Journey to the Bottom of the World | Antarctica

WARNING: Ice, penguins, and orange ahead

I thought I’d make it easy and blog my favorite shots from my most recent trip to Antarctica, rather than post hundreds of photos on Facebook. As my warning states, there’s literally only photos of ice, penguins, and people running around in orange parkas. If that’s not what you came to see, turn back now. So, in all its wonder and glory, here is our trip…

Finding our way there was an expedition in and of itself. My mom and I flew from Charlotte to Dallas, Dallas to Buenos Aires, and a couple days later Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. From there we boarded the National Geographic Explorer and set sail for Antarctica. The first day at sea we went through the Drake Passage with 20 foot seas. There was a lot of throwing up and nausea, but we powered through. Someone on the ship told me, “There are no shortcuts to places that are worth seeing,” which stuck with me the whole time I was there. It's definitely true.

The rest of our time was spent exploring this incredible continent and the seas around it. Antarctica has this vibe, for lack of a better word, that makes me want to just sit and watch. I’ve never seen a place so beautiful and peaceful in my life. I’ve also never seen so many penguins in my life! This trip was unlike anything I could have imagined and if there’s anything I’ve learned in my short 24 years it’s that, it's worth stepping out of your comfort zone to experience an adventure of a lifetime.

I hope you scroll through all the way to the bottom to get the full story of our two weeks in the South Pole. It’s worth it, I promise! Oh, keep an eye out for hidden animals in some of my shots too, especially a rare sighting of an Emperor penguin. I hope you enjoy them!

**All photos were taken by me, except for the ones I’m in… obviously.