Marc Ankenbauer's 10+ year quest to jump in every named lake in Glacier and Waterton National Parks for charity.
168 lakes. Only 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ZERO LAKES LEFT!!!
-- Marc jumped into Fisher Cap Lake on Sunday September 8th, 2013 to complete his goal! --
Read about Marc and how this project started...

Cracks in the Last Ocean : Ross Sea, Antarctica

Note: I wrote this blog post while sitting at the South Pole in December of 2012, but it’s being posted in January 2014.  Sorry for the wait.  🙂

 

The Ross Sea is the southern most liquid water on planet earth.

It carves an enormous gap in what is a mostly round Antarctica.

 

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McMurdo Station is situated at the edge of where the Ross Ice Shelf meets the “open” sea.

 

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An Ice Shelf is a permanent sheet of ice which is still connected to the glaciers on land.

 

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 Photo: John Weller

 

The Ross Ice Shelf just happens to be the largest in the world.

It is 2000 feet thick and covers a portion of the Ross Sea that is the size of France.

 

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Photo: Google Images

 

When I first got to Antarctica, the sea ice looked the same as the permanent ice shelf.

An almost unending expanse of flat white ice still frozen together after a long winter.

 

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As the Antarctic summer progresses the sea ice will get thinner.

By the end it will become billions of pieces of flat ice floating on top of the world’s greatest aquatic wildlife sanctuary.

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

Below the Ross Sea ice is a world of biodiversity that has no comparison on earth.

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

Ancient oceans, before man, may have been similar…

But no other ocean ecosystem on earth is this pristine any longer.

The last 50 years of industrial fishing and environmental degradation have left the Ross Sea the “Last Ocean”.

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

In 1959 the Antarctica Treaty set the continent aside for peaceful scientific purposes only.

No one country owns Antarctica and the international scientific community abides by the treaty.

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

Unfortunately, there is no such law governing the world’s oceans.

 

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Photo: John Weller 

 

The most dynamic part of the Antarctic ecosystem is the ocean surrounding it.

You can protect Antarctica all day long, but the fish are in the water…

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

Ross Sea is filled with multiple species of seals, penguins, whales, birds, fish and every other creature that loves the undisturbed cold depths.

 

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Photo: John Weller 

 

The Tooth Fish, which is known by its more marketable name of Chilean Sea Bass is drawing industrial fishing operations from around the world to the Ross Sea.

They are a keystone component in the food web of Southern Oceans and in many respects are the glue that holds it all together.

 

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Photo: John Weller 

 

Most of the world’s oceans are already depleted to the extent that they can’t support the demand.

So, it’s finally time to tap into the last and most remote corner of the ocean world.

 

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Photo: John Weller 

 

There is a large scale attempt to stop the exploitation of this region.

If you are interested check out the www.lastocean.org or the Last Ocean Documentary Trailer by Peter Young.

 

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I’m certain that l will never be given the opportunity to scuba dive in the Ross sea to witness this concert of wildlife for myself.

But just the idea that something like this still exists gives me faith that we haven’t lost it all yet.

 

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Photo: John Weller

When I return from the South Pole and the deep field stations of East Antarctica I hope to have the time to witness the more accessible, melted version of the Ross Sea.

 

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This is the most “melted out” I ever saw it by the way…

 

Off the coast from the New Zealand Scott Base, there are pressure ridges that show the first kink in the ice.

I was able to explore and photograph these odd ice spires and wrinkles.

 

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My coworkers and I were sent on a tour as a last outing before we head out to the remote field camps.

 

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Daily the cracks and heaves change as the melting continues.

A guide was essential to lead us safely through the labyrinth of contorted ice.

 

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Pressure ridges are created where the ice shelf and the sea ice meet.

 

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It’s much like plate tectonics.

Mountains are created when one continental plate smashes into or ramps up onto another continental plate.

 

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A winter of thick sea ice heaves and crumbles when the ocean pushes it against the much larger Ross Ice Shelf.

 

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It creates bizarre spires, rolls, arches and sinks.

It’s like a Dr. Seuss book of ice sculpture.

