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Final thoughts from Dr. Shawn
Posted By: Shawn_Noren, Dr. Kanatous on Monday, December 18, 2006
Hello Polar Scientists
We finished the season and spent the last few days cleaning and returning field gear and lab equipment. We had a few “hiccups” on the day we were supposed to fly out; the type of plane, time we were to depart, and runway that we were to use changed on us about four times. It felt like the rug was jerked out from under our feet each time they changed the itinerary because we were so close to leaving and getting closer to seeing our loved ones.
Although I eagerly looked forward to seeing my husband and my dog and getting a cup of Starbuck’s coffee, I knew that I was going to miss Antarctica. It was like when I went on vacation in Africa, I knew that there was something about being in a rustic environment that gets into your soul. Now that I am home, I miss the beautiful snow capped mountains with blue glaciers clinging to their sides. I miss the UFO-type sounds that the seals made while swimming below my feet under the sea ice. I miss the echoing cry of the seal pups that filled the uninhabited terrain. I miss the inquisitive emperor penguins, which I finally saw a few days before I left.
Although my adventure has come to an end, I have taken home with me a lot of great memories and the knowledge that I have accomplished something spectacular. The field team completed several fantastic studies on Weddell seals, from understanding their thermoregulation, to looking at their muscle biochemistry for exercise, to exploring the types of toxins that they come in contact within their environment. I also know that I can survive in a tent in very inhospitable weather, because I survived Happy Camper School. And I had the chance to explore two huts that were inhabited by the famous explorers Shackelton and Scott over 100 years ago. It boggles my mind how these early explorers could survive the weather of this continent with the inadequacies of technology back then. I thoroughly enjoyed my adventure but I missed home and was ecstatic to reunite with my husband and queensland blue heeler, whose 2-year-old birthday I had missed while in the field.
Shawn
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