Antarctic veterans describe their love affair with this remote wilderness

Why does the Antarctic hold such allure for those who go there? Alok Jha speaks to explorers drawn by the power of the ice, the extraordinary wildlife, the adventure and the isolationThese past weeks, we've benefited from the combined experience of several Antarctic veterans, people who have been to the frozen continent countless times, who keep coming back and, for all intents and purposes, will keep coming back. My own experiences have been written from the point of view of someone who is new to this world, finding awe in almost every landscape, animal or temperature I've encountered. Antarctica is a special place, no doubt, but people do live and work here and, I wondered, does it ever get normal for people who come time and again? Or even boring?While we waited for the Aurora Australis to finish its re-supply of the Australian Antarctic base, Casey, I rounded up a few of the Antarctic veterans and asked them to tell me about their Antarctica, to get a flavour of what it is like to have an extended relationship with this remote, beautiful part of the world.What brings you coming back to Antarctica?Greg Mortimer (geologist and co-leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, has been to Antarctica more than 100 times): I keep coming back to Antarctica because of the mystery of trying to understand the place. More importantly, its pure beauty, the raw beauty of its sharp edges and its extraordinary wildlife. It's a place of paradoxes where the natives, the wildlife that e...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: theguardian.com Blogposts World news Antarctica Environment Polar regions Science Source Type: news