 

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Seals and penguins are sometimes seen tucked into the folds of the pressure ridges.

I was lucky enough to see three Weddell Seals where I went the other day.

 

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They find their way through the new cracks in the ice and flop themselves on to the surface.

They lounge a while, take in in the scene, and then drop back into the depths below the ice.

 

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On land they are a big sedentary blob.

I’ve never seen one actually do-anything.

But in the water they are graceful as a soaring bird.

Poetry in motion!

 

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Photo: John Weller

 

It’s always exilerating to see wildlife in their natural surroundings.

And then you make this the surroundings!

Calmly lounging beneath the hulking, steaming expanse of Mt. Erebus, the southern most active volcano on earth.

 

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In my life I have been lucky to witness some seriously amazing landscapes.

It’s kinda my bag.

You know?

But this place is without comparison!

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I hope you are enjoying it with me.

If you have any questions or comments please drop me a line on the comment forms below.

 

*I would like to thank nature photographer John Weller.  He is the image guru of the Last Ocean Documentary.  I hope he would be accepting of the use of some his photos for the greater good.  Obviously, I don’t have any personal photographs of these amazing underwater places. 

I figured that I would borrow some of his masterful images to spread the word and make the message more visually compelling.  To help me justify my usage this man’s amazing product, please check out  Last Ocean Short Film on Youtube, and help spread the Last Ocean mission. 

Observation Hill : McMurdo’s Local Mountain

Observation Hill is a small mountain or a large hill on the outskirts of McMurdo Station…

It is the Antarctica version of the little, after work, local mountain.

On top of the summit there is a large cross that was placed there in honor of Robert Falcon Scott.

He was the famous British explorer that was the second to ever reach the South Pole, but passed away on the return trip.

There are hiking trails that go around “Ob Hill” and to the summit cross.

 

 

The trail around Observation Hill starts near the helicopter landing pad.

We even saw a helicopter flying in from the field right as we started our trip.

 

 

As the trail gained elevation the entire edge of McMurdo Station became visible with the huge people carrier headed out to the sea ice airstrip.

 

 

We were surprised by a C17 which was coming in from Christchurch, New Zealand.

We sat on rocky hillside and watched it land on the sea ice landing strip.

 

 

There is another airstrip called Pegasus which is further out on the Ice shelf.

It gets used later in the season when the sea ice melts too much to be solid.

 

 

The trail continues along the edge of the Ross Sea through black volcanic rock.

Absolutely nothing but rock and snow…Nothing.

 

 

At the base of the mountain there were three Weddell Seals lounging near the cracks in the sea ice.

 

 

We rounded a bend in the trail and my fellow hikers were silhouetted against the expanse of the never ending Ross Ice Shelf.

 

 

The New Zealand’s Scott Research Base was visible out on the point with Mt. Terror in the background.

 

 

The trail got pretty steep at points with snow jammed in the winding trail.

 

 

I was overwhelmed by the opportunity to be out hiking in this surreal place.

I needed to be sure to pose for a photo with the ever present Mt. Discovery.

 

 

The Observation Hill summit trail leads directly out of McMurdo Station and is well steeper.

 

 

I kept waiting to do the climb because it had been wicked cold and windy.

Cold is one thing but the wind makes it ridiculous up there pretty quickly.

I had to finally just choose to go.

All in all it was alright and the wind was still blowing snow across the ground.

 

 

The surrounding landscape grows and grows as the trail rises upward.

Far in the distance is White Island which is bound on all sides by the Ross Ice Sheet.

 

 

When I was almost to the summit the last group was starting the descent.

 

 

I was left to a peaceful 10 minute window to take in the 360 degree panorama.

I set up a tripod and got a shot of myself on the summit.

The double volcanoes were looming in the background and the road to Scott base was visible far below

 

 

Anytime a trail gains even a little elevation around town Mt. Erebus pops above the skyline.

 

 

Mt. Terror and its profound amount of ice was a great backdrop for the wind turbines that help power the US and Kiwi stations.

 

 

Right before I left to come down here, National Geographic wrote an article about Mt. Erebus.

It is the southernmost active volcano on earth.

