Advancements in polar sailing allow travelers Antarctica to explore little-visited areas in
The polar vessel was driving through a sheet of pearl-colored ice and snow like a spoon through creme brulee.
Though we were south of the Antarctic Circle, it was mid-January, late in the austral summer, and we were lucky to have found this several-mileswide expanse of shorefastened ice. (Usually by this point in the season, it’s mostly melted or broken up.) The goal was to get deep enough into this inlet, to where the ice is thickest, so we could get off the ship and safely walk about on the frozen landscape.
“Incredible, right?” said expedition leader Lucho Verdesoto, as I lifted my camera to capture the scenery, almost lunar in its starkness. “There are very few ships that can do this.”
I was aboard Lindblad Expeditions’ 126-passenger National Geographic Resolution for a 14-day voyage to Antarctica. Though the vessel shares a name with the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle, captained by James Cook just under 250 years ago, it’s very unlike the original Resolution. As one of the newest vessels in the Lindblad fleet, the eightdeck ship is equipped with dining areas, a spa with two hot tubs and saunas, a gym, a library and more. But perhaps more important, it was purposebuilt to navigate the famously challenging Antarctic waters to bring guests closer to the abstract icebergs, otherworldly blue glaciers and boisterous penguin colonies that have long captivated the imagination of explorers.
Though about 50,000 people visit Antarctica in a (normal) year, Verdesoto said that only roughly 1 percent voyage past the Antarctic Circle, and perhaps even fewer have the ability to stroll on the ice off the shore of the continent. The new technology that went into building this particular ship (and its sister, the National Geographic
Endurance, named for Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic vessel) makes it possible to travel faster and farther into ice like this.
“The main idea of building these ships was to stay away from the crowds,” explained Captain Martin Graser.
The ship holds a polar class rating of PC5 Category A, making it one of the most substantial icebreaking expedition ships
the most beautiful places you’ll be,” says Shannon Ludwig, refuge manager for Hart Mountain. “Many things haven’t changed in our part of the world,” even after settlers arrived. “That’s what’s so special about it.” (The 2022 camp host roles were recently filled but will be posted again for 2023 at volunteer.gov.)
In 2021, more than 16,000 people volunteered for duties that kept FWS national refuges and national fish hatcheries across the country running smoothly. And that’s just one of the many agencies and nonprofits connecting volunteers with the great outdoors, whether they’re working on organic farms, living in lighthouse keepers’ quarters, building “castles” for oysters, welcoming campers to campgrounds and so much more. Travelers interviewed for this story say they’ve found meaning and community in exchange for their time and talents through volunteering.
‘IT’S JUST SO ENJOYABLE’
In 2005, Keith and Brenda
Krejci retired and traded their home in Dayton, Ohio, for the RV life.
Along the way, they’ve found that volunteering offers a nice change of pace in their travels, allowing them to meet people and learn while hooking up their RV at no charge. They’ve done stints with FWS, the Bureau of Land Management, the Nature Conservancy and state park systems, sometimes for months at a time.
Since May 1, they’ve been volunteering with the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex, where, as interpretive hosts, they talk to visitors about marine mammals, shorebirds and tide pools.
“We’re issued these wonderful $3,000 spotting scopes – binoculars – and given all the equipment we need. And we’ll set up where we think there’s an opportunity for people to see seals, sea lions, oystercatchers, things like that, and let people get a really close view,” says Keith, 75. “And then we’ll explain to them what they’re seeing and answer any questions they have.” They’ll do this for about six hours a day,