Here I am again--on a plane 35,000 feet above the great Pacific Ocean. Another journey, another adventure in Antarctica is about to begin.
This time last year I left Montana with uncertainty and feeling a little heartsick. I was leaving the place, people (and dog) that I love for a group of strangers and for a continent that most people would rather not visit if given the chance. Needless to say I was nervous. But as I stared out my window as the plane flew past my beloved Bitterroot Mountains and over a new chain that I had never before seen, I knew I was on the right path. This was what I had always wanted. From my earliest childhood memories--hoarding my family's set of National Geographic and flipping through page after page of foreign places, people, and animals--I had always wanted this. To go, to see, to explore. Suppressed by comfort and student loans, that desire lay dormant; But now, it is being unleashed in full force. I feel like I've contracted some sort of bug that has left me restless and unable to accept the basic humanistic desire for normality and security. There is no cure and I do not want one; however traveling seems to be the way to stave these symptoms and put myself at ease.
To me, Antarctica is a treasured land. A truly special place to live. It is unworldly and unlike anything I have ever experienced. It felt like I was part of a fiction novel--a story centering around a harsh, mysterious, and unearthly land, filled with quirky, endearing characters and, of course, romance. Antarctica was a catalyst. It was the adventure that started many. Travels in New Zealand, Australia, and Indonesia subsequently followed and many, many more adventures (as long as I am blessed with health, vitality, and the means) are sure to come. I am excited for the opportunity to go back to this special place and for another journey to begin.
Dawn has broken and I now look out my window at an endless blue expanse of water. We will be arriving in Sydney, Australia soon--our brief layover before flying on to Christchurch, New Zealand.
Hey dingus, awesome blog! That photographer sure is talented!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy your blogs. Just wondering if you have a blogspot for your first trip to Antarctica? I remember reading some of them, and I'd love to reread your first description of that new world when you discovered it. Is it still available for reading?
ReplyDeleteThose were probably emails that you read--emails that have since been deleted. Part of why I am blogging is to try to keep a better record of my travels. I am terrible at journaling. I found that this blog is a great way to not only keep in touch, but to also have something saved digitally that I can look back on in years to come.
DeleteI will try to track down some of these old emails. They might still be in a family memeber or friend's email inbox.
Thank you for your interest in my blog. I will see what I can do.
BTW, I'm a close friend of your moms--LD
ReplyDelete