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Publication Date: Friday, April 25, 2003

Antarctic adventure

A year and a half ago, Pleasanton residents Joe and Polly Wolfe were discussing their numerous international travels when Joe, who recently retired, realized he had been to every continent except Antarctica. Polly only had Antarctica and Africa left to see. At that moment they decided to go on a quest.

"We thought it would be fun to see all seven continents before we die," said Polly.

Joe has been a globetrotter all his life. His parents were big travelers. When he was 13 he spent a year in Germany, and as a junior in college he lived in Switzerland for a year. His sense of adventure rubbed off on his wife Polly, who, until she married Joe, had not done much international travel.

In their 28 years of marriage, they have traveled to far and distant lands experiencing a wide variety of cultures and seeing a vast array of landscapes, but Antarctica was a place that Polly was particularly interested in visiting. As a fourth-grade teacher, she was all too familiar with the book "Mr. Popper's Penguins" by Richard and Florence Atwater, in which the Popper family acquires lots of pet penguins.

"I've always wanted to see the penguins," said Polly. "They are unusual, intriguing. Plus, this is as far south as I will probably ever go."

On Jan. 29, with suitcases chock full of warm clothes, the Wolfes set out on their escapade to the land of ice. Their journey began with a stopover in Santiago, Chile, where they visited wineries, and then proceeded to Ushuaia, Argentina, to hook up with Abercrombie & Kent, the tour group organizing the trip to Antarctica.

The morning of Feb. 4, the Wolfes, along with 87 other passengers, boarded the Explorer, a 258-foot double-hulled icebreaker ship, and started their two-and-a-half day crossing of Drake Passage. The water was surprisingly calm as the guests, all dressed in matching red foul-weather jackets, mingled in excited anticipation of the days ahead.

This 10-day trip was not for mere spectators, it was for those interested in learning about what they were going to see. On board were scientists, a veterinarian (whom the Wolfes affectionately called "the bird lady"), a geologist, a historian and several other experts who would continually provide lectures for the tour group members, to help them become more familiar with the animals and landscape of the area.

On the journey, the Wolfes marveled at the wildlife they encountered, which included wandering albatross (the seamen's sign of good luck), breaching humpback whales and enormous fin whales that can grow up to 88 feet long. They were also mesmerized by the oceanic landscape.

"The ice was constantly changing colors," Joe said, "from white to blue to turquoise, depending on how the sun was hitting it or how thick it was."

Once arriving at their destination, the biggest surprise about the scenery was the bright pink droppings (guano) from the penguins. It blanketed the land, stained the white bellies of the penguins, and permeated the air with a foul odor.

"Guano smells horrendous," said Polly. "You can't get rid of it."

At some points along the way it was up to 3 inches deep. Joe commented that even after thoroughly washing their boots off, they could still smell it. However, the Wolfes didn't seem to think that it took away from the beauty of the land or put a damper on the experience. The penguins, not the guano, stole the show.

"They were adorable," Polly said, beaming. "They walk just the way you think they'll walk - a waddle. Very cute."

During their excursion, the Wolfes encountered around 500,000 penguins, and were able to see four of the six species that live in Antarctica. The largest colony they visited had about 250,000, including furry chicks. An interesting sight for the Wolfes was watching the parent penguins do a "food dance" with their offspring.

The penguins were everywhere - squawking, pooping, waddling. Laws prevent visitors from coming within a 5-meter radius of these animals, which meant petting was not allowed. Although, Joe pointed out that if you stood still, the little ones might come up and peck on your boots in search of food.

Other animals that inhabited the land included fur, weddell and leopard seals, as well as numerous species of birds, such as skuas (a penguin predator), petrels (with a wing span of nearly seven feet) and Arctic terns (which migrate up to 22,000 miles a year).

It was summer in the Southern Hemisphere during the time of the Wolfes' visit, and the temperature was 30 degrees Fahrenheit - not too unbearable, considering it was Antarctica.

The Wolfes were pleasantly surprised by the landscape, which they said was stark, yet beautiful.

"The contrast of colors was amazing," said Joe, "the deep blue sea, brown rocks, white ice, pink guano."

Hundreds of pale red, green and yellow lichens gave the landscape a sprinkling of color. The Wolfes said there wasn't much snow, as most people might think. There were, however, a few small patches of grass peeking through the ice.

While in Antarctica, the Wolfes visited the continent as well as the following nine islands: Devil's Island, Snow Hill Island, Paulet Island, Gourdin Island, Deception Island (where they swam in water warmed by a volcano), Livingston Island, Petermann Island, Wiencke Island (at Port Lockroy they stopped at the post office and mailed themselves a postcard) and Cuverville Island.

There were no roads or hotels on land so the tour group returned each night to stay on the Explorer, where they were greeted at the end of each day with a warm drink. The Wolfes said that only 100 people can land on Antarctica at one time, which meant that it was not overcrowded with tourists. Government employees living in research stations throughout the area are the only ones allowed to stay overnight on the land.

The Wolfes said that their trip was not difficult, despite the remoteness of their destination. They found just one thing disappointing - that they did not get to cross the Antarctic Circle to reach the bottom of the world.

One thing they could've done without, they said, was the rough crossing across Drake Passage on their way home. They found themselves in 35-foot swells and 70 mile-per-hour winds, which meant they had to strap themselves in their bunks to sleep. A patch placed behind their ears prevented them from getting seasick, although it did not work for all the passengers.

Despite the treacherous conditions, the Wolfes said they were not frightened.

"The captain had been doing the crossing for 35 years," Joe said. "This guy knows his stuff. I looked at it like, 'It's an adventure - you're living it.'"

For those who think that Antarctica is an unreachable destination, the Wolfes encourage people to think otherwise.

"If you're looking for an adventurous trip, just go," Polly said. "It was a great learning experience."

"Worth every dollar," added Joe.

So, now that Joe has accomplished his goal of visiting all seven continents, what's next for this thrill seeking couple? Africa - so that Polly can check off the last place on her list.
Antarctic adventure

Tour Group: Abercrombie & Kent; Web site: www.abercrombiekent.com; telephone (800) 323-7308 Ship: The Explorer; Web: www.explorership.com/Telephone: (800) 845-1823, Ext. 286 Price: $11,000 per person, includes food and accommodation Length: 10 days