Made it to the White Continent Yesterday......

.......at supper Tuesday night we were told there appeared to be a break in the weather for early Wednesday morning so we boarded our bus at 1:30 am for a trip to the airport where we left at 3:00 am with the understanding we could get there and might have to turn around and return without landing.  Basically it was our last chance this week.

We boarded Antarctic Air at Punta Arenas in the dark.....

It was about a two hour flight over there and was beginning to get daylight as we approached and the limited views were almost like viewing an alien moonscape or something.....

There was a cheer when the plane actually landed at the Chilean research base runway and taxied to a stop.  It was just getting light when we got off the plane and there was still a full moon above.

We were told it was 28 degrees F when we arrived and there was, in fact, ice crusted on the puddles of water.  As the sun came up in the east, the full moon began to set in the west and created some nice photos:

The sunrise also created some nice views:

We ran along the coast of King George Island Bay.....

But while the scenery was breathtaking, the trail itself was very, very difficult.  Doing the half-marathon, I did three "out and backs" to a turn-around while the marathoners did six.

Early in the morning, when it was still below freezing, the muddy trail was actually very easy to run on and, as the sun rose, it was ideal in places.  For me, as a flatlander Texan, the elevation seemed much more pronounced than I was expecting. 

While we didn’t have snow, the trail--which was actually a road--twisted through several snow banks and at times the road consisted of loose rock.  Usually the rocks were golf ball to baseball-sized and, being loose, they tended to roll under our shoes.  The saving feature was that they were rounded without sharp edges.  It was basically going downhill out and uphill returning.

We did have a couple of places where we ran across some snow bank and the road also had a couple of streams which were, in the beginning, crusted over with ice but soon became slushy.

As the morning warmed up, the muddy part of the trail soon became a gumbo that stuck to the shoes and several of the marathoners stated later that they considered the trail to be pretty strenuous.

We were told to dress for the race before getting on the plane in Punta Arenas since time was going to be critical once we got to Antarctica.  Again, being from Texas, I wasn’t really equipped for this but Devin got me a pair of Gore running pants and a UA running stocking cap.  I dressed that morning with wind briefs, running tights and the Gore windproof pants.  I had previously bought a UnderArmor cold gear compression shirt that does an amazing job of retaining body heat and I wore that as a top with my Dynamo waterproof lightweight jacket.  I ordered a pair of “sniper mittens” on the Internet—wool gloves with the fingers cut off at the knuckles and a mitten “hood” that folded over the exposed fingers. I figured that would allow me to keep my hands warm but still allow me to use my camera with the gloves on.

On the first of my three “out and backs,” I felt perfectly comfortable.  Somebody said the temperature was 28 degrees with only a slight wind.  The sun came up very quickly over the bay and there was a noticeable increase in the temperatures to the point that when I returned the first time, my stocking cap was saturated with sweat and I removed the gloves completely.  Several others actually pulled off their pants and continued in running shorts.  I felt pretty good the first loop, running downhill and walking uphill.  I had no soreness from the half-marathon the previous day and felt I was making good progress although my time was slow because of the terrain.  Following Devin’s advice, I drank lots of water and snacked on some trail mix before heading out for the second loop.

By now, the sun was well into the sky and it was so beautiful we all wondered why scheduling a flight here had been so difficult.  I later heard that it got as high as 39 degrees this morning.  The sky was light blue with only a few clouds.  I wasn’t experiencing soreness from the day before, but very soon into the second lap I felt fatigue set into my legs.  As I made the turnaround, I realized that the sky was quickly clouding over and the temperature didn’t feel as warm.  The uphill climb back to the start point really began punishing my legs but I made it ok and took another water and snack break before doing the third, and final loop.  I briefly considered putting the mittens and cap back on but decided against it—which would prove to be a mistake.

As the third loop began, I was basically walking and my legs were definitely fatigued.  I still   thought I did ok on the downhill route out but I did realize I was starting to get cold.  At the turn-around, I realized the sky had become overcast and the trip back up the hill was miserable.  Other runners, even the elite runners, were also starting to struggle.  The wind started becoming a major factor.

