Antarctic Field Course - Study Abroad

Brad's Journal

QA

Name: Brad
Major: Physiology
Year of Study: 2006
Why Did I Want To Study in Antarctica: To see the most desolate area on earth
Biggest doubt before the trip: Is it worth all the money?
Best moment/experience: Staying up late into the night to see the sun rise and fall while talking to a close friend. This came in a close tie to standing on the bow of the boat in the evenings.
Worst moment/experience: Getting sick before the boat left the dock.
Favorite Scenery/Place: Bailey Head
Favorite Animal: Southern Elephant Seal
Would I Do This Again? In a minute.
What do I think differently about since being back? Before leaving I always joked about using Antarctica to store violent prisoners or nuclear waste, but after being there and seeing everything the continent has to offer I would recommend Cuba as a better storage facility.
Quote: "Thinking back about all the experiences is a little overwhelming. When people ask if I had a good time, I don't know what I am going to say because the trip was better than words and pictures. It was not a vacation it was a learning living lifetime experience. I want to go back!"

Please use the links below to view a specific date further down the page.
December - 2003

Sat. 13
Sun. 14
Mon. 15
Tue. 16
Wed. 17
Thu. 18
Fri. 19
Sat. 20
Sun. 21
Mon. 22
Tue. 23
Wed. 24
Thu. 25
Fri. 26
Sat. 27
Sun. 28
Mon. 29
Tue. 30
Wed. 31
January - 2004

Thu. 1
Fri. 2

Conclusion
Photos credited to Brad. Click an image to enlarge, hover over an image for a description.

12/13/03 - Saturday - Journal #1

I am currently sitting in the Aero Argentina plane on the way to Ushuaia...seat 38B. I find myself surrounded by a group of 12 year old girls, all of which speaking Spanish, culture shock...The young girls and their chaperons had little regard for the rest the of the passengers. Singing and dancing around the plane since we got on.

I have spent most of my time reading the packets for the course and am amazed at some of the information that I have learned form the packet. Antarctica is a desert...a desert...what? Well come to find out anyplace with low precipitation is a desert. Come to find out Antarctica has less annual precipitation than the Sahara desert. This baffled my mind to the point that I was able to ignore the girls for nearly two hours...a feat in itself. This continent has intrigued me since I was a small child and I am finally on my way...the anticipation builds. I was once told by a close friend to never expect anything and I will never be disappointed. Therefore I have not tried to expect anything out of this trip.

12/14/03 - Sunday - Journal #2

Today the trip is beginning to feel real. We have arrived in Ushuaia. A friendly lady who was holding a sign that stated "Michigan University" greeted us. After the normal grumble from all us being referred to as wolverines instead of Spartans, we made our way outside into one of the most breath taking views one could ever encounter. Immediately we had our cameras rolling through film. Everyone was simply in awe. We boarded the bus and headed off to the hotel.

As our little euro bus rumbled down the road the women that greeted us was busy telling us about the city over a loud speaker. Kind of what you would expect out of Disney world. After fifteen minutes our bus pulled up to our new home for the next couple days. It is a small yellow building packed into the main city street. Once settled Kannon and I made our way out into the streets to find some food. After venturing for what seemed like an eternity we found the only place in town that was open, X-Burger. A place very similar to McDonalds back in the United States, but they use a purple and yellow color scheme instead.

Here we encountered our first major language barrier. The menu was written entirely in Spanish and the man at the counter knew nothing but Spanish. Kannon and I were able to point our way through the menu in order to eat. After lunch we made our way to the pier where we encountered our first form of wildlife that we have read about. The Black Petrel is one of the bigger birds that I have ever seen. It just sat in the water watching Kannon and I, as we took pictures of him. The beak on the bird could only be described as obscure. He flew off after about twenty minutes and we did he same. This leads me to the present moment sitting in my room writing about my day...It has been one to remember.

12/15/03 - Monday - Journal #3

Today was our first full day in Ushuaia. We began by going to the two museums, Yamana and the Del fin Del mundo. The Yamana was a museum devoted to the original inhabitants to Tierra del Fuego. It is full of small-scale models to show the life of the Yamana tribe. They lived in the cold region without any cloths; instead they would grease themselves with a substance to remain warm.

