Expedition USA countdown

written by Aya Anholt, 15, Canada

It’s the final countdown! A mere 3 days until the expedition begins. Time has gone by rapidly, and now is the time to be gearing up for the ultimate adventure. Lately my life, similar to all the other Young Explorers, has been hectic. Day to night, my schedule jam is packed with expedition preparations, school, volleyball, and more school.

My last few weekends consisted of an open water scuba diving certification course, which is required before going on this expedition. I dove at Whyte Cliff Park and Porteau Cove. Both of these diving sports are in close proximity to where I live. The temperature of the water was freezing, the visibility was surprisingly good, and I was lucky enough to encounter huge sea cucumbers, different species of fish, crabs, and lots of star fish.  I find that there’s something truly captivating about the ocean, and when I took my first breath underwater, I realized that this is just my beginning of discovering the incredible world of H2O.

Relevant to the expedition, during science class at school, we have been doing a biology unit in which we learned about how humans influence ecosystems. Subsequently, we discussed wetlands and their ability to filter out wastes.  My science teacher briefly talked about the significance of this ecosystem, and as an example, she brought up the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and its effects on the marshes in that region. I then explained that I will be seeing this first hand, and hopefully that gained some interest amongst my classmates.

Naturally, I am beyond enthused about the expedition! I am thrilled to be meeting Mike Horn once again, and seeing all the wonderful people I met in Chateau-d’Oex! I can’t help but smile when I think about my Pangaea family!