Team members say

I woke up this morning to the announcement looking for an extraction team to go up and help bring camp 2 down. I was lucky to extract myself out of bed!! We went through some beautiful areas today with mountains in every direction. I believe that today I took about 400 photos in all! The morning was breaking and the mountains were bright white against the blue moonlit sky. We did a morning landing at Brown station. The penguins met us and we walked in a straight line, as you do, up the gentle slope to an area of rocks. We broke up into our teams and continued our Lote sessions. After bidding goodbye to our flightless friends, we went back to the ship for our barbeque lunch! Then, it was time to get ready to go out again. We were in a most gorgeous area called Paradise Bay. This time, we actually had the option to go ashore or stay on the ship. As this was the last time that we would be going ashore on the Antarctic continent itself, I pulled myself off my bed where I was daydreaming (nearly asleep!) and went on down to the Zodiac boat. Once on land, I decided to let the group leave and climb up the mountain. I was staying on the beach with the penguins! I walked along to a secluded area, and then suddenly-PENGUINS EVERYWHERE!! I sat on the sand and just soaked in the sounds of the waves, the majestic white mountains surrounding me, and the adorable feathered guys dressed in their tuxedos! I felt like I was in a virtual Club Penguin game (well, those of you with kids might know what Club Penguin is!). I was fascinated and just watched the almost comical actions of these fluffy guys. The slipped on the snow and jumped down the rocks. Every so often, a few would come by and check me out and then walk away perplexed. There must have been more than 100 within a small area around where I sat. I felt as if I was a guest at a most special event. After an hour, I pulled myself away and walked very slowly away trying not to disturb my hosts. I then took in my surroundings once more before I made my way back to the Zodiac to go back to our floating hotel. We had a session with Robert and then dinner (all we ever do it seems is eat!). After dinner, I put the rest of my photos on my computer. I am now up to 1,376 photos JUST from Antarctica! Well, off to bed. We are leaving protected waters and I can now feel the boat. I am watching my fellow team members enjoy drinks, but all I can chance is Coca-Cola. I am wondering how I will do on Monday when we enter the Drake Passage for our return. Today, we were told that the winds are picking up and we can expect a rough passage. Boy, something to look forward to!

If you believed that you were living a dream, then you would be on the MV Ushuaia making your way through the most incredible sights of raw nature on this earth. I do not need a spaceship, for I have journeyed south to the last unspoiled area on earth. I have now gotten quite adept at getting into the Zodiac boats, pretending I am white water rafting! I have seen the most graceful animals glide in and out of the sea. We have spotted leopard seals, elephant seals, crab eater seals, penguins, humpback whales, killer whales, many birds, and even a specimen of frozen krill. I am traveling with interesting people who have walked the four corners of this land, including now the shy continent, Antarctica!

After our first landing on Bellingshausen at 45 knots, we continue through the week with milder winds! We woke on Wednesday to Iceberg Alley, which is the most impressive early morning wake-up of my entire life. There were hundreds and probably thousands of icebergs. We spotted seals and penguins lounging on ice floes. We landed later in the day at Brown Bluff, where we took delight in watching playful penguins and BIG seals on the beach. We took our turn with our banners to have our photograph on the glacier. Thursday was a magnificent day once again. It was exactly one year since I met Robert Swan and was invited on this expedition. And it is my mother’s birthday, as well as the first day of the northern hemisphere spring. We climbed up to a highpoint and sat on the snow overlooking the bay. We were at Charlotte’s Bay, and we were having a Leadership on the Edge Workshop ON THE EDGE!!! Nick even brought up his whiteboard and we had to move around on this area up high, taking care not to step past the safety lines. You never know where there might be a hidden crevasse. All of a sudden, there was a massive crash, and in front of our eyes a large iceberg fell apart with a thunderous roar. The sea sloshed back and forth and water splashed over rocks and small icebergs. Robert later told me that he never saw such a large iceberg break up! So, global warming experienced first-hand! Later that night, it was time for the first overnight camping on the ice. I was part of this first group. Well, in short, I made it through the night and was glad that I was not in the shoes of Shackleton and therefore would had spent two years camping on the ice!

I awoke early this morning, Friday, and after taking down our tent, came back to the ship for a much needed refueling, as they say here, and a shower! We went through an incredible area of big mountains called Lemaire Channel. The sun and the clouds played beautiful games on the peaks. I could not comprehend how this was all really happening to me! We went out in the afternoon for a one-hour Zodiac Cruise around Pleneau Island. The colors of the water and icebergs were gorgeous shades of blues and whites. After dinner, the second group went off to camp. Boy, was I glad that I had done my camping already and I could drink without worry of lacking toilets on land and leave nothing behind! Our group then took a journey over to Locknoy Island. It is inhabited part of the year, despite being VERY tiny and covered in penguins and what THEY leave behind! But, for me, I was in my element with the birds. They jumped and played and made noise. I was in penguin heaven and could not believe how lucky I was. Then, back to our ship for a very bumpy Zodiac ride, no longer scary for me, but laugh inducing. I am writing this as our last two land days are approaching. I love this trip more than anything I have ever experienced. But no need to worry, I have taken well over 1,000 photos, so I will have memories to share and remember for the rest of my life. And…….the trip is not over yet!! Bye for now- and I am now adjusted to the sea and feel funny on land!!

Today is St. Patrick’s Day. I celebrate not for the holiday, but for the fact that I can get out of bed for more than 2 minutes! I spent all of yesterday in bed very seasick. The seas were calm compared to what they could be, but for me, the seas were like a continous rolling earthquake! I was taken care of by my wonderful cabin mate who brought me bread, bread, and some more bread. I was able to eat lunch today, but at the end, we ran from the dining room and saw our first iceberg! It was brilliant. At first, it seemed as if we were going straight for it, but of course we did not hit it and we watched it go along side of us. We have also seen whales today, and many birds. We are excited as the time comes to meet the advanced team at Bellingshausen. We arrive tonight. Tomorrow, we take the Zodiac boats to shore and we will spend about 10 hours on land!

Wendy’s initial thoughts about climate change…

I work with young people, and they are very worried about what the future will hold for them on our planet. I am aware of the hole in the ozone layer in the Antarctic, and of the melting of ice in both poles, and this concerns me greatly. I know that extreme weather is happening more frequently, and that I have been affected by scorching heat in the summer in England in 2003 and in Romania last summer. Both instances were very unusual. The weather has become so unpredictable, and this is very worrying.