The Barque Europa On Her Way To The Antarctic

those poor creatures that live in the antarctic waters wouldnt have to live such hard lives in the cold if we increase greenhouse gases in the atmosphere...

Beaufort Island and Mount Erebus. Discovered 28 Jan 1841, John Edward Davies, 1841 - Captain James Clark Ross, Antarctic Expedition

Moodboard for the southern coast of Hudson Bay for @hashtagenglishmajorlyfe

Alaska/Far Northern Gothic

You had a neighbor yesterday. You’re sure of it, but when you walk the trail between your properties there’s no sign of their house. You recall their faces, but not their names. The distance between you and the next nearest living human continues to grow.

On the longest night of the year, you wake at midnight to a high noon sun. Its blinding light renders the snow a featureless, glimmering white. You cannot even see the trees.

You visit Barrow for Nalukataq and are invited to participate in the blanket toss. When you come back down, there is no one to catch you.

You open the windows.  Pile snow on your bed. Allow icicles to form on your ceiling. It is still too hot to sleep.

You spy a raven near the grocer’s with an eyeball in its beak. You tell yourself that it must be the scavenged remains of some animal. It couldn’t be human. It couldn’t be your own.

You come back from the outhouse to find the door to your cabin locked. You see movement through the window. You live alone.

When the snow finally melts, you find something that you lost years ago. In another state. Another life. It is something you hoped to never find again.

The river in Nenana has been frozen for years. The Ice Classic continues to pool their bets, leading more and more people to pay in with the hope that this year it won’t roll over. The year passes. There is still no sign of spring.

This year’s Iditarod winner harnessed wolves instead of dogs. They froth at the mouth and drip blood from long fangs. No one but you seems to notice.

Your roommate brushes her teeth and spits out blood. She looks thin, almost gaunt, even though she’s been eating constantly for the last week. It occurs to you that you haven’t seen her boyfriend around lately. She smiles. Her teeth are sharp and cold.

Late one night, you whistle at the aurora. The last thing you hear is the aurora whistling back.

Canadian(BC) Gothic

- You hear the crickets at night. It’s louder then you remember. It’s better then it being quiet.

- Winter comes fast. When will it leave? You don’t remember.

- There’s a snap in the woods behind you. You hope it’s your dog. You don’t check.

- You see an Alberta license plate. Then another one. The cars are the same.

- You walk around the fall fair. The bright lights and noises fend off anything coming from the surrounding woods, but only till 10:00.

- Halloween is around the corner. You see the local adds about it. Check your candy, don’t go into the woods, always carry a flashlight, stay with your group.

- The tenth person this year has gone missing in the mountains. It’s February.

- Your friend collects animal skulls. You help.

- You go hiking to pick Saskatoon berries. You dare stray from the path, but never go so far you can’t see it.

- You see a missing pet sign and wonder why people still put them up. We all know if it hasn’t turned up before nightfall that the coyotes got to it.

- You always go to the same timmies. You order a double double. They get you a triple triple instead.

- You plan to move to Vancouver. Everyone does.

- You’re stuck behind a logging truck. You’re always stuck behind a logging truck.

- The crust on top of the snow makes it easier to walk on. That is, of course, unless the snow decides it wants to keep you.

- You’re skiiing. No one is wearing a jacket. You’re not wearing a jacket. It’s very hot out.

- Winter snow is blinding. Summer sun is blinding. There is no happy medium.

- Your window rattles. You don’t need to look outside. Part of you knows and dreads whatever is out there.

- The rain is pouring. It’s sunny out.

- The hockey academy guys leave for the rink on the first day. You don’t see them again.

Ghost Ship - or barque Europa in dense fog, Photo: Brendan Byrne

i think they shouldve taken me on a polar expedition not because i would be useful or especially resilient but because my preexisting mental health conditions would have made me an interesting wildcard

writing my first kinda real academic paper about antarctica and turns out I know things but don’t know how I know them. which is not very convenient for footnotes as you may imagine. source: bro trust me half of my brain is polar exploration