The sights couldn’t be more familiar. Grass. Trees. Roads. Dirt.
Land.
And yet, after two months in Antarctica, the rolling hills and rocky bluffs of New Zealand’s South Island may as well have been on another planet.
The passengers of the icebreaker Araon woke up on Thursday to the welcoming sight of civilization on the port side, and with it, the knowledge that our expedition was coming to an end. Gear will be boxed up. Goodbyes will be said. Plans for future Antarctic research will be hatched.
I hope you’ve enjoyed our coverage of the voyage. But I’ve still got more stories in my notebook that we’ll be publishing in the coming days and weeks.
No Antarctic expedition occurs in a vacuum. Each one builds on journeys past and builds the launchpad for journeys to come. Even though the most ambitious research project on this trip was foiled at its final step, the scientists have already begun sketching out their next campaigns to crack the secrets of the Thwaites Glacier. Polar field work is not for the less than determined, and I’m excited to share with you what these researchers, unbowed by this season’s challenges, are planning next.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to getting reacquainted with the smell of sun-warmed earth.
Raymond Zhong reports on climate and environmental issues for The Times.
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