It talked about the history of the earth and the transformation of the land from gondwana and Pangea until now. The second museum that we visited was more of a general museum covering shipwreck history to crime. The most interesting exhibit was the stuffed animal exhibit. Not the child's toy, but real stuffed penguins, birds, and seals. It was amazing to see all the birds next to one another. Seeing the crabeater and leopard seal teeth was also very interesting. They are a V-shaped tooth with very sharp rigid edges; almost what one would expect to see in the mouth of a monster in a horror movie. Next to these two seals sat the elephant seal scull. I could not believe how large the teeth on this seal were. The main tusks were at least 4-5 inches long. Too see these animals today is making this trip that much more real. After the museum April, Justin, and I went to the top of the city to get a better view.

Tuesday - 12/16/03 - Journal #4

Today we went to the third museum entitle museum maritime. It was located within the naval base compound. It used to be a prison. The room we focused on was the Darwin room, which had all kinds of information about the fur seal and penguins that live on the subantarctic islands. The pelt of the fur seal was very similar to a pelt of a deer, which seems very odd. The exhibit about the oil drilling was very impressive; the scaled model much like the Yamana scaled model. Seeing the stuffed emperor penguin honestly freaked me out a little, it was enormous with a huge pointy beak. The rest of the museum was about local explorers and the history of the jail. In the jail we made it to the bathroom and shower area. It smelled as if it were used just yesterday.

After leaving the museum Calista, Justin, and I all decided to hike up the mountain. We took a different route this time and found ourselves much higher than the last trip up into the hills. On the way up the mountain we came across a pair of horses and took pictures with them. We made it to the top just before the sun went down and had a small dinner that we had packed with us. We sat quietly on top as the sun went down munching on the begat, meat, and cheese with little to say other than...this is amazing. Once back at the hotel we all hung out talking about how exciting tomorrow will be...departure is near!

Wednesday - 12/17/03 - Journal #5

Today we all prepared for departure. Some ran too the supermarket and some sat around. I ended up going shopping for my Christmas present. I went from store to store finding very little. I ended up buying a knitted hat, which would not have been my first choice, but I could not come up with anything better. After shopping, Carrie, Stacey, and I all went out to eat at a little outdoor restaurant. I began to feel ill at this point, but decided it was due to a lack of sleep and went back to the hotel for a nap. I slept until I got word that it was time to board the ship. Everyone was excited about departure. Pictures were being snapped all the way down the pier. After boarding the ship, I found myself very sick and remained in my cabin throughout the day. Thank god for Carrie and Stacy who all took very good care of me. After getting a shot from the doctor I passed out for the night.

Thursday - 12/18/03 - Journal #6

Today is a much better day then yesterday. I woke up bit nauseated, but after a shower and a good lunch, I was ready for the day. I have made multiple ventures out onto the back deck to watch the waves and the birds. There were five albatross and a couple petrels following the boat. They swooped up and down along the crests of the waves using the air current that is made by the boat and the waves. They are amazingly graceful birds.

After dinner I played a game of chess with Mark. I have realized my lack of ability in Chess. I am sure I will have more time to play. During dinner, the large wave clashes made a few passengers fall out of their seats. The waitresses have an amazing ability to walk around the boat and not fall. Right now I am sitting in the lounge watching all the passengers stumble through trying to stay balanced. It is amazing to me to see the diversity of the passengers on this boat. From young to old from European to Russian the passengers all have pale faces and appear tired. For some reason I am feeling really good...Kind of nice. Over half the group I am with is in bed or hurling, including Kannon. Just a funny quote from him after hurling, "I hate the polar vortex".... I believe that many feel his pain. He is currently asleep, but only time is the cure for the seasickness that he is feeling.... We are almost there! Possibly up to 45 more hours.

Friday - 12/19/03 - Journal #7

Today the ship has come alive. I woke up a little late and missed the first lecture, but made it to the second lecture. The loudspeaker in my room was still broken and the alarm that Kannon had set was a little to quiet. Kannon seems to be feeling much better like many of the other passengers. Today at lunch was the first time I have seen the restaurant full. I have made it up to the outer decks for a total of a few hours today. I have seen a variety of wild life including, terns, cape petrels, wandering albatross, and gulls. Others have seen whales and penguins. They thought that the whales were of the fin whale variety. One person claimed one to be of the minke whale.

