On the last day of the year, when all other ships pointing toward Antarctica took the typical route, National Geographic Explorer lived up to its name by heading away from the pack and well south toward the Antarctic Circle for a midnight rendezvous. Guests listened to lectures on seabirds and a scientific analysis of sea ice as our parkas, boots, and other gear went through a thorough decontamination in preparation for our first Antarctic landing. The younger explorers embarked on a ship-wide scavenger hunt. Piercing through the fog and eyes wide in anticipation of what we would find, we headed toward the adventure that the Southern Ocean always provides.