TERRA FIRMA!!!  Today started off with a buzz of excitement. During the night we had passed through the convergence, meaning that we were truly in Antarctic waters.  Today would be the day when all of these people who have been waiting and planning for such a long time would finally touch their feet to Antarctica soil, or maybe I should say Antarctic Ice.  

The change was evident not only by the excitement, but by the fact that we're now seeing icebergs on a regular basis as we sit and eat our meals or walk around the boat.  

Before we could leave for shore we had to first listen to a mandatory debriefing about the protocols while on shore.  These protocols have been establish by IAATO in order to help conserve Antarctica and make sure it remains relatively untouched.  These protocols are quite similar to the Leave No Trace Principles but with some interesting differences.  When I discuss LNT with my students we talk about the fact that it’s better to sit on a rock than it is on plant matter that can be damaged.  However here in Antarctica you don’t want to step on plants (all two species of them) OR rocks because rocks are what house the lichens and are nesting sites for penguins.  Speaking of penguins.  Probably the most frequent question I heard before I left was “Can you bring me back a penguin”.  I now have an answer for you.  No.  Unless you want to do my year of jail time and pay my $25,000 fine.  We aren’t even allowed to approach them by any more than 15feet.   There are actually people who troll facebook and other social media sites looking for evidence of people getting too close to Antarctic wildlife and they will prosecute you if they find you!  That said, penguins can’t read and so if they choose to break the law, there’s nothing you can do about it.  

In my ecotourism class we also talked about the importance of not bringing along any hitchhikers (seeds, eggs etc) along with us into other terrains.  This is another aspect of the protocols, so after the debriefing we had to take any of our equipment that we would be using on land and have it vacuumed and decontaminated.   I think I was the only one taking pictures of it, but it was nice to see something I teach my students put into practice on the other side of the world.  

Then the moment we had all been waiting for arrived… penguins!  Tons of them.  We were cruising along through the English Straight when someone pointed out a group of them flying through the water.  Everyone made mad dashes for cameras in order to put our newly learned camera skills to use.  I didn’t get a great picture of this group but then another and another appeared.  We saw upwards of a dozen groups of 10-20 penguins making their way to shore.  I guess I had expected to see some penguins in the open water, but not this many!  And then if that wasn’t enough the humpback whales decide to put on a show, breaching multiple times before showing us their tales as they dove down deeper to feed.  According to the sonar on the boat there were krill balls below us, which is likely what was attracting them.  As we were standing out on the bow, chatting about whales, I learned form Andy (Canadian naturalist, obviously he’s cool) that the Killer Whales in this area are genetically distinct from those found in BC waters.  They believe that the last time they interbred was around 750,000 years ago!  

At Half Moon Island the group had two options on shore.  Go directly to the rookery (where penguins are nesting) or to do a 4mile hike around the island and then end up at the rookery.  Bet you can’t guess which one I chose… After two days at sea and multiple days of travel I was definitely ready to stretch my legs and of course chose the hike.  Perfect choice.  We started by climbing to the top of the hill and getting a great view of the harbor as well as saw moss, lichen and the only grass in Antarctica.  Botany goals for this trip have a officially been met!  To avoid hiking all the way down we simple strapped our bags to our stomachs, rolled onto our backs and slid head first down the hill.  Tobogganing goals for this trip have officially been met. 

As we came around the far side of the island we ran into a couple of Weddell seals hanging out on the snow.  While Weddell seals are great divers (they have much higher hemoglobin concentrations in the blood allowing them to carry a lot more oxygen) they have small jaws and therefore aren’t able to defend themselves in the same was as leopard or elephant seals.  This is why we found a group of them sleeping on the snow where they are away from predators.   When they leave this spot you can barely tell they were there because the blubber does such a good job of insulating them that they don’t even melt the snow beneath them.  The seals were adorable and made very good photo subjects, doing all sorts of poses for us.  

