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.
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.
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.
Beagle Channel
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!
Getting ready to board! Photo credit: Guest Andy
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
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
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