VANCOUVER - When students from West Vancouver's Sentinel Secondary School leave for Antarctica in a few weeks, it will be the culmination of more than a year of both physical and mental preparation.
But it nearly didn't happen.
The students were originally booked for their Antarctic expedition with a company that cancelled on them just three weeks before their scheduled departure.
Dawn Armstrong, the teacher responsible for organizing the trip, said students were disappointed and frustrated by the experience.
"It's a year. It's a dream," Armstrong said. "So, anyone with a dream that says, 'Your dream's not going to happen anymore,' it comes with all that emotion."
Fortunately for the students, another tour company - Hurtigruten - stepped in to make sure the students' dream could still come true.
"I'm ecstatic," said student Rachael Kaluza, after learning the trip was still on. "This is such a great opportunity."
Participating students have spent 14 months familiarizing themselves with the outdoors, practicing hiking in a large group in snowy conditions and learning how to get in and out of the water, safely, in kayaks, Armstrong said.
They have also been prepare for the experience of being on an extended trip in a remote region, and the mental and emotional stress it can cause.
"Antarctica is at the other end of the planet," Armstrong said. "This isn't a trip to Victoria on a boat. So, the other preparation is having the students know themselves, what their limitations are, what they're going to be scared of, what their comfort zone (is) and what's in and outside of it."
