From Middle Earth to the End

Hey everyone,

Thanks for reading my blog and listen to me rant about my crazy adventures. I’m working hard on getting up as many stories as I can but there was only a short holiday beak for me and its back to school. Not only that but I have heaps of reports to write up on top of a few more lectures to get through.  So bare with me and keep checking in for the next installment. All the good juicy details are in the Pages which you can click on in the right hand column….just in case you are new to the site.

I hope you all had a good holiday and Happy New Years. If you have any really cool resolutions be sure and let me know. I love getting your posts. Feel free to write me with any questions you have.

Bye for now,

Sarah

During my trip to Antarctica I managed to ready my new all time favorite book, The Worst Journey in the World by Aspley Cherry-Garrard. Obviously I recommend it to everyone. Its a timeless tale of a lesser know but absolutely heroic adventure to find some penguin eggs.

It was particularly interesting to me as I read through it with the adventure correlating to my time on the Ice. As Cherry spoke of Castle Rock  I would stare up from my seat and note the massive landmark. We did our seal census next to Hutton cliffs where he battled with this sledge. Seeing Scott’s discovery hutt has so much more value as I knew even more of the inner workings and stories of them who built the structure. I pretended to know what the conditions were like for him but couldn’t conceive the hardships. In our perfect conditions everything was such an effort it seem unreal he was working in -70 degrees and pitch blackness.

My favorite quote comes about Erebus of which I read during the first couple days at Scott Base:

“I have seen Fiji, the most dainty and graceful of all mountains; and also Kinchinjunga: only Michael Angelo among men could have conceived such grandeur. But give me Erebus for a friend. Whoever made Erebus knew all the charm of the horizontal lines, and the lines of Erebus are for the most part nearer the horizontal than the vertical. And so he is the most restful mountain in the world, and I was glad when I knew that our hut would lie at his feet.  And always there floated from his crater the lazy banner of his cloud of steam. “

If you can put yourself in my ECW boots and imagine what it was like to read this knowing that I too would soon be lying at the feet of Erebus than you will know why this quote is all but etched in my brain. I found Cherry was correct in describing Erebus as a masterpiece and I became quite attached to him.  Our camp was also placed in Windless Bight, directly where Cherry, Bowers and Wilson crossed through to get to Cape Crozier.

If you get a chance to read this book its great up to the 643 page. In fact, the last two paragraphs were the greatest of the whole novel for me. BUT DON’T CHEAT! you can not skip to the end, they won’t have the same meaning for you. The real life events of this book are more surreal than the latest Harry Potter novel.

Over excited in the Antarctic Center waiting to board

I thought I was ready. I had read the books, seen the pictures, watched movies and asked questions. I knew what to expect. Or at least I thought I did. I had read the accounts of heroic explorers and had painted pictures in my mind. Even though they often used the words “impossible to describe”, in particular when describing the bonds of comradery, I quickly brushed them away as the steady flow of imagery made those statements seem false.

    On the plane ride down I was bursting out of my seat like a rocket to slam my face in to the window so that I might be millimeters closer to my first iceberg looming thousands of miles below.  I then found out what all the accounts I have read meant. I could see the all the great ships breaking their way through the sea ice which imitated cells flowing in blood.  On deck, crates were piled high between the dogs tethered to their posts. The men shuffled about with the wind at their backs, fresh food in their bellies, memories still vivid of their wives as they embarked on a grand adventure. It was all coming alive for me.

pancake ice

     However it was not what you think. I did not have that epiphany to suddenly realize what hardships Scott had endured, or Cherry-Garrard, Shackleton or any of my favorite explorers.  In fact my feelings were the opposite. The indescribable was not described.  I now know that I nor no one else will ever know what Antarctica was like in her youth no matter how well it was depicted.

     So point of the story is just as I will never know what the  Worst Journey In The World was like, you will never know what my 15 days on the ice were like.   There are no words in the English language that can confine Antarctica.  Unless you want to go dig up old Noah Webster and tell him to beef up his dictionary, you’ll have to have a 5 year old self portrait for the Mona Lisa.   

 If you were reading this blog to know what Antarctica is like, I’m sorry, but don’t waste your time any longer reading about it and get down there. If you want to know what kind of shenanigans I’ve been up to, see how life exists in Antarctica today or maybe learn a thing or two, then keep reading. 

 It has been a crazy two weeks filled with successful science experiments, great people and wonderful adventures. Everyone’s experience with the ice will have different descriptions or highlights depending on their interests.  Be patient with me as its been a whirlwind of stimulations and capturing it is a herculean task.

yes thats me at Scott Base

I’ve arrived back to christchurch in one piece. I’ll write more when I manage to wake from this dream I’ve been having for two weeks…..Happy New Years everyone! 2009 (International year of Astronomy, Yeah baby!!)