After a quick clean up it was time for the Captain’s Reception and recap from the day.  It was interrupted by some squeals and pointing and we once again had whales off of our port side.  Lots of them!   It was also announced that we’d have a bonus stop this evening after dinner at Deception Island.   The bay itself is actually the caldera of an ACTIVE volcano!  The side of it had collapsed filling the caldera with water and creating a crescent shape bay, basically imagine a croissant shaped island.  It formerly housed a whaling station and now is an occasional research station, and apparently up until 3 years ago had a hot spot that would warm the waters around the inner edge of the caldera.  They used to dig pits in the sand and allow them to fill with water and create hot tubs, but it’s no longer allowed as it doesn’t really fit with the whole leave no trace thing!  One shore we could see the remnants of the old whaling station, including some row boats, tanks to hold the rendered oil and outbuildings.  Eric (naturalist) told us a story about a girl who had tried to hide out on this island during an earlier expedition so that she could attempt to live there for a year.  She basically spent the day sneaking supplies from the boat and then hiding so that the ship would leave without her.  Fortunately someone noticed and they went back to get her, but even as they were driving the zodiac towards the ship she jumped overboard trying to get back.  Not surprisingly she was on watch the rest of the way back to Ushuaia.  I think he said this happened ~15 years ago, but still crazy to believe that anyone could think they could survive an Antarctic winter with a couple of supplies stolen from a boat. 

Well I best be wrapping up it's midnight and twilight but I need to get some sleep.  Couple of more landings tomorrow and possibly some kayaking. 

Hope you’re all having a great start to your Christmas holidays! 

Ok, so apparently I seem to like to tempt fate, and fate seems to win each time.  You’d think that I would learn.  Last night I was saying to a couple of ship mates that I thought it would be kind of neat to experience the Drake at its worst; a sort of rite of passage.  You can probably see where this is heading…

We officially entered the Drake Passage just I was hitting publish on my blog entry last night.  There was a distinct increase in the size of the swells and the amount of motion you felt in the boat.  I slept like a baby.  I got up feeling fine, had a shower, sat down on my bed and that’s when it hit me.  The overwhelming urge to vomit… and this is a calm Drake!  The nice thing was that once that was out of the way I felt much better and I was still able to participate in most of the activities planned for today.   That said, I’m keeping this blog post a little shorter today because I feel a tiny bit queasy still and I want to get a full night sleep for once because tomorrow we make landfall and I want to be ready! 

Because today was entirely at sea, the agenda today was made up of a variety of presentations.  Attendance was lower at these as the toll of the Drake kept a number of people in their cabins.   First meeting of the day was an introduction of the Lindblad and National Geographic teams as well as a quick introduction of the Grosvenor Teacher Fellow program.  There is nothing like trying to walk a straight line to the microphone when the sea is tossing you around.  This was followed by a photography talk and break out sessions to work on individual types of camera.  I’m not going to get into too much detail here, but plan to write a more lengthy post at the end of the trip about the photography tips I’ve learned. 

I may have taken a 2.5 hour nap this afternoon.  Which meant that I missed the bird photography lesson, but I’m sure I’ll have lots of opportunities to work on that in the coming days.  I did wake up in time for the talk on “Krill and Penguins: Life in a Changing World”.  Rudolpho, the naturalists presenting this topic, spent many years working for the WWF and now is active in PEW.  He spoke to us about the importance of Krill in the Antarctic Food web, as they supply nutrition to countless other species in the oceans surrounding the continent.  However Krill populations are under pressure due to two primary factors, climate change and fishing (they are used by pharmacology for omega 3 fatty acids).  It is difficult to determine which factor is having a greater impact, but are working with scientific models to help them predict.  The problem is also compounded by not having proper data for other species that would in turn be affected by declining Krill numbers, including the Chinstrap penguin (who we will likely be meeting tomorrow).

At dinner I sat with a couple of guests on board the ship, including Australian Mary who was having her 60th birthday!   This trip was her present to herself and so it was quite a festive dinner complete with champagne and cake. I am getting spoiled! The guests on board this ship are just about as fascinating as the voyage itself.  Everyone comes from such diverse backgrounds and I’m really enjoying just sitting and listening to their stories.  Most of them are very well travelled and I definitely have a couple of more places to add to my list.

