As a recap, here is a list of DeDe and Pop Pop’s highlights from the trip:
1. The people we met – there were so many people with multiple talents: a classical concert pianist, a classical concert singer, the man who first climbed and mapped Antarctica’s highest two mountain peaks – both all ice and rock over 16,000 ft., a young couple on a world tour – he a trader and she a product manager for Skittles, the National Geographic and Lindblad photography teams, the naturalists and scientists studying marine and wildlife on Antarctica, the Antarctic dive team, and people from all over the world: Australia, Bonaire, Britain, Canada,Switzerland, and all over the U.S.
2. The vastness and sparseness of Antarctica – ice, rocks, and lots of space. One time we thought an iceberg was two miles away. The captain hit it with a GPS – it was 12 miles away, and very big!
3. The king penguin colony in South Georgia – standing with 300,000 to 500,000 penguins is amazing – especially watching the personal interaction of the individual birds.
4. The rest of the area’s wildlife – birds, seals, and whales - and the geology, and the interaction of the two dynamics.
5. Albatross in both South Georgia and the Falklands – these birds are so awkward on land and so graceful soaring in the air – it is no wonder they can stay aloft for months at a time.
6. The Lindblad response to the earthquakes in Chile – they threw resources at a problem, and were there for all their travelers. We appreciate their commitment, expertise, teamwork, and diligence.
7. The links to the Shackelton rescue both in Antarctica and South Georgia – we got a minute taste of the Shackelton men’s experience by being there in the summer, and hiking 4 miles over a ridge 1,000 ft high (it was very steep, both up and down). That was certainly small potatoes compared to an 800 mile ride in a tiny boat in the dead of winter, almost without navigation, and a hike over 9,000 ft and 20 miles after near exhaustion. And the men who stayed on Antarctica over the winter under two wooden life boats had no picnic, either.
8. The photography lessons, the critiques, and the individual attention - having six photography experts, each with their own style and point of view, was a learning experience. We were at the bottom end of the photo food chain, with our little point and shoot cameras. But we learned that with good positioning and composition, and pretty good editing tools at our disposal, we were able to improve our picture taking significantly.
9. The concert in the “Bistro Bar” and the personal story and presentation of climbing Antarctica’s Mountain peaks –these were unexpected treats, from our fellow travelers.
10. And finally, but not trivially, learning to blog over time and space – DeDe and Pop Pop loved doing it, getting better as we went along, and knowing that others were able to share our experience in part.
Thank you to all who traveled with us and followed us on our blog.