As we have made our way past the Antarctic convergence fog began to form due to the difference in air and water temperature. In a matter of ten minutes the boat was surrounded by fog...it became almost eerie. Following my last visit outside I went to tea time and enjoyed some cake and tea. Then I went to the lecture on the food web. The lecture was very good for most passengers, but it seemed to cover lot of the same material that we just finished reading. Never the less it did give me better pictures of the nematodes, spring hairs, and krill, which I have not seen good pictures of yet. Tonight we have a mandatory meeting about the zodiacs. We should be starting to possibly see icebergs in the next couple of hours. Therefore I am off to the decks...I will fill you in tomorrow.

Saturday - 12/20/03 - Journal #8

We have finally made it to land! I awoke this morning at 5:30 in excitement to see land. I found the boat to be extremely still for a change. After looking out my window I saw a group of icebergs and a small stone formation. The view was absolutely breathtaking. I grabbed all my stuff and went to the back deck only to find one other passenger awake this early. I took numerous pictures and videos. In the early morning at about 8:00 we prepared for departure to Aitcho Island, which should actually be named HO Island. After arriving on the island we were greeted by two different types of penguins including chinstrap and gentou. All around us were the nest of both types of birds. We made our way around the island to see the most repulsively interesting creature...the elephant seal. They have got to be the laziest animal I have ever seen. Craig told us that they were all male. They can be identified as male by the two holes on their bellies. We also saw three weddell seals. They were a little cleaner and calmer than the elephant seals...A little more manners. While heading back in the zodiacs we were able to see more of the glaciers, a minke whale, and a seal swimming about...this was just the first landing!....I will be back in a bit to write more.

The second landing was at Yankee harbor, which was quite a bit different in terms of both climate and terrain. This landing was primarily snow covered with a large population of penguins. We saw a macaroni penguin here, which I thought was quite rare. He sat in between all the other penguins without a care in the world. There was also an Adelie who also sat within the population. The fact that these species of penguins can sit within the large number of chinstraps to me is surprising. Most animals I have ever observed do not like anything but their own kind so to speak.

We also saw another weddell seal. The third landing was at Half Moon Harbor, which was by far the most beautiful today. At this landing we went again in search of penguin carcasses on the far side of the island. On the other side of the ridge of the island you run into one of the most serene and beautiful settings that I have ever seen. With mountain ranges surrounding you on all sides. While hiking along the shore we heard a large boom. After looking around we realized that the glacier that was in the middle of the lake had just broke and split. Seeing that glacier split for some reason finally made this trip seem more real. I sat there and watched it for no less than ten minutes just in awe of the natural beauty that this continent contains. The fact that I just happened to be in the proper place to see that occurrence is something that made that trip all worthwhile. On this stop I saw my second cormorant, two more elephant seals, 3 weddell seals, and plenty of chinstrap penguins.... I AM AMAZED.

Sunday - Journal #9 - 12/21/03

Today after a long night of festive parting and a little of the Spartan spirit in the liquid form we were awoken to find out that we were going to deception island. Our first stop on the island was at bailey head. This is such a rarely visited site that the captain had to use hand drawn maps to navigate through the waters to get us close enough to land. The water was rough, but gave us a good ride on the way to the beach. After getting to the island I was told that this island actually has the biggest chinstrap population in the entire world. Once getting there we did our standard walk along the shore in order to find penguin remains to determine seal activity. We ran across a total of two penguin carcasses in an approximate coastline of 300 meters. After doing these observations, we went to look at the penguin roqueries to see some baby chicks. We were able to see a few pairs of chicks that had just been born within the week.

While observing these penguins we also witnessed two fights with-in the roqueries. One seemed to be over a rock and the other over the highest ground. This sight was one of the hilliest terrains that we have run into yet. The second sight we visited was called Port Foster. This was an old whaling station and research base, which were located within Deception Island. These were both abandoned for very different reasons. The whaling industry went sour therefore the companies left and a volcanic eruption forced the British base out of commission. There was little wildlife here, but one weddell seal and a few penguins. But the sights history and swimming made it adventure to remember. Practically everyone went swimming, but Mark who is now the "chicken shit" of the group. The day was very enjoyable, but tiring....Yehaa

Monday - Journal #10 - 12/22/03

Today was a late night and early morning. Carrie and I stayed up last night to see the sunset and rise. The sunset at 12:20 and rose at 3:30...that made the sky never get dark. The color of the sky was absolutely the most beautiful purple and pink. The sun did not rise and fall on opposite sides of the earth, which seemed very strange. Instead it rose and fell in almost the same location. After a short sleep, I awoke to go over to the British Base A and the island near the base. While on the island I found my first frustration with the passengers on the boat. A Weddell seal that was contently resting was forced off the island and into the water by a group of 15 tourists who got far too close...I was pissed.

