Team members say

The last two days have been absolutely amazing. Wednesday was a sunny and beautiful day (a change from the blizzard like weather on Tuesday) which made for a smooth ride on the zodiac and a ´dry landing´ (i.e. we did not have to walk through water to get to shore). It was such a great feeling as I took my first steps on the continent of Antarctica – something only about 150,000 people have ever experienced.

We were greeted by the locals, penguins and lion seals, and I was able to spend time exploring the magnificent landscape. It was a surreal vision to see glaciers, mountains, and the ocean within meters (yep, learning the metric system) from each other. I climbed the mountains and played with the penguins – Flat Stanley had an amazing time.

Today, Thursday, our wake up call ´Team Inspire, Team Inspire, Team Inspire´ was at 7:30 am with a departure for a new landing on Antarctica at 10:30 am. We climbed a hill that was about 300 meters and had a Leadership on the Edge training. During the middle of a discussion on Trust – we heard a loud ´crack´ and a glacier started breaking apart - one piece at a time until only a 1/3 of the glacier remained.

Tomorrow is camping in -10 degrees Celsius…layers, layers, layers!

Flat Stanley and I loved visiting the Glacier Martial in Ushuaia and got some last minute shopping in. The Drake Passage was ‘perfect sailing’ according to our Captain; although others got sick, I made it through just fine. The food and the crew have been wonderful; as well as my first roommate, Marianne, from the Netherlands and my second roommate, Sue, from Atlanta. Today, Monday 3-17, I saw my first iceberg which was amazing. It was so beautiful especially with the birds flying around it. Did you all know that some of the birds here fly for 7 hours without ever landing? We passed a pod of whales early this morning too!! Woo hoo! Shout out to everyone: Steve – I love you, miss you and wish you were here! Mom and Dad – thank you for everything – you would love it! Jim, Trish, Ryan, and Zack – thanks for letting me borrow your camera – I hope to return it in one piece. My Kroll Family – thank you for this opportunity – it has been absolutely amazing.

Melissa’s initial thoughts on climate change…

I haven’t really been impacted….or I just haven’t realized it! I am sure this trip will give me a new perspective.