Skiing was awesome!!!!! I had to hike up a mountain in Antarctica that was twice the size of a mountain in Seven Springs and I skied all the way down it! The hike was with Doug, Elizabeth, Jim, Karen, and Joel. Doug and I skied down with Elizabeth filming. We will send that out as soon as we have it edited.
This afternoon it was 50 degrees on deck and people were eating outside. It was really unbelievable and people were joking about jumping in for a swim. Sunscreen is a MUST, there is very little ozone left here so the sun is brutal.
After lunch, we moved to King George Island and toured the Polish base called, Arctowski. That was fun and we interviewed the scientists too. They are tracking the Adelie penguins and doing lichen research, metallurgy, glaciology, biology, and astronomy to name a few and there are several projects going on in each category. They took me on a snowmobile ride too. That was awesome, its been a great day!
Tonight we are having a party. ‘The White Party on the White Continent’….it should be fun. People will be wearing white costumes or clothes. I’ll let you know how that goes. I’m going to go as an iceberg with penguins all over me. My mom was going to go as a snow shoe rabbit but someone borrowed her bunny ears for Halloween and she didn’t get them back in time to bring them so now she is just wearing white with a big white feather boa.
Ready to have some more fun….don’t worry, I’ve been doing my homework too! Maybe not as quickly as my mom would like!
Big Adventures!
Your friend,
Cronin
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Hi Everyone,
I forgot to mention that Half Moon Island is where most of the American Seal ships were anchored in the 1820s. The area is called Yankee Harbor. It was one of the first areas used for sealing. Captain Pendleton was in charge and eventually sent men to Deception Island where Palmer sighted the continent of Antarctica for the first time. Although, most historians think it was sighted about a year before.
I can’t imagine killing a seal for any reason….how sick & not in a good way. They are so funny & curious and like to play around the zodiacs. It is almost like they are showing off for us. I’m glad they were not killed to extinction so we can enjoy them now. Allan Marshall is swimming with the seals today while I ski so we should have some cool stuff to send out later.
There are also several countries that still whale around Antarctica. I can’t imagine that either….what a bummer. Some things just aren’t right to do. We all should have more respect for everything on this planet. I’ve been talking with a lot of the people here that travel all over the globe and it is pretty clear that a lot of people need help in this world. I think that we should always help others but we should also speak for those that can’t, like the wildlife. I’ve gotten some good ideas from people on board about how students can help other students in other countries as well as our own.
Off to ski now!!!! I thought my mom would freak but she has been pretty cool with the idea because she feels that I couldn’t be in better care while on the mountain. I like that she has an adventurous side too.
Back soon.
Your friend,
Cronin
