2011 News

From the Arctic to the Antarctic

Published: March 24, 2011
Published by: Cheryl Brink, Standard-Freeholder.com

CORNWALL – Travis Mitchell gave himself a unique birthday gift this year: a trip to Antarctica.

He turned 26 on Feb. 16, the same day he boarded a ship bound for the uninhabitable continent – but it wasn't the first time he's headed to a cold, icy, remote region.

Mitchell, a Cornwall native who now lives in Kemptville with his wife Jennifer, has been to Canada's arctic three times while studying paleontology at Carleton University.

But this year, he trekked to the opposite polar region.

Mitchell joined an expedition run by Students on Ice, which gathered young adults from across the globe for the two-week journey.

"They organized everything," he said. "There were universities from all over the world. It was kind of neat: there was a guy from India who had never seen snow, so it was quite an experience for him."

After leaving the northern tip of Argentina, the cruise ship's 50 students plus professors and staff went through the Drake Passage, also known as "the roughest sea in the world anywhere," said Mitchell.

The boat was their home base, moving around the various islands and inlets while the groups made two or three field trips onto the continent each day. Participants came from a wide range of disciplines – oceanography, geology, glaciology, climatology – so the organizers planned trips that appealed to everyone.

"They were busy, busy days," said Mitchell. "In between, if there were only two landings, we had lectures."

They learned how to take glacier samples, networked with top polar experts and discussed possible jobs in their fields, sailed into a volcano and watched seals and penguins feed on the beach together.

Mitchell said a highlight for him was visiting a "mud hole of an island" to see the K-T boundary, a distinction between the era of dinosaurs and the era of mammals.

"It preserves a geological time that's really important," explained the paleontologist. "There's only 12 sites in the world, and we got to see one of the best preserved ones."

He was also thrilled to see the array of animals, including humpback wales and elephant seals .

"If you sat still, the penguins would walk right up to you," he said. "To see wildlife that's not afraid of you was amazing."

Mitchell said it was a new experience to live on a ship for two weeks, but with a meal hall, bar, and rooms for workshops and lectures, it didn't take long to get used to the accommodations.

After several days of exploring the continent, the ship turned around for the two-day trek home. Their adventures weren't over: they encountered a severe storm in the Drake Passage during the return trip.

"There were 10-metre waves," said Mitchell. "The boat was rocking and rolling. Some people didn't handle it very well – you just didn't see them for two days. It didn't really bother me."

He said the only major difficulty was trying to sleep as his mattress slid around. But he never felt in danger – he said the organizers did their best to make them feel safe and at home. A few sponsors also helped make the excursion more comfortable; though Mitchell had to dish out more than $9,000 plus airfare for the trip, donors contributed several thousand to assist the Carleton students.

Though the south and north ends of the globe are very different, Mitchell said he also discovered plenty of similarities. His three trips to the arctic, most recently to collect sediment and fossil samples for his Master's thesis, as well as the excursion to Antarctica gave him fresh perspective on environmental responsibility.

"The most important thing was seeing how sensitive of an ecosystem is is," he said of the south polar region. "It's such a harsh climate, everything depends on the sea. I see how sensitive of a place it is and why it's worth protecting."

Mitchell said all of his trips have made deep impressions on him, and he hopes to visit both areas as soon as possible. In a letter to his future self that Students on Ice requested, Mitchell wrote simply: "You'll be back."

For now, he's focused on finishing his thesis and completing his Master's degree by Christmas. In order to find a job near Cornwall, Mitchell said he might change his focus to biology and conservation, as there aren't many paleontology positions close to home. But his research on the polar regions will continue.

He said he's well aware of how lucky he is to have visited not only several countries during his time at Carleton, but also both extreme ends of the planet.

"Being able to go to either one is amazing," he said. "I was very fortunate to be able to go to both within six months – it's a very rare opportunity, especially this young. It gives you an appreciation for why the poles are so important, for just life on earth essentially."

Original source taken from: Standard Freeholder