 By the time I reached the finish line, I was wobbling and my hands were so cold I couldn’t even unzip my jacket.  The first thing I noticed as I approached was that our start/finish line sign had been taken down.  I finished, received my race medal (which was in a Ziploc bag I couldn’t open because my fingers were so stiff), and the race director told me to get my stuff and head back to the plane.  When I looked out over the bay, there was literally a wall of fog moving our direction.  

The pilot had basically said he was leaving within an hour.

I was so cold that I took no more photographs but had someone else take some pictures of me at the finish line.  My hands were so cold that I could pull the mittens on but not adjust the “hood” over my exposed fingers.  I grabbed my backpack and made trek back to the plane which was about another mile walk. 

Most of the marathoners (who were doing six “out and backs”) didn’t get to finish.  As I watched them stagger onto the plane wrapped in blankets and anything else they could find to get warm, we were a dirty, muddy, miserable-looking group but nobody was complaining—we had made it to Antarctica.  One girl was shaking so bad she couldn’t put her own seatbelt on.  As the last person got on, they closed the door and the pilot was taxiing for takeoff before they were even seated.

As soon as we got back to the hotel, they set the race course back up from the day before and allowed the marathoners to finish their 26.2 miles to qualify for their medals.  Since most of us were Seven Continent Club members, it also allowed them to claim Antarctica.  Over half of their race had been run on Antarctica, the event was cancelled due to weather, and I understand the race director can designate an alternative finish.

One guy, Eddie from the Philippines, attempted to run the Antarctica marathon barefoot.  Poor decision.   By the end of his second loop, blood was noticeable at places on the trail and he eventually had his feet wrapped and tried to finish wearing shoes.  When the doctor treated his feet in the changing tent, the tarp flooring was covered in blood.

The marathoners who finished the race at Punta Arenas were all finished before supper and we had a celebration.

All but one, that is.  Eddie finished at 10:45 pm and we went out with a bottle of Chilean wine and celebrated one of the guttiest performances I've ever seen.

Here's a passport stamp you don't see too often:

It's Getting Very Interesting Down Here.......

.....the weather has turned uncharacteristically bad in Antarctica (fog, I think), and we were told at supper that the trip probably won't make.  Obviously, everybody is major disappointed but everybody has been pretty good about it.

They rescheduled the Punta Arenas Marathon for this morning and we ran it in absolutely beautiful weather (of course Antarctica is 800 miles away). We ran along a promenade facing the Strait of Magellan and at one point there was a group (school?) of dolphins playing and jumping about 100 feet from the beach.

I finished the half marathon in 3:18 and was happy with it but when I got to the finish line, the race director told me to go to the hotel, change clothes and go buy some groceries.  He has a meeting at 4:00 with the pilot and we may be flying out at 5:00--doing another marathon today ending up in the dark, and spending the night at Antarctica--sleeping and eating on the plane.  How cool would that be?

If this develops, I will have done two half marathons (26.2 miles) in one day--something I've never even considered trying but it would be split over two continents.  My right knee hurts, both my feet are sore, and I'm tired but I wouldn't pass up  the opportunity to punish myself like this for anything.  I wanted an adventure and it looks like I'm getting it.

On top of that, I got an email from work today wanting to know if I would go to Kazakhstan in June.  Sure, why not?  I'll post more about Antarctica as I learn more......

Took a Boat Up the Strait of Magellan to the Penguin Research Colony....

.....and, with the flight to Antarctica postponed, we had much of the early day free and I spent it mostly walking around and exploring.  At one point I hiked a long hill overlooking the city and shot some panoramic views of Punta Arenas and the Strait.

Mid afternoon we took a bus to the ship terminal for the 1 1/2 hour trip to Magdalena Island, about twenty miles northeast of Punta Arenas.

The trip to the island was smooth and the weather changed constantly from sunny to overcast but was clear and nice as we approached the island.

Magellan definitely was aware of this island when he sailed the strait in 1520--he charted its location and hence  the island is today named after him.

Charles Darwin visited here during the second voyage of the HMS Beagle from 1831-1835 and did research prior to his releasing The Origin of the Species.  In 1982, the Chilean government made the island a protected national preserve and it's estimated over 120,000 penguins reside here at any given time.

