Horizons Left and Right

While I have greatly enjoyed all of the texts we have read so far for this course, Bancroft's is far and away my favorite thus far. It seemed the most real to me; the reader is shown moments of joy and turmoil, danger and monotony, success and frustration, at times in rapid succession. Furthermore, I found the underlying theme very fitting for our course. Bancroft and Arnesen were from the start determined to bring people of all ages from around the world on their journey with them, to inspire them to achieve their dreams. In just the same way, each of us is embarking on journey after journey, in the hopes of being inspired to attempt their own adventure, however big or small it may be (at least I am!). My favorite quote comes at the end of the first chapter, where Liv notes that in Antarctica, "the sky is not only above you, but also next to you and in front of you. You are walking into the sky as much as you are walking on the snow and ice" (9). If the sky is everywhere, then there must be horizons everywhere as well; and because horizons represent dreams... well, you can see where this is going. The horizon symbolism is not always perfect. After all, it is impossible to meet the horizon as we hope to meet our dreams. But when the surroundings are cleared, and when we are able to focus our attention on the horizon and the horizon alone, we too can be said to be "walking into the sky".

Also, you guys should check out this video... it's spectacular. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC3VTgIPoGU