A Journey Through Antarctica
This real-life adventure story follows palaeontologist John Long's trek of 700 kilometres through the vast uncharted wilderness that is Antarctica. His fossil-hunting expedition to the remote Transantarctic mountains takes him through some of the most hostile terrain on earth, where pristine icefields conceal hidden dangers. Long is almost killed twice in the one day; after nearly falling into a crevasse he is buried up to his neck in an avalanche a few hours later.
In the midst of this breathtaking yet deadly landscape he experiences the human side of antarctic science: the excitement of scientific exploration and discovery, of being somewhere where no-one else has ever been; the tedium and boredom of being at the mercy of the elements and confined to a tent for days on end; and the difficulties of "getting on" with colleagues with whom one works and lives with in very close situations for months at a time.
No-one goes to Antarctica without coming back a different person. As Long discovers, a little piece of Antarctica grows inside you and moulds your character, for better or worse, from the day you first set foot on that frozen land.
