extraction´ crew to climb to the ridge where the 2nd team had camped. With ´Jumper´ on board the Zoadiac I felt like a member of the SAS. It was a wet landing in the darkness, we scrambled ashore and climbed up the glacier to rescue our team who had spent the night camping in strong winds. The sight before us was a huddle of 8 or so tents which looked like Igloos. They had all built walls of ice round each tent to protect them from the wind and snow. When we had ´extracted´ them from their Igloos, the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen signaled a new day from behind the mountain range. So in a few minutes we had melted from SAS adventurers, to be transfixed once more to our Antarctic expedition; determined to preserve the future of peace and science this continent so rightly deserves.