After leaving that small island I went to Base A too send out a post card and tour the restored base. After returning from the base we did a whale watch and had the Michigan State flag raised on the front of the boat. This evening we had a barbeque on the back of the boat in the sun. We are leaving in a quick bit for Peterman Island � we ran into the adelie penguins. We saw a large colony with lots of nests and quite a few chicks. As we sat around for a while Elyse found a patch that contained a variety of grasses, fungus, and liken. Craig told me about the grasses, which could be as old as 50 years despite their small size.

In comparison to the plants I am used to seeing these were extremely small for their age. Growing just a few shoots a year. He also said that the plants that we saw are probably the southern most plants in the entire world. It is amazing to think that I have seen the plant that is at one of the southern most points. After getting back our group had a meeting where we entered all our data into the computer and discussed possible paper and presentation topics. This meeting was very effective in helping us to divide up the parts of the project...Tomorrow we finally touch the Continent!...Excitement builds.

Tuesday - Journal #11 - 12/23/03

Today we went to Paradise Harbor to finally touch the continent. At first glance Paradise Harbor was just as the name describes paradise. Once getting to the landing our entire group climbed a small peak to relax and take pictures. After we were done with the pictures, we all went and slid down the hill on or butts. John, the older of our instructors, even slid down the hill with us all. Once to the bottom of the hill, we took a few more pictures and waited for the Zodiacs to arrive so we could cruise around to bay. Ollie, the expedition leader of our ship, took us on one of the most amazing rides of our entire trip. As we sped across the bay he told use about the blue eyed shags and the industry that used to harvest their poop for fertilizer until it started to hurt the plankton that used to eat the poop.... just thought that was interesting.

nce across the bay we saw our first whale up close. There was a minke whale swimming and hopping about. It came just a few meters away from our small little boat. After the whale left the area, we were taken over to an iceberg to get a chance to stand on one. Once on the way, we took a few pictures and headed back for the ship. Our second trip out for the day was to Cuverville Island. The island had a huge population of the gentou penguins. After spending about 15 minutes on the island, Kara, a Zodiac driver, took a small group of us out to look for a crabeater seal that was spotted earlier. Even though we did not find that seal, we were able to go throughout the area and see the beautiful icebergs that floated in the water.... A great way to end a great trip.

Wednesday - Journal #12 - 12/24/03

Christmas is finally around the corner...today has been a lazy one. We are crossing the Drake Passage again and everyone is not doing all that well. Kannon is down for the count and has slept the entire day away. For a little while today I did a little reading on seals and have decided to look into the possibility of over population to the point that it may hurt the whale population. After doing the reading, I went to the presentation on the studies that Charles Swithbank did while in Antarctica during the early 1900s.

It was amazing to hear of the adventures that he had during these expeditions. He told of the three lives lost and the surgeries that had to take place during the expeditions. Following his lecture, we all went to dinner and have come to another lecture that is supposed to be done by Ollie that I will tell you about in a bit� He told the wonderful story of the Swedish expedition in 1901. The loss, discovery, and savior of the expedition. The story dragged on for a while, but was very exciting non-the less...He did talk about a fossil found of a 5-foot tall penguin.

Thursday - Journal #13 - 12/25/03

Christmas day...today we had a long day of presentations. Charles Swithbank, one of the naturalists, showed a video that he made during 1949 while on board a whaling ship. The movie depicted the brutal killing and process of the whales in the Antarctic. It was amazing to see the man that lived all these years and talk to him about all of his life experiences. He told us all about his experiences while living in a research station for an entire year studying ice core samples. The surgeries, death, and isolation all made the life in Antarctica seem very trying.