Its almost always steaming because there is an actual lake of molten lava at the bottom.  For Real!!

If that’s not cool enough, the steam coming out of the steam vents freezes when it hits air and creates crazy Dr Seuss like vent tube creature looking things.

Wait, wait…And there is cool crystals that form out of volcanic minerals which makes them bizarro hard.

Ah, Mt. Erebus…

 

 

I bid the summit farewell and started heading back towards town to make sure I hit up dinner.

 

 

This might be the craziest thing I’ve ever looked at from a 25 minute hike.

I guess you’ll have that on the regional tour.  Huh, Spicer?

I suppose we are in Antarctica…

Thanks OB Hill.

 

 

I hope this finds each and everyone of you having a simply splendid day.

To Life

 

Return to McMurdo: Headed North

Life is filled with moments which you know can’t be lived again.

When you know that you’ve been living something special.

And, now you are leaving that special moment, never to return.

That’s life. It happens.

It makes us appreciate how precious and fleeting life is.

What is the phrase? “The only constant is change”.

Today I’m leaving the South Pole.

Now, I’m a reasonably well traveled guy.

But, if I’m playing life’s percentages “I will never be back here again”.

I’m still processing the fact that I got this chance once.

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I’m sure some of my ideologies and opinions need some work.

But, I try desperately to live life and the opportunities that come my way as if they won’t come again.

This is my way of appreciating the life I live.

It is very important to me to live the life I’ve been given to the fullest.

These are moments in a story that can only be read in a forward direction.

Today and every other day lead you to moments in which you won’t live again.

I try to eat life with as big of a spoon as I can find in the drawer.

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Anyway, I’m outta here and headed North.

I grabbed my bags and hauled them past a Christmas tree made of steel machine parts and a very odd Santa Claus.

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We packed our cargo on an Airforce pallet so a forklift can load it into the C130.

A few friends came out to wave us goodbye as we boarded the plane and took our seats.

As the C130 pulled off the ice and started flying north the station got smaller till there was nothing but a flat white horizon and a whining engine tearing us through the sky.

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The clouds were thick which made photographs less appealing than our flight to Pole.

Luckily I explained to the National Guard guy that when the Trans Antarctic Mountains finally popped up, I would love to take a few photos from the cockpit.

I fell asleep for a while finally getting a moment to relax.

I woke to the same guy telling me that the pilot would allow me in the cockpit for the landing.

I had to ask him to repeat himself, but I wasn’t going to ask three times.

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We were getting close to McMurdo when I climbed into the cockpit.

Black Island, White Island and Mt Discovery were all recognizable but from odd, unfamiliar angles.

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I was so excited that I think I took about three hundred photos.

I figured I would just keep clicking till they told me to sit down and strap in for the landing.

When I was about settled in, the pilot yelled “come back up here”.

I took my spot next next to the window again.

He took a fly over of the airstrip and banked hard into a 360 to line back up for the real landing.

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In short, he was showing off for me.

It WAS AMAZING!

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It was also all I could do to not fall over as I gripped hard onto a ceiling handle and tried to keep the camera taking steady video.

When the plane door opened up I was overcome by the smell of spring.

To me more accurate, it smelled like a warm sunny day of spring skiing.

It was undeniable.

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It had been 40 degrees in McMurdo for a couple weeks now and the snow out on the ice shelf was foot deep slop.

If I were skiing I would refer to it as mashed potatoes.

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While snow was melting like crazy, the mountains all around were still slathered in snow.

The snow pack is hundreds of feet thick so it doesn’t melt away it just becomes sloppy.

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At the South Pole there is no smells.

There is nothing to smell.

No plants, no animals, no water.

It took a while to realize why everything in the South Pole station was so clean.

But, there is nothing to make it dirty.

There is no dirt.

So I was overwhelmed by the scent of warm melting water and dirt.

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It smelled like taking a late afternoon spring walk around Missoula with Jess.

It smelled like a barbeque in a soggy spring backyard.

But, most of all it smelled like sitting on the front porch at the ski resort in April.

The days when you wish you could ski in shorts but you are not stupid enough to do it.