After dinner Nichole and I made the decision that if we were in our cabin that we should just leave the door open so that it was easier for people to stop in and visit us.  This paid off when Rudolpho stopped by and pulled up a chair for a chat.  We spoke more about the Krill and fisheries and regulation by the CCAMLR.  He’s agreed to do a video interview with Nichole and I about his roles and responsibilities so that we can use it as a resource in our classrooms.

Not many pictures today… I’ll make up for it tomorrow.  Time for bed, sunrise tomorrow is 3:27am! 

What a day, what a day.  I am typing tonight’s post while sitting in the library on the uppermost deck of the ship as we sail towards the Drake Passage.  The only word to describe this exact moment is surreal.  As I try to focus on my computer screen, my eyes keep being drawn back towards the snow capped coastal mountains that make up the end of the Andes Chain.  In the background I am listening to the sound of new friends introducing themselves and singing the song to light the Menorah in the adjoining room.  Again. Surreal. I feel so incredibly honored to be here and experiencing all of this.

Today started early!  I think the next few weeks will be fuelled by coffee and very little sleep.  After a 4:45am breakfast buffet we were loaded onto busses and driven to the regional airport a few minutes away.   Despite the early, or maybe I should say late hour, there were countless people up and about, on their way home from last night’s party.  It’s true what they say about going out in Argentina.   We were handed tickets, walked through security and within 15 minutes were boarding our plane. I could get very used to this! Best part of the flight was definitely getting off though.  Not because it was a bad flight but because we got to see Tom and Tyler (two other fellows who had done the expedition before us) through the glass.  We were able to have a quick conversation and took a few “group photos” through the glass before being whisked off to our awaiting busses. 

Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world, is located in the province of Terra del Fuego, in the region of Patagonia.  Apparently it actually started off as a penal colony, much like Australia, earning it the nickname “Argentinian Siberia”.  You can still see the narrow train tracks that would have taken the prisoners back and forth to their work.  

Warning… I’m going to geek out in this next few paragraphs… bear with me!

We learned a lot about the ecology of the area during our hour-long bus ride to the Parque Nacional, where we would have lunch and a catamaran cruise.  So much of it was applicable to our Science 10 curriculum (yes, even when I’m gone I think about it a little bit).  The soil in the area is relatively young considering the last glacial retreat was only about 15,000 years ago.  Due to this and the cool year round temperatures (range is 0C in winter and 10C in summer, moderated because it’s surrounded by water) the soil is thin and there are relatively low levels of bacteria resulting in slow decomposition rates.  A single tree can take upwards of 70-80 years to rot! Fungus ends up playing a bigger role in this process, which was evident by the hundreds of trees covered by tumors and parasitic mushrooms. 
 

Continuing with the ecology theme, I also learned a Canadian connection to the region.  Apparently the only two mammals that are native to the area are the guanaco (relative of the llama) and the red fox.  In 1836, the local government decided to introduce Canadian Beavers, keeping them protected until the 70’s at which point they hoped a large enough colony would have been established to begin hunting them for their pelts.  Once again, the moderate temperatures of the area had other ideas, and the beaver’s pelts never thickened the way they did in Canada so there was no market for them.  To compound the problem, there are no natural predators for the beavers, therefore, their numbers have ballooned and they are considered an invasive species.  The result is that we saw countless stumps and beaver lodges in the area.  

When the road could go no further, and I do mean no further… we went as far South as motorized vehicles could take us… we disembarked from the busses and walked a few minutes to our awaiting catamaran.  After yet another delicious meal we motored down the Beagle Channel, stopping to take pictures of sea lions, cormorants, terns, albatross and even a few gulls.  As I looked around in awe of this beautiful scenery I couldn’t help but wonder what was going through Darwin’s mind when he first visited this place in his role as the naturalist upon the HMS Beagle.  Was he as impressed by the mountains rising out of the sea?  Did he recognize the path cut by the glaciers as they retreated thousands of years before? To be able to follow in any of his footsteps is a Biologists dream come true.  

