Each time I return to the ship, I am aware of feeling intensely alive as well as amazingly fortunate to be here in this place at this time with this small group of individuals. The staff members have rich backgrounds in varied aspects of the area. Joan, who turned 70 at the beginning of the voyage, has been intrigued by Antarctica her entire life. After a career in business management and organization, she has become one of the world’s leading experts in Antarctic exploration and history. She has given many delightfully detailed lectures, complete with pictures, on the history, replete with personal details that breathe life into the sites and huts when we make landings. Many huts have been so well restored and preserved even down to the original wood brought in on ship. The aroma of the seal blubber that comes from slabs stacked in the corner often provided light, fuel for cooking as well as food for marooned explorers. The smell has permeated everything and has lasted for more than a century.