Diary
Tuesday 1st January 2002
From: London
This final report comes to you from my home in London. Already
Antarctica seems a world away, which in many respects it is!
Having almost caught up on my sleep, and with normal life starting
to slotting back into place, now is the time to reflect upon my
expedition 'South'.
Before going South, my mind was filled with stories for the great
people of the past and present: Scott, Shackleton, Byrd... and more
recent stories from Paul Rose, former British Antarctica Survey
Base Commander, as well as Neil Laughton who lead an expedition
in 2001 following in the footsteps of Shackleton. All of these stories,
both recent and historical, fuelled my desire to go to Antarctica
and to see whales, seals, penguins and the landscape. To my utter
surprise, I don't think that the highlight of this expedition was
the wildlife. In fact it was the physical environment of rock and
ice that impressed me most. On one occasion, having kayaked into
the centre of a three-sided turquoise iceberg, it dawned on me how
privileged I have been to see such a wild and uncompromising place
that man has very little control over.
My mind has also been turning to the people that I met during my
journey. These included Kieron Lawton, Rosy Wheelan and Roger Kirkwood,
as well as my paddle
partner; a giant of an American called Bob Powell. With his kind
nature and his 'Real Meal Deal - True Grit' outlook, I could not
have asked for a better partner with whom to share my experience
of Antarctica.
I'm not sure how to conclude this report, so I will simply say
that the expedition and the people that I met will always hold a
special place in my mind. I hope that one day I can return 'South'.
With thanks to everyone who helped me with my expedition,
Glenn.
Photographs from the expedition will start to be posted over
the next few days. Website update information will be sent out using
the mailing list.
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