Don’t you know promises were never meant to keep?
Just like the night, they dissolve off in sleep
I’ll be your savior, steadfast and true
I’ll come to your emotional rescueOoh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ~ the Rolling Stones
“The Endurance”
Wait, wait – GO GO GO!
Extreme travel takes extreme patience. My Canada bestie worked in Nunavut Territory for several years. Blogged a lotta shots of empty open airports. Travel delays, flight cancellations, re-routed itineraries. Overnight stays in non-destination towns.
No air traffic controllers on Antarctica. Visual landing on a tundra-scrapped runway. Xtreme weather possibilities. For the White Continent Team just waiting on clear skies. Antarctica summer. Cloud cover on King George Island determines our fly window.
Another breakfast, another lunch.
Eat big or sleep. Run long, not run. Not your typical pre-marathon routine. Not sure when I’m marathoning – what day, even what time of day. Crazy life adventure.
What it does give you? Time. Time to read those prep instructions emailed October past. Truly not a procrastinator, really. Super goal oriented. But…I’m a solo runner. Living by yourself, super sensitive to the inner,
constant danger, safe return doubtful
strengths/limitations – where you can push, areas there’s ‘no positive’ – mental constraints, complications, long lists of details. Can overwhelm, spiral confidence. Soooo…ya nip the details, rip off the toe nail, don’t overthink & blindly move forward. No wallowing in what one can’t do. Repackage, redirect, move forward. Anything is POSSIBLE – 62 of us will run Antarctica. Different countries, ages, run backgrounds. Proof: diverse paths can reach the same unique destination.
Hurry, hurry, wait. Hill-climbed past the cemetery, UP to Cerro de la Cruz — the Lookout. Scenic panorama of this coastal outpost: Punta Arenas (aka Sandy Point). Mercado-shopped for more coconut water. Spanish struggle, communication fail. HOWEVER, successfully used an ATM first time. More Monopoly money. VICTORY!
Two ladies speaking English – they’ve gotta be part of our group. We’re leaving at midnight. Have you heard? There’s a sign in the hotel lobby. Prep talk at 6pm.
Adrenaline RUSH. What? What? WHaT? Emotional ROLLER COASTER. OMG – I should’va done this/this/this, I still need to pack. OMG – it’s happening. It’s really happening. ANTARCTICA!
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- Cerro de la Cruz
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- the Lookout
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- Monkey Puzzle Tree
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- Pre-Flight Briefing
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- ZERO Impact
ZERO Impact (Pre-Flight Briefing)
North Pole polar bears, South Pole penguins.
Early breakfast, lobby FULL with runners. Marathon Day? Nope, PENGUINS. Easy half-mile walk to the Pier, tickets presented, boarded a ferry. Open water excursion, short hour away. Isla Magdalena. No cancellation, no refund, no need – I kissed the BRASS 😊
Nervous excited boat chatter. Seas rolling but not rough. Couple sprays from a distant whale pod. Just a distraction. Island approach – close, close, closer, PENGUINS.
Disembark instructions: stay on trail, keep moving & don’t chase the natives.
🐧 Magellanic Penguin 🐧
South American penguin, breeding in coastal Argentina, Chile and the Falkland Islands, with some migrating to Brazil where they are occasionally seen as far north as Rio de Janeiro…most numerous of the Spheniscus penguins.
Mass: 8.8 lbs Conservation status: Near Threatened (Population decreasing)
Day’s excursion did NOT disappoint. Literally HUNDREDS of PENGUINS.
Adults matched in size by the dull fluffy adolescent chicks they still supported, preened & fed. Seemingly nesting EVERYWHERE. HIGHLY recommended MUST-DO TRIP.
Sooooo much bigger than the wee blue ones seen in Oamaru (NZ/Mar 2017). Just WOW!
Rock-rock-rocky, return ride home. Took short breaks outside. Let the cold Tierra del Fuego air numb the quease. Whole lotta retching. Yikes! Who knew my lithe fit Asian brothers stomach’d so much bile? Just as well today was not Antarctica Day. Folks gonna need an extra day or two to repopulate calories. Ick. Just the sheer Sound, the Smell. Sad souls.
Post-boat dinner? Heck yeah, I’m not one to miss a meal 🍴 Italian dinner. Long table of 8. Julian (France). Brad (Quebec). Kentucky Dave. Circle continues to grow.
Pre-Flight Briefing tomorrow. ZERO impact (group poop 💩) discussion.
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- PENGUIN Day!
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- Los Pingüinos
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- 🐧🐧
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- penguin CROSSING
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- adolescent fluff
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- peep preening
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- SEA GULL chicks
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- Chilean lighthouse
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- seasonal pair ❤️
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- circle of FRIENDS
Isla Magdalena
Punta Arenas, Day 2. Goal: Must find food.
Some are hunters, some gatherers. Fortunately, I inherited both genes. It’s not that I require HUGE meals, but I like them regular/consistent. I need to know food is available & my food is near. Totally/entirely natural (likely fact-based), this prey drive I share with Ro. Wiki it. I’m almost kinda positive this truth can be found on the Internet 🙂
After missing dinner night prior, alarm set, up/showered/quick-ready for the day – FULL breakfast, hotel downstairs. Run plans later, sightseeing – yeah, yeah – first, FOOD. Thanksgiving spread of dishes at my table of 1. Buffet, hot beverage. EAT!
Insert: Katya. Would you like to sit with us? And…my Circle of Friends began.
First met Katya (Jorge and Paula) at Customs Control in Santiago. Me: FaceBook averse, no Spanish, introverted, table of 1 please. It was there & Katya, who asked – are you also running White Continent? Luckily wore my SWAG fleece over from Dallas. Later Emilio. Dan. Jeff. Silvio. Seth – and 20+ others. But first, there was Katya. Thanks friend.
Easy group run after break-FEAST, breezy 5 miles on the bike path. Cemetery stroll post-shower. Strange but true. Google search: top 5 things to do in Punta Arenas.
Cementerio Municipal Sara Braun. Peaceful/manicured landscape, Greco-Roman architecture, Croatian mausoleums. Dogs lazy-lounging on steps, ‘round fountains, logging sun hours. [2 long streets away] Plaza de Armas (Muñoz Gamero) to the statue of Magellan.
Beso, beso. Not just kissed the toe – I TASTED the BRASS. One for the Team, ALL IN, germophobe NOT. Past 2 days, Penguin Island [tour] cancelled for rough seas. One BRASS KISS & 75000 Monopoly $$ later, confidently purchased a ticket. Gloria. Cindy. My circle now double-digits. Early dinner at La Luna. Fresh fruit/bottled water/juices secured at a local Mercado. Life FANTASTIC.
Adventure next: Isla Magdalena – Penguin Island! 🐧
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- morning group run
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- Plaza de Armas
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- Cementerio Sara Braun
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- R.I.P. must-see 💀⚰️
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- rated top 5 – GLOBALLY
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- Familia Kusanovic
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- dog days of SUMMER
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- Monumento Hernando de Magallanes
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- brass toe of Magellan
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- Texas? nope, CHILE!
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- Life FANTASTIC ❤️
Punta Arenas (Mercado Day)
