ANTARCTICA

“The mountain is the connection between Earth and sky. Its highest summit touches the sphere of eternity, and its base branches out through manifold foothills into the world of mortals. It is the path by which humanity can raise itself to the divine and the divine reveal itself to humanity…”

And so is Antarctica. Though brief, my time experiencing this icy continent altered my priorities in so many ways. It is the closest thing I have to a church in my life, each ice shelf an alter, each summit a sanctum where I can give homage to the Earth.

Those of us who choose to submit ourselves to the physical and mental rigors of the wild do it out of love for these places. It is like wanting to be at the bedside of an ailing friend, wanting to share time with them while we are both still here. As Captain Robert Falcon Scott once said upon landing on these frozen shores; “It is good to know that there remain wild corners in this dreadfully civilised world…” and if I could dedicate my life to one thing, it would be to preserve places like this.