All entries under Day 08: 20th Mar

Today is one of those few days we have in life when you say, how can all this incredible stuff possibly happen in 1 day? I had an early morning up and a very cold way to start on the top of the ship. What a way to wake up – cold, crisp, fresh wind blowing in my face. We made the overnight trip and after breakfast, a call went up to say Orca whales on the bow. A pod of Orca’s was swimming around and we followed them for awhile. What a beautiful creature and they move so effortless in the water.

We then had a landing and climbed the top of a hill and set up a classroom, which Nick held another LOTE (Leadership on the Edge) session. Right in the middle of the lesson, as if it was planned, half of an iceberg collapses and falls into the sea. The size of this iceberg was huge!!! The iceberg rocks back and forth, deciding if it is going to tip over or not. We watch as the waves produced from this rock the boat so violently. That might be the most spectacular event I have witnessed besides the birth of my children. I could go on using so many adjectives to describe it and it will be a scene I will take to my grave.

At dinner, we arrive in Dorian Bay and get set to go camping. The teams are set and off we go. We hike up the hill and move into the area we are going to set up camp. Areas are scraped, tents are set up and everything was set up before dark. An area is set where everyone gathers and starts talking, telling stories. Peter arrives with a guitar, he is standing up playing one song after another and a small group standing beside him singing. His hands start to get too cold to play and hand warmers are passed around to keep everyone’s hands warm. Peter then went and sat inside his tent and played, while several of us stood outside singing the songs. At this point, it was definitely an early bird crowd and most people went into their tents and headlamps were turned out earlier than I expected.

Off to sleep, camping on a glacier in Antarctica…………..

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You will read blogs that walk you through where we’ve been, what we’ve done and what we’ve seen. Blogs that diligently lay out our schedule, the weather conditions and each stop on the map. You will read intricate descriptions of the magnificent nature and wildlife in Antarctica. Just not on this blog. I have never been good with words, even less with maps, and I cannot tell you the different types of seals even if my life depended on it. What I would like to do is take you through my own personal journey so far and leave the rest to the more knowledgeable and skillful.

In my first blog, which was written before we reached the coast, I described my experience as “unusual”. The moment we landed it grew to “extraordinary”, and it soon reached “spectacular” - and I hadn’t taken more than a few steps from the zodiac! Since then the intensity of what we have been through has shot up to such high levels that it took me some time to finally catch up. Today, on the eight day of our expedition, I caught up. Why did it take me so long? Well, I’ve been so busy not getting seasick, dressing up warmly, attending lectures and briefings, and taking pictures of everything that is moving and even more pictures of the things that are not moving, that I didn’t make time to actually step back and absorb it all. Today, I stood up on the deck, unglued my camera from my nose and just took a deep breath. That’s when it hit me. Hard.

Antarctica is the perfect place for self exploration. She strips off your defensive layers one by one until you stand before her plain and transparent. She strips off all your protective disguise, all the different faces you wear - for your mother, for your lover, for your friends, for your boss. You stay before her vulnerable, all your fears and weaknesses exposed. And strangely, you feel at peace. As if you met the oldest friend you could ever have - a friend from once upon a time when the sea was clear, the land was untainted and the snow was blindingly white and pristine. And you feel an urge to share with her all your deepest treasures and all your darkest secrets. Because she will listen and accept you as you are, without judging or questioning. You don’t need to prove anything to her - how fast you are, how smart, how detail-oriented. You don’t need to say anything - how beautiful she is, how powerful, how ageless. How much you want her to stay forever as she is now. How she makes you feel safe and protected, and oh, so at home. And how you will do anything, anything! to give her protection so that your children can face her one day as you are facing her now. There is no need for praise or promises. Because at this moment it’s just you and her. And it finally feels right.

My biggest concern when leaving Bellingshausen was that the amazing seven people I had spent so long with would be separated among 70 strangers once we joined the 2008 IAE Expedition on the MV Ushuaia and continued down the Antarctic Peninsula for the next 10 days.

I also thought that I would be spending all my time trying to get people to understand what we were doing there, but in reality, everyone here not only understands it but loves it.

Americans, Russians, Australians, Koreans, people from 25 different nationall agreeing on one point: That renewable energy is the only way forward.

I can’t think of a time when so many nations agreed on one issue and wanted to take action, and if we’ve only inspired these 70 people, then that’s enough for me, because these 70 people will then go away and inspire another 70 people and they in turn will inspire more.

And all these little changes make huge ripples. Some people will look at what I’ve done and think I was mad. It was hard, but I hope my small actions have inspired this first group of 70 people, and hopefully some of you out there, reading this message.

In my eyes, this was a job well done…