Bi-Polar

One of the jokes on the ship is that if you’ve been to both Antarctica and now the Arctic, you are bi-polar.  We actually talked a little this week about perhaps going back to Antarctica in 2020, but we’ve decided to hold off.

This post is not about anything we did on this trip, but more about my feelings about being in polar regions.  It’s a strange affect on the soul, these polar regions of our little rock in the vast infinities of the universe.

I didn’t expect to fall in love with the ice, the snow, the birds, and the amazing animals that own this part of the world.  But it really does grab you.  I remember being skeptical when, in Antarctica, the expedition people gushed about the icebergs – the saying goes, “Come for the penguins, come back for the ice.”  Well, let’s not kid ourselves, the penguins and the polar bears are an incredible thrill to see.  

But, in a way, they are right.  The 24 hour daylight, the snow, the mountains, the fjords and bays, the rocky terrain, the cliffs jam-packed with birds.  It’s all remarkable.  It’s all awe-inspiring.  I don’t have polar fever, but these are places that really get into you.  And the people who live here, or visit often, speak about their experiences and what they have seen with an abiding sense of reverence.

(Editor’s Note: Oh, crap, Glen, you are veering off into some maudlin sentimental sob story.  Better get back on track.  Blogger: Sorry – just thought now would be a good time for a bigger perspective piece.  Editor: It’s NEVER a good time, but if you must, go ahead and continue!)

If someone were to ask – hey, I only have time, money, or inclination to go to either Antarctica or the Arctic – where should I go, I would say Antarctica in a heartbeat.  But this trip has been more amazing that I could have hoped for.  

The great alt country singer Ray Wylie Hubbard has a line in a song – “And the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, Well I have really good days.”  My gratitude for this trip far exceeded my expectations, and for that I thank our expedition guides, Holly Bryan and Inspirato, and the entire crew who worked so hard to put this expedition together.  Plans changed nearly every day, and like two seals on an ice floe in Antarctica, they went with the flow and it worked.

I am in awe of the Arctic.