Kayaking the Antarctic

If you have not been following Jon Bowermaster's trip by kayak into the Antarctic--you must (it's almost over!).  The images of ice, penguins and seals are simply extraordinary and he describes the day to day of this five-week adventure in terrific detail, capturing in words and audio tapes the beauty of being in a kayak in such a place. Don't miss his audio in week 4 (Jan 22) when he talks about the sounds in the Antarctic. He says that sounds are what linger from the Antarctic. I'd agree with this. The silence (of course) but also wind, the movement of ice, the clang of penguins (you can hear the sounds of penguins in the video on the Hazards of Penguin Life--which is also very funny).

Being in a kayak in Antarctic waters--this is something I can not imagine (a slice of fiberglass separating you from water that hovers just above freezing...). If you watch the video clips you can see how careful they are in the boats; watch the video of paddling through pack ice.

In between the daily posts, Elizabeth K. Andre offers helpful information on ice, or climate change or katabatic winds. The albino penguin pictured here was seen on January 25--one of my favorite posts (week 4).

(Jon has a thrilling story in Antarctica: Life on the Ice about flying onto the continent with Adventure Network International.)