Getting started...

Spent the morning on a glacier here in Ushuaia, manning a station on the trail and greeting the team members as they made their way up the path. Today was "advanced ground school", and gave the team an opportunity to practice roping up to each other and traversing some dicey ground...all preparation for what we'll encounter when we get to Antarctica. Our three guides are fantastic...between them they have over 80 years of mountaineering experience and I'm loving hearing stories of Everest ascents and the culture in Nepal.

The guys from Cycle for Water arrived last night. It was a great moment. They had arrived in Ushuaia to find that their parents had flown in to surprise them all the way from the Netherlands. They finished up with a ride up the hill to our hotel, where we were all waiting with cheers and hugs. As an added bonus, we also got to meet the stray dog that had joined them on the road a couple of days before. Already loyal to Michiel and Joost, he was still sleeping on the front stoop of the hotel when I left this morning at 7am.

It's an incredibly unique group of individuals that have united in this tiny little town of Ushuaia...I expect it will be a very enlightening trip, with many lessons learned...

We set sail tomorrow afternoon...

Bunny Rabbits on a Runway

3 planes, 2 cars, 1 bus, and 26 hours after leaving my apartment in Lower Manhattan, I finally arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina. Here's what I remember from the trip:

• The sad look on my dog's face when I kissed her goodbye in the rain
• Realizing I forgot my watch
• Dreading my middle seat assignment, then being pleasantly surprised that my seatmates were actually very cool people that I really enjoyed meeting (shout out to Row 41 if you reading this!)
• The brief taste of Buenos Aires summer weather as I transferred airports
• The computer breakdown at the regional airport check-in that resulted in something akin to cattle herding
• Finding my 2041 teammates amongst the herd
• Watching an Argentinean guy throw a temper tantrum at the gate
• Bunny rabbits on the runway at the re-fueling stopover
• The now-familiar feeling of arriving in Ushuaia...and remembering the first time when it was all so new
• The exhaustion and anticipation all rolled into one once I checked into my room 

Safe and sound...

TEDx Antarctic Peninsula Details

Here is the description of my expedition as listed on TED's website...only 5 days left until my departure!


TED's Website

A truly global TEDxAntarcticPeninsula will take place in the last remaining wilderness on earth - Antarctica. This TedX event captures a moment with expedition members of the 2041 International Antarctic Expedition (IAE). Expedition team members will gain firsthand knowledge of the continent’s fragile ecosystem, experience its unique wildlife and observe the magnificent landscape of Antarctica.

70 global leaders from 19 countries will take part in TEDxAntarcticPeninsula. The purpose is to engage, inspire, and share ideas to address the most pressing challenges of the world.

The stunning Lemaire Channel

Alaska to Antarctica...on a bike!

Each day I'm learning more about the exciting new group of people I'll be meeting on my next Antarctic adventure. Today I heard from Joost Notenboom of the Netherlands, who is currently en route to Antarctica...via Alaska...on a bike! He and Michiel Roodenburg started Cycle for Water and are raising awareness of the global water crisis. They are currently in Patagonia, on their way south to Ushuaia on their bamboo bicycles (promoting sustainable materials and limiting their footprint to the bare minimum). AWESOME! Can't wait to hear the stories from these two...