 Ok, Biology moment is done.  On to the ship. Everyone was full of excitement as we finally stepped foot on the ship that many have been dreaming about for years.  So many of the people I have spoken to started planning this trip 3, 4 and 5 years ago.  We settled into our rooms we did the usual safety drills and briefings before dinner. I won’t go on about the food because this blog entry is already long enough, but it’s a good thing there are a lot of stairs for me to be going up and down.  The staff is amazing and we’ve been made to feel a part of their family already.  I feel like there’s so much I can learn from these people and I can’t wait to soak it all in.  Even while unpacking my suitcase I got to listen to two naturalists having a conversation about arctic krill right outside my door.  Which brings me back to this moment and that word… surreal! 

Although the Drake is relatively calm right now according to the reports, I’m excited to see what she has in store for us when I wake up tomorrow morning.  My sea sickness patch is in place behind my ear… bring it on!

Quote of the day: “There are sunny moments not sunny days” our naturalists giving a rather poetic description to the fact that there are only 40 sunny days here a year 

Stop two wasn’t nearly long enough!  La Boca district was this quirky, colorful, energetic area with a definite Bohemian flair.  I could have spent a full afternoon sitting at one of the sidewalk cafes watching the tango dancers and the tourist wandering their way down the carless streets.  

Our final stop of the day was at a cemetery, which was actually quite fascinating.  Without being creepy, the architecture in the old crypts was actually quite impressive and again I found myself wanting more time to explore.  

After a reception hosted by Lindblad and announcements about our plans for tomorrow, Nichole, Miriam, Nina and I had just enough energy to go out for the first of many spectacular meals that are going to be my reality for the next couple of weeks.  I’m not sure if my eyelids are heavy right now because I’m in a food coma or because I haven’t had a solid nights sleep in a couple of days.  Regardless…it’s time for me to go to bed… I have a 4:30am alarm tomorrow (and it’s 10:45pm right now). 

Random fact for the day: Buenos Ares has the second largest Jewish population after NYC and thus has a Kosher McDonald’s!    

Just under a year ago I sat in this very same airport with a group of students en route to volunteering in Costa Rica and one of them asked me if I’d been on a trip of lifetime yet.  Despite the fact that I’ve been fortunate to have done some pretty great traveling, I replied no, but that Antarctica would be it.  A week after we got home I received the phone call to tell me that I’d been selected as a National Geographic Grosvenor Fellow and that they were sending me to that very place!  I am always amazed at how much life can change in a year and I am extraordinarily grateful for this opportunity that I’ve been given.

It’s hard to believe that after all of the preparation and anticipation, this “trip of a lifetime” is actually here!  Even sitting here in Houston, it still doesn’t quite seem real.  Although it’s been a couple of years since I’ve lived in Costa Rica, commuting through this airport on a fairly regular basis, there’s still a part of me that expects to step off the plane at the end of this next flight onto Costa Rican soil.   Instead it will be the 33 degree Argentinian heat!  After all of the reading, the documentaries, the YouTube videos of penguins I’ve watched in the last few months, my mind still can’t wrap itself around what I’m about to experience and I can’t wait to soak in every minute of it!  

I have decided that starting a trip with a night at the Fairmont is kind of the way to go! Except… you should always make sure they give you the right room number.  The bellman gave me my key and room number, but he wrote 1216 instead of 1126.  Big difference.  As I stood there trying a key that wouldn’t work, another bellman came along and said that he could open it for me.  That sure surprised the guy who’s room it actually was.  Good thing he was dressed.  Upside was that they gave me a credit at the lounge and free parking for Lindsay who came to visit me for dinner.  The hotel was a good choice though because it was an easy walk downstairs for a 4:30am security check. 

The flight from Vancouver was easy and I enjoyed my first NEXUS experience.  Nothing like walking to the front of the line!  Paul, I now understand what you’ve been going on about all of these years.  Now it’s time for a 7-hour layover that I’m kind of looking forward to.  It may be weird but I love airports!  There’s so much energy and it’s great to just sit back and watch everyone coming and going, excited about their trips... except for the dude who just missed his flight to Amsterdam, he wasn’t too happy… that’s a whole other type of show to sit back and watch. 

Well I best get working on the TEDx talk I’ll be giving when I get back. I’ll be flying overnight and then hitting the ground running on Friday, so I’ll try to get an update of some sort on here Friday night.  Thank you everyone for the well wishes over the past couple of days!  I didn’t have time to respond to all of them but I read and appreciated each one! 

~Jenn~