The Final Countdown Before the Big Trip

After many weeks of having liters of my blood sucked, my boobs squeezed, my teeth X-rayed, my heart monitored, and my bank account emptied (on medical bills insurance won’t cover), I’ve been declared “PQed.” That’s “Physically Qualified,” for those who aren’t familiar with the acronym-obsessed U.S. government —its Antarctica logistics subcontractor Raytheon Polar Services, specifically.

 It’s still hard to believe that on Monday, Nov. 22,  I’ll begin a month-long science field trip to the Western Antarctica Peninsula. (See map.) In the ever-shrinking world of journalism, it’s all the more shocking that I could be on a fellowship for such an extravagant trip of a lifetime. The Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., is sponsoring the trip for three journalists.

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