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Dark clouds came and went early this morning, blocking out the sun and making the hour seem much earlier than it actually was.  Rain fell on the deck, mixing with sleet, before clearing into magnificent blue skies accented by a spectacular rainbow.  We lingered over eggs and bacon before finally tearing ourselves away to complete the task of packing our suitcases.

Naturalist Russ Manning told us about his experiences as a British Antarctic Survey base commander during his presentation, “20 years of living and working in Antarctica”.   Russ took us through a year in the life of someone working at an Antarctic base, providing us some real insight into what a challenging, but rewarding, experience it is to work in this part of the world.  The stories were fantastic and Russ’ passion for the Antarctic was contagious!

We wandered past the Photo Shop to pick up some last-minute photos or a copy of the trip DVD before meeting Geologist Henry Pollock in the cinema.  Henry facilitated a wrap-up and discussion on climate change, during which we had the opportunity to ask questions and express our own opinions on this very important and controversial issue.  

We went up to the Verandah for a cup of coffee, which we took out on deck to enjoy amidst the scenery of the Beagle Channel.  The sun was shining bright, illuminating the forest-covered hillsides on either side of the ship.  The green color was striking after 10 days away from such lush vegetation.

Before lunch, we joined fellow guest Brian McClendon, co-founder and VP Engineering of Google Earth, for his talk “All you ever needed to know about Google Earth and Google Maps”.  It was a very insightful talk about how to make the most of this amazing computer software.  We then went for a bite to eat, and a walk around the Promenade deck to stretch our legs before what would be, for some of us, a very long time sitting on a plane.  

During the afternoon, we made sure we had all of our belongings packed before heading out on deck to watch our arrival into Ushuaia.  South American tern flocks fished over groups of Magellanic penguins, while groups of blue-eyed shags ushered us in to the pier.  It was quite a shock to see civilization after being away in the wilderness for so long.

The final days of this expedition have been dominated by reflection and celebration.  We have reached the end of our exploration of Antarctica.  This is a special place beyond description, extremely powerful and fragile at the same time.  With all that we have experienced and learned, we can return home with a newfound knowledge of how special Antarctica is, and how important it is to protect it for future generations.