We also saw a video about rounding Cape Horn, which was made aboard a sailing vessel. The movie was cheesy but interesting to watch. Following the videos, we had a very nice Christmas meal and drinks on the house. Looking around and seeing all the happy faces made it seem much more like Christmas. This was the first time I was away from my family for Christmas. It was quite an adjustment to not be home for the holidays. Following dinner we had a Christmas party in the lounge. We did the party like a white elephant Christmas that I normally do with my family. The whole group of people had a very nice time and seemed to like their presents. I ended up with a shot glass, journal, and something else that I cannot remember at the moment. The Christmas party was one of the most fun times that I have ever had.

Friday - Journal #14 - 12/26/03

Last night I ended up not going to bed because I became consumed in conversation with Carrie. She ended up packing her bags at 6:00 in the morning. After getting off the boat, I have never been so tired in my entire life. I slept most of the day away until the meeting for the groups. At the meeting, Dustin and I split up the work differently then before. He and I are each looking at seals in terms of a time analysis. I am looking at the impacts that sealers had on seals in the past; where-as Dustin is looking the future for seals. I am trying to determine if the population explosion of seals has had an impact on the population of whales that are around.

Is it possible that the seals are eating too much of the vital keystone species, krill? I don't know if this question is something that I can even answer, but I at least intend to try. Following our meeting, we went to dinner at the restaurant that I got sick from last time we went there. It made me feel a little sick just sitting at the table and looking at the food. It ate it down anyhow, but I vowed never to go back into that place. Well we are off to the mountain tomorrow to look at the glaciers and the trees!

Saturday - Journal #15 - 12/27/03

Today was a little disappointing! We first had an early morning lecture, which seemed to drag out a little. The material about the weather was very interesting. Seeing the split between the different parts of the earth in terms of pressure was very logical. The areas with the warmer air create more moisture due to the sudden change in temperature forces the moisture trapped in the warm air to fall onto the ground.

Following the lecture we left in the taxis for the glacier. It was like riding Mr. Toad's Wild Ride at Disney world. The driver was a bit rough and drove down the center of the road the entire time until he would see an oncoming car, then he would suddenly jerk the car out of the way. After getting to the mountain we took the chair lift to the top to see the sights and do some of the tree study.

The tree study was much more of a hassle than any of us had expected. My small part of the group had to measure well over 250 trees� It was very boring. After a very long day and very muddy and wet clothes we came back for showers and dinner. We all went to dinner at a small little restaurant to the same food that were are used to in Ushuaia. I ended up with the standard cheese pizza with one olive on each slice. Even though I do not like olives they come on the pizzas here. Following dinner we went for some ice cream and came back to the hotel for an evening of work.

Sunday - Journal #16 - 12/28/03

Today had to be one of the longest in history of study abroad. We have had lecture after lecture since 8:30 this morning. The first lecture covered information about water separations and animals. The part about salps was interesting to me. It is hard to believe they produce the carbon sinks, which are completely wasted and are never used again. It seems as though it violates everything that I have ever learned about thermodynamics.

Beyond that, John gave a talk about PCBs, which was interesting because I did a research project in high school about the same topic. Following John's presentation, we went to lunch at a little coffee shop. After lunch, we had a man that is heavily involved in Antarctic research, Chuck, who told us all about the IAATO organization that he was working for this week. IAATO is the organization that the tourist operators use to save themselves from international regulations.

He showed us some of the work that he has done around Mcmurdo station and the pollution that was caused by the military settlers in the 1950s. They would just dump the waste on the ice and let it fall into the ocean. Following the lecture, we all went to dinner at the wheel. When we were there Carrie found twenty hairs in Justin's food�sanitary! Mike bought a dinner and the buffet�big spender� Then we went to Central for ice-cream.

Monday - Journal #17 - 12/29/03

Today has been one of the lazier days on the trip, which was really necessary after yesterday. This morning we had a lecture from Craig who talked about his experiences while living on Macquairie Island. It really made me think about looking into a career in the Antarctic. I could really see myself living very happily in a place like Macquairie�random though!

Anyhow the lecture really made this trip much more personal and seems more life changing than one could have ever expected. Following the lecture I took a long nap. I then ordered some room service and finished my oral presentation. Tonight we had a short review session for the final, which made me realize how little time we actually have left. After the review, we all went to the best dinner we have had yet in the hotel restaurant.

