Getting Into Gear

When one thinks of Antarctica, unbearably cold conditions come to mind. When unbearable cold comes to mind, I think "dress warm, AND dry!" For the past few months I've been trying to decide what gear would be best to bring along on the trip. I have two criteria: It's got to be warm, and it has to be light weight. Dressing warmly isn't too big of a problem. Our winter here in Missouri has been a good trial run in trying out clothing. It'slooking for light weight gear that's been challenging. Aerolinas, the airlines I'll be flying on between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, only allows 30 lbs of luggage per person. That might be okay for going to the beach, or across town, but traveling to Antarctica? Hell, my computer,camera and photo gear alone weighs almost half that! So, where do I skimp and still have enough to keep me alive and comfortable?

The key lies in dressing in layers, and making use of the onboard laundromat occasionally. My boots are from Rocky Boots, with neoprene up to my knees, flexible, and waterproof .I'll have a silk under stocking with a couple of pairs of woolen socks over them. My long underwear is marino wool (note:cold water wash, air dry. Remember that John!). I'll have either jeans, or woolen pants with a water/wind proof covering. Fleece worked well for the tops, and I'll get my parka down there. Over it all I'll have a wind/water proof shell. I'll wear two pairs of gloves, and have a hand warmer (some call it a "muff") so I can work my cameras.

Last week, when our temps dipped to below zero, I put everything on, except for the parka, and went for a walk. I waded in the creek up to my knees and my feet were completely warm and dry. The hand warmer, even without the little heat packets, kept my hands toasty, even without any gloves on. I wore what's called a Balaklava (fancy name for a ski mask) and I was almost too warm. The layering worked well for a cold winter day in Missouri, but what about the Antarctic?


I checked online, and was pleased to discover that the Antarctic peninsula has an average March temperature (it'll be Fall there then) of -1.9 degrees C (28.6 degrees F). That's the good news. It's also the wettest and windiest region, with 200 mph wind gusts at times. That pretty much rules out sandals and shorts, but that's okay. Gotta keep my luggage weight down anyway.

Where no man's blogged before...

Folks, I'm completely new at this. Only recently have I ever even texted anybody, let alone blog, twitter, or whatever-else- is- new as I write this. However, this seems to be the best, and the most entertaining, way to let my friends and family know about my upcoming trip. I'm not very efficient at snail mail (I never even sent off any holiday cards this year!), and even if I were, there wouldn't be anyplace to mail any letters from.

Last summer I decided to take a trip, a cruise, to someplace I've never been before. I'd been to Europe, and all around the USA, but had never been on a cruise. Now, most people would have opted for traveling to someplace warm, with sunny beaches and friendly natives wanting to take their money. I'm more of an ends-of-the-Earth type of guy, so I looked into, and booked, a cruise to Antarctica.

"Why in the hell would you want to go there?" I've been asked this several times, by others as well as myself. I could have gone almost anywhere else. Let's face it: anyplace else is easier to get to than Antarctica. Anyplace else would be much more hospitable than the Bottom of the World. Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, driest, iciest, and highest of all the major landmasses in the world, and the closest landmass is South America, 600 miles away across one of the most dangerous stretches of water on earth, the Drake Passage. There is no native population there, only an occasional scientific base. Winter there is solid night, and the summers are 24 hours of daylight.

But Antarctica is also teeming with life found nowhere else in the world. The coastal regions abound with several species of penguins, whales, seals, and seabirds. The most courageous and best known explorers have traveled there seeking adventure and breaking records: James Cook, the first to circumnavigate the continent; Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole, on December 14, 1911; Robert Scott, who arrived 35 days later, and died on the return trip; Sir Ernest Shakleton, whose ship the Endeavor became locked in the ice and destroyed. He led his men over the ice packs, and through gruelling seas, leading his entire crew to safety.

So, my question is: Who in hell wouldn't want to go there? My wife of sixteen years, Robin, passed away last June, and I had to get away to somplace completely different. Sunny beaches are fine for young lovers, and happy families, but I needed more. I needed an adventure, not a vacation. I needed an experience where the risk of death would be the price to pay in order to savor and bask in the land of extremes, a place where few have ever traveled.

I booked my trip through Vacations to Go. I'll be on the ship M/S Expedition, and for the most part will be in relative comfort, eating good food and hob-nobbing with smart folks. The trip starts out in Ushuaia, Argentina, sails across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic peninsula, crosses the Antarctic Circle, then back to Ushuaia. I'll also spend a few days in Buenos Aires before flying back to the good ol' USA. But it won't all be solid comfort. There'll be day trips via Zodiac rafts to explore the continent, out there in the coldest, windiest, iciest place in the world!

I hope you follow my blog, and share your thoughts with me. I should have internet access, and hope to post photos, and maybe videos, as I go along. This'll be the trip of a lifetime for me, and I want to share it with you.