Today starts off with an early morning departure from Missoula, Montana. I bounce around from Missoula to Seattle to Los Angeles to Mexico City and finally arrive in Buenos Aires late at night. I can barely keep my eyes open as I grab a taxi to my hotel downtown. All I remember is my head hitting the pillow as I get ready for my next adventure: …

This morning, it's an early flight to Ushuaia. It occurs to me as we land that the plane could very easily slide right off the runway and into the Beagle Channel, but the pilot negotiates the landing easily and I'm now at the end of the world. I take a quick taxi ride into town and drop my bags at the Albatross Hotel, where we will be …

Antarctica travelers often discuss crossing the Drake Passage. They categorize the crossing in one of two ways: Drake Lake or Drake Quake. Lucky me, I get the Drake Lake! The water isn't quite as calm as a lake, but I certainly don't feel seasick at all. The day is full of meeting my fellow travelers, the crew of the One Ocean Navigator …

Day Two of the Drake Passage and I still feel great, that is until I spill an entire french press of coffee on my leg. I'm not that smooth before my morning coffee in regular circumstances, but when you add in the movement of the ship, it's a recipe for disaster. I filled up the carafe with boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes to …

I wake up to a winter wonderland. More than a foot of heavy powder has fallen on every surface of the ship. This bodes well for us skiers as we plan on making our first ascent tomorrow. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, fruit and anything else delicious that I can shove in my mouth, we learn that we will be making our first …

The day began auspiciously, spirits high, previously wobbly legs now bolstered with sea legs. Breakfast was just that: the breaking of an almost 12 hour fast upon the sturdy One Ocean Navigator: eggs and toast, bacon and sausage: things that make sea legs stronger. Then a quick realization: today is the day we drop zodiacs and meet the land we …

Today's land excursions take us to Orne Harbor and Wilhelmina Bay. The skiers make landing in Orne Harbor, gear up and skin up a ridge line to the top of a small mountain. We can't believe it, but we watch as Gentoo Penguins waddle up the mountainside, making nests at the top of the ridge where the rock is exposed. They prefer to build …

This morning, my knee is the size of a baseball and I keep ice on it constantly. I'm able to walk, so I ask Boris, our Expedition Leader, if I can switch from skiing to kayaking. There is an extra kayak to spare, so I'm given the thumbs up. This morning, we head out to Ronge Island, a high rugged piece of land 5 miles long, the largest …

Neko Harbour is full of the most beautiful icebergs on the planet, I discover as I paddle my kayak around them. We are not allowed to get too close, but it's amazing to see how deep the go down into the water. I think of them as floating relatively high, but they extend deep beneath the water's surface. The weather is good again, so we …