Assistant Editor David J. Hoff and Photo Editor Allison Shelley are currently on assignment in Antarctica, covering a National Science Foundation program that pairs teachers with professional research teams. Over the course of their stay in the polar regions, they will be filing Web-only travel dispatches. Their story so far:
- January 3 and 4: Getting to the “coldest, driest, windiest place” on Earth. Includes a photo essay.
- January 6 and 10: Outdoor-survival training and the pleasures of the “boondoggle.” Includes accompanying photos.
- January 11: A tour of a historic explorers’ hut that evokes the images and stories of the “heroic age” of Antarctica travel. Includes accompanying photos.
- January 12 and 14: An expedition to a polar desert that’s drier than the Sahara, and a “morale cruise” down the McMurdo Sound on a Coast Guard icebreaker. Includes accompanying photos.
- January 16 and 18: Our team spends a large part of their day—well, looking at worms. Finally, reminiscences and the start of the long journey home.
- Listen to David Hoff and Allison Shelley struggle to walk through an Antarctic snow storm on their way to an outdoor survival course. They hope to meet Kevin Lavigne, one of the teachers involved in scientific research in Antarctica, for a photo shoot. It’s almost like being there! (Requires the RealAudio Player.) (1/10/01.)
Photography made possible through a generous donation of digital equipment from the Eastman Kodak Company (Kodak.com).