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view . spring2015
BYLORI LEWIS
JayRuzeskyMA ’89
SOUTHPOLEJOURNEY
ALIFE-CHANGER
UWINDSOR AUTHORS
Ahundredyears separateJayRuzeskyMA ’89 fromhis
ancestorRoaldAmundsen, famedNorwegianexplorer and the
first person to set foot on theSouthPole.
But the two shareda transcendent loveaffairwithAntarctica’s
vast remoteness,which lies at theheart of
Ruzesky’s2013book,
InAntarctica:AnAmundsen
Pilgrimage.
Ruzesky, apoet andEnglishandcreative
writingprofessor atVancouver IslandUniversity,
is related to the famedexplorer throughhis
great-grandfather,whowasAmundsen’s cousin.
In2011, thecentennial year of Amundsen’s
SouthPoleconquest, Ruzesky tookahiatus
fromhis everyday life—andcountlessmodern
conveniences—tomakeapersonal quest to the
pole, accompaniedbyhisbrother Scott.
Thepair’s adventures, illustrated in
juxtapositionwithAmundsen’sownaccount of
his struggle to reach thepole,make
InAntarctica
a fascinating story that highlights thebeautful
andperilousdanger that still exists inapart of
theworldvery fewpeoplewill ever see.
Thebook takes readersback to the1911
journey, asAmundsenand thecrewof the
Fram stockprovisions at supply stations establishedalong their polar
route.Meticulousplanningensured that only those supplies absolutely
neededwerepacked—thecost of anyunnecessaryweight being
apotentially fatalmistake. More thanhalf the sleddogsbrought
were factored inas food for the return journey. Therewasno room
for sentimentalityas thecrewbattled temperatures that could reach
-56C—and thecontinual threat of rival explorerRobert FalconScott
beating them to theSouthPole.
Meanwhile, 100years later,Ruzesky stretchedhis legsonboard
thePolarPioneer, andmadehisway through theDrakePassagewith
abelly full of soupandbread.This followedamodernepic strugglewith
lost luggageatUshuaiaAirport (leftbehind inBuenosAiresbecause the
planewas tooheavy).He recountshisdelight that
everythingcouldbe foundathalf adozen shops in
Ushuaia,Argentina—oneof themost remotecities
in theworld.
In spiteof theseoddball brusheswith
commercialism,Ruzeskydescribesa life-changing
journey that tookhim toa starkandamazingworld
of whathe termsa “vast expanseof nothingness.”
Along theway, hechasesahumpbackwhale
while inakayak, hasaclosecallwithagigantic ice
floe toppedbya leopard seal, and survivesadunk
into -2Cdegreewater.
Hegivesa touchingdescriptionof themany
penguinsheencounters: “Mostof thepenguins
I comeclose toare, if anything, curiousabout
humans. Inour interactionswithpeople,weare
used to seeingothersprotect themselves.
Wehideourvulnerabilities, takeour time revealing
ourselves tooneanother, protectour secrets…
I thinkwe respond topenguins thewaywedoat
leastpartlybecause they take so littlecare toprotect themselves from
us.Theypractise theartof being inwaysweadmire.”
Like thepenguinsheobserved,Ruzeskyusedhis trip toAntarctica
topractise theartof being inaway thatmay inspire the reader to take
anepic journeyof theirown.
n
v
InAntarctica:AnAmundsenPilgrimage, 2011,
publishedbyNightwood
Editions.AvailableonAmazon.caandAmazon.com
