Conquering Antarctica

(Navyn) I am not sure which is more challenging, learning linear equations or finding a strong enough internet signal to actually do the math homework. This morning we are sitting in the hallway of our hotel in Ushuaia, Argentina in between vacuum cleaners and motion activated lights in order to get a stronger signal. Maya and Jolie are out here with me and have to do a light dance every two minutes so we can see, while Halle and Zara hold their iPads up outstretched to the internet gods to get the next math question to load.

Our boat departs this evening so our next challenge is making our 7 months of luggage equate to allowable limit of 33 pounds per person and 11 pounds of hand luggage. Our bags weigh 10 pounds empty so we will have to choose wisely. We tried to argue that Jolie only weighs 60 pounds and therefore we can have more luggage but that logic didn’t get us far. Mr. MacMillan, the twin’s science teacher, insisted we bring Marco the stuffed bear who has been to every continent but Antarctica. They have to make sure he has his photo taken with an iceberg and then we can mail him back to the middle school.

(January 7-13) We boarded the Sea Adventurer at 4pm and checked out our rooms, had some dinner and safety briefings on board before setting off into the Drake Passage. The million dollar question – will it be the Drake Shake or the Drake Lake? I am assuming since we brought lucky Paul with us that it will be the latter.

In an excerpt from The Endurance, Ernest Shackleton, the great explorer who attempted an Antarctic crossing in 1914, explains it this way. “The Antarctic Circle lies at 67 degrees south latitude where the sea circles the globe uninterrupted by any mass of land. Here, since the beginning of time, the winds have mercilessly driven the seas clockwise around the earth to return again to their birthplace where they reinforce themselves or another. Winds of such violence, with gust velocities up to 200 mph, are not known elsewhere, save within a tropical cyclone.”

To be on the safe side, I took Jolie in my room and Paul took Maya so we could keep an eye on the littles and the twins had their own room. The captain reported that the weather is “not bad” – lots of sun, light winds and small waves in our future (thank you Paul), and we slept most of night. It felt like a combination of a being on the low tumble dry setting and my least favorite ride at Disney, the teacups. At 8:00am the breakfast bell went off and I did not see how I was going to drag myself to eat in the dining room. I get very seasick. Not as bad as my friend JJ, but not far behind. To make matters worse, right next to the breakfast buffet, Jolie comes over to me looking white and throws up in my hands. We rush back to our table for her to finish throwing up on Halle’s omelette. Simultaneously Paul is with Zara who is puking over the side of the boat. Off to a promising start. Paul keeps trying to lure us out of bed to see an albatross or listen to the lecture on minke whales but Zara, Jolie and I aren’t budging.

To get you acquainted with the continent, I will take some fun facts I learned from Jolie’s presentation.

~ Antarctica is large and accounts to 10% of the Earth’s land surface.

~ During the winter, the formation of sea ice causes the continent to double in size.

~ In some places the ice is 3 miles deep.

~ The Antarctic ice cap contains 70% of the world’s fresh water.

~ It is the coldest place on earth (lowest recorded at -128 degrees F)

~ It is the driest continent with precipitation of 2” per year meaning it is classified as a desert.

~ Antarctic ice began forming 30 million years ago.

~ The penguin population is estimated at 75 million.

~ The official human population is 0.

~ Seven nations claim territories but these were put aside in the name of scientific research in 1961 when all signed the Antarctic Treaty.

~ And, there is no sun for 182 days during the Antarctic winter.

Every day the seas get progressively calmer with mostly sunny skies and the occasional light storybook snow. The crew said they had not seen a string of good weather like this in ages. The waters were so still they reflected the snow capped mountains as if in a watercolor painting. Each day the ship parks itself in a new destination that offers kayaking or hiking mixed in with zodiac rides to see the beauty of Antarctica from several different perspectives. In my kayak yesterday we paddled through dark black waters and brash ice alongside penguins whose little bodies torpedo them selves out of the water like they are flying. It is completely silent except for my paddle pushing the ice out of the way, a whale exhaling somewhere nearby, the Antarctic cormorants calling and the occasional thunderstorm rumble of ice calving into the sea.

After lunch, I took the girls on a hike straight to the top of a steep mountain overlooking Orne Harbour. At the top we sat and watched the penguins go about their daily life. They trek up and down the penguin highway gathering food for their newly born chicks and rocks to build up their nests to keep their new family protected from the weather and predators. They fight, steal, play, hike, waddle and swim providing hours of entertainment. Once we completed our penguin research, we found a quiet snowy cliff, which the girls quickly turned it into a sledding luge. No sooner did the others hear the giggles and screams of the girls bombing down the mountainside did they come over and ask for a turn. Adults of all ages started to form a line asking if they could take a sled. To finish the day, we headed out on zodiacs to check out the humpback whales and even a leopard seal basking in the sun on his own iceberg.

Last but not least is the ICE. Probably sounds boring to most but I could look at it all day. The different formations, like sculptures of the sea, designed in every conceivable shade of blue. They are magnificent shapes, sizes and colors. Not to worry, I took a photograph of every single one so you all could see the beauty on display out here in the middle of nowhere.

The girls are quite exhausted by the end of the day that begins sometimes as early as 5:30am then after three excursions we try to get everyone to bed. As soon as we get into our jammies to finally rest does an announcement over the PA system come booming into our room. A pod of orcas is on the starboard side. We scramble to put on any item of clothing we can find and run out to the deck to see no less than 15 orcas (killer whales) leaping through the water right next to the boat.

And finally, the last must do in Antarctica is the dreaded polar plunge. I am not looking forward to this but since ALL the girls said they were in, I had no choice but to join the line. Jolie now holds the record for the youngest plunger on the Sea Adventurer and the rest of us can call ourselves survivors. The water was 34 degrees and was as numbing to all the senses as you would imagine.

In addition to the exquisite beauty of this unique continent, the crew on this ship truly made the trip special. They were talented, energetic, and happy to be our science teachers for the week. A big thank you to all of them for sharing their passion with us. Two weeks, two continents, and off we go again. A mile hike with our backpacks took us and all of our new friends we made on the ship to the dirt runway where we took off for Punta Arenas, Chile. Oh, and in breaking news, Old Salty, I mean Paul, finally shaved off his beard. Hallelujah, people were starting to think he was hanging out with his grandchildren. Pictures are up in the photo gallery at last. Check ’em out.