I wangled my way into the second cook’s job at South Pole and was there from Halloween ‘86 to Valentine’s Day ‘87. I think I got those years right, or maybe it was the ’87-’88 season. Of course it was the most amazing place I have ever been.

I believe it was Barry Lopez who described the South Pole as “beyond wilderness,” and he was certainly right. To have wilderness, you have to have life. Wild life. At the Pole, there is no life without the support systems people have provided. No plants, no wild animals, nothing. Not for very long, anyway. That is a very sobering thought when you are there.

But it is beautiful, surreal, unbelievable. If you are lucky enough to get to go, it is certainly worth it.