The days when you are baking in the sun with a pitcher of beer in front of you.

A couple great friends laughing and recounting the day.

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I COULD SMELL!!!

I was like Dewey Cox!

I wasn’t smell blind anymore!

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McMurdo had never seen a month of heat quite like this.

It was making an absolute mess of the snow road from Pegasus Airstrip to McMurdo.

What used to be a quick 45 minute drive has become almost a 2 hour endeavor.

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Vehicles with wheels couldn’t get traction and only ripped the road up.

There is a four mile section in which the bus had to be pulled on a “magic carpet”.

It’s the same industrial plastic sheeting that the Traverse pulls cargo across the continent on.

The huge Caterpillar tractor pulled us and another bus along like were on a toboggan.

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Eventually the road became solid again so our bus was able to make good time back to McMurdo.

A dorm room, a shower and a late night dinner awaited.

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The only Emperor Penguin that I’ve seen so far was standing on the side of the road.

Pretty drab sighting, but I’ll take it.

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I’m also overwhelmed by the site of liquid water.

I know that may sound strange.

However, when everything is frozen as far as you can see, a pool of bright blue water is pretty profound.

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I found myself staring at a seasonal drainage ditch on the side of the road.

It was running water and there was something guttural that made me smile and stare.

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McMurdo in general was a different place than I left two months ago.

Everything was dry and dusty like a country road in August.

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Doors to buildings are left open to get fresh air while the short nice weather window is spreading its joy.

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It’s great to just be able to go for walks again.

At the South Pole you don’t go outside unless you have to or you are going somewhere specific.

I’ve gone on a walk in gym shoes every day since I’ve been back to McMurdo.

I still need a coat, hat and gloves, but it is still Antarctica.

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Andy and I walked to Scott Base one evening to have a beer and check out the station.

We were still acclimatized to the 10,000’ elevation at South Pole.

It felt so great to walk at sea level!

I wondered around for hours taking pictures and enjoying the warm 35 degree weather.

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The sea ice heaves and cracks near the base which allows openings for Seals.

The melt ponds gleamed bright blue while the seals made periodic groaning noises.

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As I walked back I stared down at the massiveness of the Ross Ice Shelf.

Ivan the Terra Bus looked like a dot as it drove arrivals back from the airstrip to McMurdo.

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Observation Hill’s silhouette stood tall against the ice sheet.

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Hut Point has some open water and Adelie Penguins and Weddell Seals have been hanging out there.

They are far enough off that I don’t get great photos but it’s just amazing to be in their presence.

They tend to just stand or in the case of the seals, just lay there.

They don’t do a Happy Feet flash mob or anything.

I’m just excited that they are being penguins and seals in Antarctica.

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The open water leads into a huge crack that stretches far across the sea ice.

It is enormous but somehow still dwarfed by this expansive landscape.

There are clusters of seals along the length of the crack.

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Within a month there will be an Ice Breaker ship sent to open up the ice in the bay.

Shortly afterward the annual cargo ship arrives with a year worth of food and supplies.

The same ship leaves with all of the year’s garbage and the cargo being sent back to the United States.

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The other night I was standing at Hut Point watching the tide come in and out.

When I left for the South Pole the ice was covering all water and there was obviously no visible tide.

Now the rise and fall moves plates of sea ice up and down.

It’s hypnotic.

Maybe I’m just overwhelmed by what I’m a part of.

Well, I know I am.

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This has been one of the most profound experiences of my life.

I continue to walk around in total awe of the concept of where I am.

I may get used to the culture of the place or that there is a huge volcano directly across the sea ice.

The classic imagery of Antarctica is always in my face.

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Helicopters fly in and out against the mountainous backdrop on what seems like an hourly schedule.

There are few things more visually dramatic than that.

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While it’s all of these things that make it very apparent where I’m at.

It’s the fact of knowing how special and once in a life time this moment is.

I’ve been given the chance of a life time.

In return I hope I’ve given it the respect that it deserves.

I will be forever grateful for this opportunity.

I hope I’ve used a large enough spoon for the occasion.

To LIFE!

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