Wow! It has been quite an exciting, educational past four days here in Alaska. This trip, here to Fairbanks, has been everything I could have imagined, and so much more.
I have been able to experience some of the “Spring-like”, below zero, Alaskan climate. I have seen the northern lights. I have seen more moose than I can count. I have stood under that Alaskan Pipeline. I have seen a herd of reindeer. I have gotten to experience some great Alaskan seafood. I have been able to see the sun still up well after 8pm, in fact, we are now gaining over 6 minutes of light a day. I have sat in natural hot springs during a cold Alaskan nights, that was a 2- hour drive, on an ice-covered highway. I have learned about the equipment that will be necessary for me to survive in the harshest weather conditions Antarctica can throw at me. I have had the privilege of learning from being in one of Alaska’s best museums, where I have been able to go face-to-face with grizzly, black, and polar bears, many seals, walrus’, birds, stand next to a whale’s mouth that was large enough I could have walked inside, and even got to listen (yep, you heard me right) to the Earth. See some of my previous journals for more details on some of those opportunities I have had.
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Today is my last day here in Alaska. The lack of internet connectivity here at the hotel caused me to have to get up early to publish this journal. This will be good preparation for the connectivity issues I will face in Antarctica.
Yesterday was a great question-answering day. I have learned about the unique experiences I will get to be a part of while in Antarctica. So many times, presenters would be telling us about how we all would be posting our journals, making videos, and communicating with others while on our expeditions, and then they always seemed to mention us going to Antarctica and the unique challenges we will get to face with remoteness of our expeditions. We will really be “down there”. The more I learn, the more excited I am becoming.
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