Journey to the
End of the Earth
Adventuras Antartido: Stories and photos from a January 2008 expedition to Antarctica and Patagonia
WHY DO I TRAVEL?
There is a wicked bug that tends to bite curious minds. A single bite is strong enough to transform the victim’s mind and life forever. Yes, I’m talking about the (in)famous “travel bug” which causes the victim to feel an obsessive need to travel the world! The fever the bug causes is commonly called "Wanderlust". I sometimes sit back and wonder if this trip was real, and not the product of my overactive imagination. Everything is still so fresh in my memory that I often get caught up storytelling, wanting to include everything in my recaps, and all that comes out is something resembling a five-year-old explaining a wild dream they had. I needed to find a place to dump every experience in my head, in some cohesive order, so that everyone might experience the glory of Antarctica. I hope you enjoy the adventure as much as I did!
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WHY ANTARCTICA?
Tale of a Starry Eyed First Grader
I remember being 6-years-old in Mr. Hickman’s first grade class, hypnotized by the tale of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Mr. Popper, a local painter fascinated with Admiral Drake’s exploration to the Antarctic, received a penguin in the mail from Admiral Drake himself. I loved that book and still do to this day. We had just finished reading about Mr. Popper converting his ice chest into a nest for his penguin, Captain Cook, when our school janitor brought in a big box with holes poked in the sides. Our class read the address tag and to our surprise and delight, Admiral Drake had sent our class a package from Antarctica too! The box was opened and we discovered our class’ very own (stuffed) Emperor Penguin. Oh course we named him Captain Cook and he joined us in our adventure of hearing about Mr. Popper and his performing penguins.
When I found out that I had been accepted to the Antarctica trip I thought of that moment in elementary school. Every since hearing the story of Mr. Popper I had always dreamed of traveling to Antarctica, but everyone knew that you had to be an explorer to go there. When I received my email congratulating me on my acceptance to the Antarctica J-term trip I called Mr. Hickman and told him the story of a 6-year-old being inspired to travel to Antarctica, after reading a book with him in first grade, and finally getting the opportunity to live out that dream. I was excited to finally become an explorer like Captain Cook and Ernest Shackleton. I would get to travel to the last known frontier in the world and experience what it must have been like to sail to an island only to see thousands upon thousands of flightless birds wandering the rocky shores. I was even excited about getting to brave the Drake Passage and Cape Horn in a small boat, exactly like the explorers I had read about growing up. I really was going to become an explorer!
I remember being 6-years-old in Mr. Hickman’s first grade class, hypnotized by the tale of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Mr. Popper, a local painter fascinated with Admiral Drake’s exploration to the Antarctic, received a penguin in the mail from Admiral Drake himself. I loved that book and still do to this day. We had just finished reading about Mr. Popper converting his ice chest into a nest for his penguin, Captain Cook, when our school janitor brought in a big box with holes poked in the sides. Our class read the address tag and to our surprise and delight, Admiral Drake had sent our class a package from Antarctica too! The box was opened and we discovered our class’ very own (stuffed) Emperor Penguin. Oh course we named him Captain Cook and he joined us in our adventure of hearing about Mr. Popper and his performing penguins.
When I found out that I had been accepted to the Antarctica trip I thought of that moment in elementary school. Every since hearing the story of Mr. Popper I had always dreamed of traveling to Antarctica, but everyone knew that you had to be an explorer to go there. When I received my email congratulating me on my acceptance to the Antarctica J-term trip I called Mr. Hickman and told him the story of a 6-year-old being inspired to travel to Antarctica, after reading a book with him in first grade, and finally getting the opportunity to live out that dream. I was excited to finally become an explorer like Captain Cook and Ernest Shackleton. I would get to travel to the last known frontier in the world and experience what it must have been like to sail to an island only to see thousands upon thousands of flightless birds wandering the rocky shores. I was even excited about getting to brave the Drake Passage and Cape Horn in a small boat, exactly like the explorers I had read about growing up. I really was going to become an explorer!
Expedition destinations
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PATAGONIA
Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina El Calafate, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina El Chalten, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina Parque Nacional de Tierra del Fuego, Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina |
ANTARCTICA
Half Moon Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica Yankee Harbour, Greenwich Islands, Antarctica Whaler’s Bay, Deception Island, Antarctica Cuverville Island, Gerlache Straight, Antarctica Port Lockroy, Wiencke Island, Antarctica Paradise Bay, Western Antarctic Peninsula Petermann Island, Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica Booth Island, Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica Neko Harbour, Andvord Bay, Antarctica |
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“Traveling – it leaves you speechless,
then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta "We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man." - Ernest Shackleton |