Then I had a short meeting with Dustin where we polished up our presentation into one nice show! Tomorrow we are going to the national park to see some sights, which I have been looking forward to since we arrived. I heard from a friend that it is one of the more beautiful places in the Patagonia region�.talk to you tomorrow.

Tuesday - Journal #18 - 12/30/03

Today was another one of the early mornings. We stayed up last night until 2:00am this morning working on presentations and talking about more random stuff. We had to wake up to get on the bus at 8:00 am. We took a 40-minute bus ride to the national park. While on the way, the tour guide droned on about something about the landscape. I dozed off on the way to the park. Once at the park, we went on one of the most beautiful hikes that I have ever been on. It was 3.5 hours of twisting up and down the mountains and through the twisted trees.

The water was as clear as I have ever seen. The whole time during the hike I would find rocks to skip, which lead the Kan-man and I to a conversation about the physics of a skipping stone�I am a dork. Following that hike we continued on for a few more hikes, which made to be a very long day. While on the trail, she showed us a fungus that was edible. It was the most flavorless mushroom that I have ever eaten.

After the hiking we came back for 3.5 hours of presentations. I did my presentation on the seals and was shocked at how much information that I have retained from this trip. Simple facts that I would have never expected to remember I have somehow retained. Anyhow the presentations were really interesting and fun to hear about. Following the presentation, we went out to dinner at a nice restaurant on the shore. It was the best meal I have had so far�FINAL IS TOMARROW.

Wednesday - Journal #19 - 12/31/03

Final exam day� Today we woke up early again for more presentations. They were again vary interesting, but got a little long after a while. Stacey told the whale joke in front of the class because I reminded her in front of everyone. Following the presentations, Carrie, Stacy, and Myself all went and got ice-cream at this little shop and tried to study. The whole studying thing was not all that productive, but fun.

I realized that I learned a ton of stuff in this class. I was amazed I picked up on all the things about climate and general science information. I would have never understood this material had I not been here looking at it. It would not have interested me in the classroom. After ice cream, we went in for the exam. The exam was long and was not really what I expected, but I think I did well enough.

We went back to the albatross for our new-years eve shin-dig. It was honestly one of the most fun evenings that I have ever had. We danced the night away until the instructors were out there doing the limbo�that was a sight to see. The best part of it all is that it is on video tape�

Thursday - Journal #20 - 1/1/04

Today was the first day of the New Year and the last day in Ushuaia. It was sad to leave for Buenos Aires, but exciting all at the same time. In the morning Carrie and I spent most of the day trying to finish our shopping for Christmas. While shopping I ran across Kannan who wanted to go to X-burger to finish the trip the way we began. We got to the burger place only to discover it to be closed.

Following our failed trip, we decided to go to Central. Central was my favorite place in Ushuaia. The owner of the shop like to see us, every time we went to Central he would come and talk to us for a few minutes. After leaving the ice-cream shop we left for the airport.

Once we landed in Buenos Aires the rush began for the next couple days. Right after arriving we boarded a bus to get to our hotel. Once at the hotel we rushed to get ready and went to the best dinner we had the whole trip. It was a little meat restaurant on one of the thin side streets. It had a stuffed cow out front? After dinner we hit the town until our flight the next morning.

Friday - Journal #21 - 1/2/04

Today we were supposed to fly out in the morning for Miami. Once getting to the terminal we found out that we had another eight hours before our flight was going to take off. Most of the day was spent in the airport sleeping and playing cards.

Conclusion

After finally arriving in Miami in the early morning of about 6:00 am we went to our hotel for a couple hours of sleep. At 9:00 we met in the hotel lobby to go out to the everglades. At the everglades we were told all about the climate, wildlife, and landscape. It amazed me how flat the area actually was. It had an elevation change of a couple meters.

The wildlife down here is really interesting. All the birds had very tall legs and long pointy beaks. We spent a most of the day there and even walked through the everglades which had water up to your waist at points. It was an amazing experience to see penguins and alligators all in the same trip. Thinking back about all the experiences is a little overwhelming. When people ask if I had a good time, I don't know what I am going to say because the trip was better than words and pictures. It was not a vacation it was a learning living lifetime experience. I want to go back!