Today I had a call with Cameron at The Explorer's Passage - the company organising the expedition. It was very useful to get a bit more information on some of the practicalities and some answers to some questions:
How cold is it going to be?
So for us here in in Europe then it'll be akin to our Winter. Temperatures will probably be around 0 although there may be a significant wind chill. Clothing requirements will be layers (!) and waterproofs for going out on the Zodiacs (the small boats that will take us to do shore landings). Having said that, it's worth pointing out that February 2020 saw a record high of 18.3C in Antarctica - climate change in evidence :-(
Am I too old?
As I said in a previous article I was a bit concerned that there was an emphasis on young leaders and as a "mid-career", mum of two was I going to feel out of place? My fears were allayed: there are 170-180 people from ~40 counties booked onto the Expedition. Apparently there are one or two who are under 18 (coming with their parents) and although the average age is probably late twenties it sounds like there will be some older than me so overall we'll have a good range of nationalities and age groups to learn from.
While at this stage the participant list is not finalised and can't be shared, I have managed to find another participant from the UK while looking into crowdfunding sites <waves to Sarah> and exchanged emails. As we get closer will be great to have someone to compare notes with and potentially share travel arrangements.
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