| Dustin Malcolm '05
What’s that Smell?
January 17, 2005 | 12:00
Cabin No. 419, M/S Andrea
Dear Journal,
After spending the past 7 days exploring the beautiful landscapes and many amazing creatures of Antarctica, I began to wonder if there was anything that could go wrong on this exploration. The group had spent many hours learning the courageous stories of great explorers like Shackleton and Scott, but nothing seemed to go in the wrong direction for our group. We had had the privilege of visiting the historic sites of Antarctica escaping the peril that those famous explorers had experienced.
Then it hit me. As I was entering my cabin, number 419, I was attacked by the ‘fowl stench’- penguin guano. I couldn’t believe what I smelled. It was as if a live penguin colony had moved into my cabin. I searched around for the source of the odor and soon learned it was not just one single item. My boots, ski pants, parka, sweater, socks, jeans, and all the rest of the items I had worn on the continent just plain stunk.
At this point, I made the decision to begin packing those items in hopes that the stench would be locked inside of my suitcase. However, as I sit here and reflect upon this smelly situation, I am still reminded of that ‘fowl’ odor. The door has been propped open for quite some time and housekeeping has even stopped in with air freshener. It is safe to say that I will be opening my suitcase as little as possible for the duration of the journey.
Dustin Malcolm '05
Icebergs, dead ahead!
January 14, 2005 | 09:30
Iceberg Alley
Dear Journal,
Good morning. After our exciting day filled with two land excursions, it was time for the M/S Andrea and all of her passengers to head toward Telefon Bay. As we steamed along our charted course would take us through the infamous Iceberg Alley. Iceberg Alley is just what it sounds like; a long, winding path leading us through hundreds and hundreds of icebergs.
As I stood at the stern of the ship on deck 5, I looked out upon the vast horizon. Starting from the starboard side of the M/S Andrea and continuing all the way around to the port side, I spotted over 100 icebergs! These icebergs were not small by any stretch of the imagination. As with the first iceberg of the trip (spotted by Dan), the icebergs in my sightline were all larger than the size of the ship upon which I was standing. I would venture to say that some of the icebergs were 4 to 5 times the size of the ship!
I worked my way down to my cabin and prepared to sleep through the cold Antarctic night. I could feel the ship being steered back and forth to avoid the huge hazards of Iceberg Alley. By the time I awoke this morning, any remnants of the Alley were far behind us.
One final note, I wish a very happy birthday to my Mom.
Dustin Malcolm '05
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