The trip south was quite unique. It is not often that you see three seasons in 16 hours. We left Geneseo in an autumn like day that signified the end of summer, arrived in Santiago, Chile to a brisk spring-like day, and then steamed into the deep winter freeze of the Antarctic. I had never been on a ship before, so my trip across the Drake Passage was much like a first time skier trying a double black diamond slope.

We made the crossing on the Research Vessel/Ice Breaker Nathaniel B. Palmer, so named after the early American Antarctic explorer (see Image 2). The ship is essentially a modern laboratory afloat. It is also very luxurious in a practical sense. The galley was large and modern, and the food was exquisite. The two lounges allotted to passengers (the crew had their own lounge) were large and very comfortable. The bunks were small, but livable, two to a room. The bridge of the ship, the cockpit of the ship, was enormous (Image 3) and lavishly equipped with the latest navigational technology. The entire crew and all the passengers could easily gather into this room and gaze at the walls of windows which surrounded the room. The crew worked diligently to plot and then execute safe passage for the cargo and passengers.

Much of the trip was spent exploring halls of this very large ship. Surprisingly, we had access to email while en route, another wonder of modern satellite systems. The ship afforded all the comforts of home- there was even a workout room- with one very important exception; this habitat was buck and bowing through some of the roughest seas anywhere on earth. The Drake Passage is renowned for its turbulent waters and cyclonic weather patterns as the Atlantic and Pacific oceans smash into one another. These waters easily bring the toughest individuals to their knees. Fortunately only two days of rough seas had to be endured (Image 4).

We woke on the fifth day to find that the ship had traversed the Antarctic convergence, the invisible boundary where icy Antarctic waters meet the warmer subantarctic seas. The waters were calm and pack ice was everywhere (Image 5). The scenery was breathtaking. Antarctica is highest continent on earth, on average. This was clearly demonstrated by the mountainous shores of the Antarctic Peninsula; 3000 foot peaks, covered in snow and ice, dropped to the sea (Image 6 & Image 7). Between these numerous peaks, huge glaciers flowed to the sea, filling the valleys (Image 8) The view was a mix of blues, browns and whites. As the ship passed quietly into the sea ice, its true power was evident. It is an icebreaker, and it moved effortlessly through the endless expanse of sea ice (Image 9) until the Palmer Station was finally in view. But the ship, meant more for open ocean work, was too large to dock at Palmer Station. Instead, with careful manuvering the captain made anchorage on the sea ice about three hundred feet from shore. A gang plank was lowered onto the sea ice, and we walked ashore. Over the next two days we participated in a massive unloading operation to off load all the cargo and scientific equipment the ship was carrying (Image 10). The following day, the Nathaniel Palmer set forth for South America, leaving only a large open lead in the sea ice where she was anchored.