Three days after returning from Winter Break, someone from PolarTREC left a voicemail on my phone. I couldn’t call them back until my lunch period, but when I did I was thrilled to have been chosen. I walked over to my partner teacher’s classroom, stuck my head in the door, and said, "I’m going to Antarctica!" She gave me a huge hug and I literally jumped up and down because I was so excited. Because I was leaving in less than three months, everything kicked into high gear. A week later I was at the doctor’s office getting poked and prodded to make sure I was medically fit for my trip.
Coming to Alaska
Fast forward one month and I am currently in Alaska learning about all of the logistics of traveling and doing research in very cold parts of our world. All of the teachers who have been chosen for the PolarTREC program (which sends teachers to both the Arctic and the Antarctic) have amazing backgrounds. They are feisty, outdoorsy, intelligent teachers who care deeply about their students and love learning new things.
Yukon Quest
I arrived early in the morning on Saturday and I was able to catch the beginning of the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race that starts in Fairbanks and ends in Whitehorse and the fastest competitors usually finish the trip in 10 days. It was incredible to watch the teams of small dogs pull their mushers along the Cheena River.
Start of the Yukon Quest Race