Visitation Middle School science teacher, Caroline Little, was named a 2020 Grosvenor Teacher Fellow, a professional development opportunity in partnership with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic. Delayed by Covid, Ms. Little recently embarked on her expedition to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands. Visitation will follow along on her journey! 

Blog 2 - Feb. 26, 2023

Scotia Sea - Goodbye Antarctica, Hello South Georgia!

I am being rocked back and forth by the rough seas of the Scotia Sea today as we make our way toward South Georgia. Waves are coming up and over the bow, crashing into the deck as we bob up and down in the ocean, making walking up and down stairs and in hallways a challenge. I start off on the right side, then am pulled immediately to the left and then back again to the right. And here I naively thought I had discovered my sea legs!

On Friday we traveled to Elephant Island and Point Wild where a leopard seal swam right next to our zodiac and looked up at us through the water with eyes full of curiosity and wonder. This is the same place where Sir Ernest Shackleton’s men lived for 128 days while they waited for rescue at the end of the ill-fated Endurance Expedition in 1917. It is hard to comprehend the perseverance of the human spirit in the face of such a desolate and bleak environment.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to Antarctica with its snow-capped, meringue-like mountains, glaciers so blue it doesn’t seem possible, and icebergs of every shape, size, and color. The turquoise one we saw didn’t even look real its color was so deep.

We landed on Signy Island and for the first time in over a week, my eyes were bombarded with so many other colors! From the yellows, oranges, and greens of lichens to the deep red of iron in the mountains, to the various shades of brown and grey on the fur seals and elephant seals, it felt as if we had stepped into another world. There were so many seals! Everywhere I looked, seal. Is that a rock? Nope, it’s another fur seal, with ten more next to it. Is that a boulder? Nope, it’s four elephant seals molting and snoring.

On Monday, Feb. 27 we will arrive in South Georgia, home of some of the most amazing wildlife in the Southern Ocean. Will we see half a million (!) King penguins? More elephant seals? Fur seals? Rockhopper penguins? Oh, the possibilities! I look forward to exploring this faraway place and bringing back what I learn to share with all of you!

Blog 1: Exploring the White Desert

Blog 3: Atlantic Ocean

Blog 4: Above the Clouds