As we arrived, penguins were already greeting the boat.

The island is not particularly large but is restricted for tourist use with a rope-lined trail up to the lighthouse.  Humans have to stay on the trail but the penguins didn't get the memo and wander anywhere they want--sometimes even underfoot.

Once on the island, the tour was basically a self-guided hike up to the lighthouse and back to the boat at our own pace--plenty of time to photograph and observe the locals.

The lighthouse position at the top of the island gave a good panoramic view out to our ship waiting offshore.

The rest of the tour basically was checking out the locals.....

"Get off my lawn...."

A little privacy please!!!!"

"The Dean Martin of Magdalena Island....."

"You hear the one about the two nuns who walked into a bar......?"

"Does this black coat make my butt look big?"

"Penguin version of the Abbey Road cover....."

Got back to the hotel kind of late and had supper only to find out that the flight to Antarctica has been postponed yet again so we'll to the Punta Arenas Marathon Tuesday instead.....

Pretty Close to the Bottom of the World Here......

......but it took nearly a full 24 hours to get here.  After traveling all night, I arrived at the hotel in Punta Arenas at 9:30 am local time.  After cleaning up and changing clothes I spent some time just walking around the town and getting my bearings for the coming week.  Our group has distinctive jackets and I seemed to see them everywhere and by noon had met a bunch of new people.

To give you an idea exactly where I am right now in this world, this is a view of the Strait of Magellan taken from almost at the entrance of our hotel.

To give you an idea how far south I am right now, if I drug a canoe into the water and paddled to the right, I'd end up in Vancouver, Canada.  But, if I paddled to the left, I'd end up eventually at Houston.  This is literally at the end of the world.

As you can see in the picture, the weather is beautiful today.....cool with light winds and a beautiful clear sky.   Things also look good for Antarctica tomorrow.

In 1520 Ferdinand Magellan, looking for a way to pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans, sailed and charted this channel and for nearly four centuries it became one of the most important waterways in the world with regards to world trade and military power.

Only the construction of the Panama Canal in the early 1900s diminished the economic and historical importance of this area where I am now.

The city of Punta Arenas is not the southernmost community in the world--a town in Argentina is slightly lower in Tierra del Fuego (which means "land of fire.")   Today, Punta Arenas is experiencing an economic resurgence as an oil exploration town (kind of a smaller version of Houston) and as a growing center for Antarctica tourism.

The streets are laid out in traditional Spanish style with plazas but many of the older buildings show a very strong British influence.

As with all South American towns, there are monuments and statues in every plaza.  Here, it is (of course) a monument to Magellan himself.

I will have free time later this week to come back and really explore the city and check out the several museums.

I bought some groceries and headed back to the hotel where I met up with a group and we went out to eat.  I obviously haven't met everybody, but there are some pretty serious runners in this group.  There is a man who claims the Guinness World Record for running the world's most extreme ultra running events in the shortest time, while another runner has run a marathon in each of the fifty states--but has done it seven times.  The medical doctor in our group runs a 2:28 marathon which almost makes him in the elite, professional class  and we have a nine-year-old boy running the full 26.2 mile marathon in Antarctica tomorrow.  One of the group I had lunch with is a veterinarian from Cypress, Texas who swam the English Channel last year--she's second from the right in the photo below.  The fact that I'm a slow, half-marathoner doesn't seem to make any difference--everybody here seems to be in it for the adventure (as am I).

I really look forward to spending the next six days with this group--I'm sure there are going to be some amazing stories.

We had a really nice pre-race dinner tonight but the bad news appears to be that heavy fog will prevent us from flying to Antarctica tomorrow.  As of now, we will be doing the penguin colony tomorrow, Antarctica Tuesday (weather permitting), Patagonia Wednesday and the Punta Arenas race Thursday.

The penguin colony boat doesn't go out until 4:00 pm tomorrow (it doesn't get dark until after 10:00) so I will probably have most of the day free to explore.  We still could fly out tomorrow, but it doesn't look likely right now.

Still, off to a really good start and I don't mind having a little longer to sleep in tomorrow morning......