Antarctica and Beyond.
Looking at my soaps while showering, trying to decipher if it will be enough or if I should buy a second bar. I think it should be enough—I mean, we’ll be getting 2x 2-minute showers weekly, so how fast could it really go? It’s a strange feeling packing up your bags, knowing you're heading to a place as isolated as Antarctica. Trying to calculate how much soap, toothpaste, or even how many socks you’ll need for five months in a remote field camp feels surreal. In just a couple of days, I'll be stepping off a plane into the endless ice, stationed at Marble Point, Antarctica with just one other woman. It’s funny how little things, like whether I’ll have enough soap, can make the reality of an adventure like this sink in.
Marble point is stationed about 50 miles by helicopter away from the main U.S. research base in Antarctica- McMurdo Station. Our main purpose there is to be a helicopter refueling station, being at the ready for helicopters flying to and from the dry valleys conducting research. Side note- the dry valleys are insane, they have not seen precipitation for millions of years. It is the place on earth that most resembles the surface of the planet Mars. I am no scientist, but I know that in the previous years the researchers have been finding living organisms in these dry valleys- connect the dots and it is a step to validate life on Mars. I mean holy smokes, and I get to live there?!!! Somebody pinch me. I think this is little Sarah’s dream.
Last week I spent a fair share of a paycheck on art supplies, which is what I hope to be spending a lot of my time down there doing. I’m excited for that (go figure), but the thing that appeals about making art there the most is that I’m in this one place, five months, one place. You see the same things every single day, so if you were to just look at it from the surface level, what more is there to see and extract? I like this box it puts me in because it will force me to look at my surroundings differently every single day to find a new perspective to work from and create from. If there is wifi, I’ll ideally be sharing those works of art with you. My goal is to let my artwork give you a glimpse into the world that I see and be able to share the magic through it.
After the fire season ended, life has been moving incredibly quickly, trying to spend time with all of my family and do all of the things in Minneapolis before departing, but holy smokes now I’m sitting in the LAX airport where all of the anticipation is about to become my reality. If you were here to see, I’m shaking in my boots with excitement. If I could explain my feelings towards this upcoming time of isolation, I’d say I’m a puppy with its tail between its legs, but still wagging. That makes sense to you, right?
If you’re interested in joining along for this journey, and given there is Wi-Fi, I’ll be sharing frequent updates throughout the process. Hopefully, we can all crack a bottle of champagne together at the end of it. Stay curious, stay cool.
To Antarctica and beyond!