To go or not to go, that is the question we all have right now. Elías Berticevic, our Chilean host, is working very hard trying to rescue the expedition. He is dealing with the Chilean health department, doctors, the powers to be at INACH, and a bunch of anxious explorers, both healthy and ill. Our moods change as quickly as the medical diagnosis. In half an hour we go from having food poisoning to salmonella then to nurovirus and back to salmonella. The sick people declared contagious at one moment they stop being contagious in a matter of hours. It is hard to deal with the uncertainty, but all of the students are doing an amazing job. They are very calmed and supportive of those who have to be taken to the clinic
We came to learn about the scientific process and this is, sadly, a reality of science, particularly field science, and even more for Antarctic science. Setbacks lurk around; what matters is how we recover, grow and learn from them. I saw scientists deal with adversity last time I went to Antarctica. The first time when we arrived to McMurdo Station to find the containers containing chemicals and equipment that should not have been frozen left at the dock with subfreezing temperatures. The expedition was about to be cancelled, but the team figure a way to go ahead. We did lose an component of the project due to equipment failure.
We also had to readjust the scientific goals because we kept loosing days to bad weather ( check this journal on that expedition ). Jim and Alex had to figure every day the priorities and what to drop. We all have also read about how many scientific projects were lost during the sequester, when congress could not agree on how to fund the government.
It will be sad to miss this opportunity to reach Antarctica, but it is a learning experience. Anything is possible if we really want to do it. In the case the last leg of the expedition gets cancelled, this team will have to figure out how much we want to go to Antarctica and commit ourselves to make it happen
Meanwhile Luke is feeling much better, so we went for a walk around to Punta Arenas, hoping that these pictures with our Antarctic gear will not be the only ones that we will have as memories.
Claire and Luke checking Punta Arenas' coast
Anna enjoying Punta Arenas.
Luke looking for wildlife to photograph
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