Magazine Jul-Aug 2018

two new peaks. The first is christened ‘Mount Gaia’ in celebration of our NGO’s name ‘HER Planet Earth.’ The second mountain is named Mount Malala in honour of the Nobel Peace prize winner, Malala Yousafzai.

After several days camping and climbing under the 24-hour Antarctic sun, we lose all sense of time and space in this immense white expanse. The days are endless and the light is like no other light on Earth, because the air is so free of impurities. During our climb, we confront both the physical challenges of the terrain as well as our own human vulnerabilities. The scale of the emptiness is at times almost too much to absorb and the sense of isolation overwhelming. Our days of climbing are long anddraining andwe are constantly on alert for hidden crevasses. We encounter unpredictable weather at times, with low clouds and icy winds causing the air to drop to -25°C and forcing us to turn around on several occasions. On the days the weather holds, and we are able to summit, our sense of achievement and pride is truly indescribable. We feel the spirits of legendary female explorers cheering us on, pushing us forward to new frontiers.

taken out of Antarctica where nothing decomposes because of the freezing conditions.

Despite the exhaustion, the painful sprains and bruises, the frost nip on our extremities, and on one occasion – part of the team getting stuck on a technical mountain face for close to 24 hours, the whole experience turns out to be unbelievably rewarding. Antarctica, subject to such extreme conditions, has a natural beauty and raw exquisiteness that surpasses all of our expectations. Our mission accomplished, we head back to Union Glacier Camp, wherewe are privileged tomeet renowned climbers and polar explorers. Like us, they are equally passionate about adventure as they are about protecting the integrity of this oldest and coldest of continents. Uniquely, Antarctica remains the only landmass that humans have yet to exploit for resources. The 12 countries that regulate the continent – part of the Antarctic Treaty System – are adamant that it should remain free from pollution and bacteria, meaning that all waste, including human, is

This vast continent at the edge of the earth – the last to be discovered by man – has a way of cutting you down to scale, making you ponder your own insignificance. It forces you to re-evaluate everything you know and feel about yourself and your place on this planet. Looking back, the most valuable lessons of our journey were reaped from the experiences that, at the time, felt like the most miserable and desolate – it was only through these adversities that true growth resulted. And becoming the first to summit unchartered peaks, as part of an all-female team, to create a world where human rights and environmental integrity can blossom and prosper, will count, without a doubt, as one of the most empowering experiences of my life. No wonder they say Antarctica gets under your skin, and when that happens, your soul is changed forever. Photo Credit: HER Planet Earth

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THE AMERICAN CLUB JUL / AUG 2018

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