Preparations
Dawn this morning in Budapest Today, I began my six-month journey to Antarctica on a barge in Budapest. I woke with an aching heart. These two weeks in Eastern Europe—traipsing through Vienna, Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest and biking with great people along the Danube—have been carefree, filled with beauty and with the brilliance of summer. Now, there is little but to steel myself for the seemingly enumerable tasks ahead. In less than 48 hours, I will be on a plane to Galveston. Then, within days, it's off to Christchurch and on to McMurdo. I will not see my daughter, dad, extended family, or friends for six long, cold months. It's hard not to feel an edge of despair, leaving so much behind.