It all started in the fourth grade at Mellichamp School on Sellers Avenue. Our teacher, Callie Lund, began talking about continents, oceans, rivers, etc., and I was mesmerized. That love for geography remained with me all my life. I never dreamed I would marry someone who enjoyed it as much as I did. This adventuresome spirit would take us to all seven continents.

One of my husband Fletcher's residents at George Washington University School of Medicine had an illustrious career at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and was elected president of the New York Section of the American Urological Association. He invited Fletcher to the annual meeting last year and to be on the program, which was held in Buenos Aires in conjunction with the Argentine Urological Society.

Since we were in the "neighborhood" and would never be there again, we began to explore other destinations in close proximity. After visiting Iguazu Falls on the tropical Brazilian border, we turned south and arrived hours later in a snowstorm in Ushuaia, a small town on Argentina's southern tip where ships come before they round Cape Horn, which we saw from a distance.

Our travel agent found a Russian icebreaker, Orlova, whose schedule for an Antarctic cruise fit ours. Fletcher went up on the bridge and observed the experienced Russian captain dodging icebergs that were below the radar and all around. At one point, the captain did not allow anyone on the forward observation deck as he maneuvered a very dangerous passage.

After we boarded, we assembled and were told that we were about to cross the Southern Ocean, the most treacherous and turbulent waters on the planet and where the Atlantic and Pacific come together. Not only that, but we were headed into a storm. One day, the captain told us to stay in our cabin, and food and drink would be brought to us. We literally crawled around our cabin. The winds were 50 mph and the waves, 30 feet.

The seas became calmer as we crossed the Antarctic Circle, which lies at latitude 66° 33' 39" south of the equator, and were now in Antarctic waters. We had marvelous days. I have back problems, and the last thing my neurosurgeon said to me was, "Don't get in the Zodiacs (a type of small boat)." But Fletcher came back to the cabin for me and helped me dress in all that paraphernalia. I was frightened, but someone yelled "special person coming," and two Russian crewmen picked me up and placed me in the Zodiac, which was very stable. Everyone cheered!

I then saw the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Cautiously during the night, the ship had come into a large cove surrounded by icebergs as tall as many buildings. The water was blue, and I instantly realized what "ice blue" meant. It is an epiphany to see this beautiful environment and realize man has never touched it.

We spent one day watching thousands of penguins, who may be the most primitive of all birds. They are not the pleasant creatures featured in recent movies. They "whack-whack" and have a very offensive odor from their guano, and we were informed not to go within five feet of them to avoid attack and not disturb their nesting. They gather at the water to eat krill, which are shrimp-like invertebrates that live in large schools in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean. Seals lie in wait on the ice, so the penguins eat in groups to increase their protection from the seals. In his notebooks, written 1836-1844, English naturalist Charles Darwin, who described the penguin as "the most curious bird," thought they were associated with ducks, particularly the long-tail variety, and he spoke of the vigor of their propagation powers. They fly under water while flapping their wings and tails.

Seals can weigh nearly 1,400 pounds. They must be one of the most unattractive of God's creatures -- huge blubber was all we saw. And they attack with great speed and are solitary animals. You rarely see more than one at a time. There are 200 species of fish in the Antarctic waters. Krill is prey for fish, birds and great whales.

We visited a British station where three young scientists were studying the life of penguins and the weather. There was a museum showcasing studies by several scientific stations that had been on the continent in the past. Our visit was exciting because it was the first time we actually set foot on the continent. Later, we found ourselves alone on the Zodiac, and the driver took us to the iceberg graveyard. The currents push some icebergs into a large cove. They become grounded, compacted and unable to float out. To sit there and hear no sound at all was ethereal. We were surrounded by the color blue, and the beauty of it all is hard to describe and difficult for even the finest cameras to capture.

The ship's crew did all they could to make our trip fun. The expedition team was made up of mostly Australians. One night, the bartender served drinks on 10,000-year-old ice from a glacier he had climbed. The chefs prepared an abundant barbecue on the aft deck of the ship. There, we ate surrounded by icebergs -- and wearing just a jacket. The lectures were outstanding. A geologist gave a wonderful lecture on the evolution of rocks. The rocks found on this continent were mostly some form of granite and were pink and red, probably some of the oldest rocks yet identified.

One of the most beautiful birds, the cape petrel, was always around the ship. The albatross was a big, graceful bird, known for its long distance flights. About 40 other sea birds were identified for us.

Man's history of the continent is inspiring. More than 2,000 years ago, Greek writers described a large mass of land in the south of the world. Even though they had never seen it, they believed it must exist so that it could "balance" the land they knew about in the northern half of the world. They named this imaged land "Anta-Arkitas," meaning "the opposite of the Arctic."

In 1578, Sir Francis Drake proved Antarctica was separated from any southern continent when he was blown into a body of water now known as Drake Passage. And in 1911, Norwegian polar explorer Roald Amundsen was the first person to stand at the South Pole. An English

man, Capt. Robert Scott, was able to reach it in January 1912 but died on the return trek.

What is Antarctica? It is the windiest, driest and coldest place on our planet. It is still the last untouched place in our world and the brightest of all continents. Its landmass is larger than the U.S. More than 99 percent of it is covered by ice that is sometimes three miles thick. The only people on Antarctica are scientists at various stations. It is there for adventurous travelers who want to study and explore the extreme corners of the earth. It is unique, beautiful, majestic -- there is no place on Earth like it. You must take nothing and leave nothing. I very much wanted to take a small rock or some souvenir.

Eisenhower saw the need to keep Antarctica open to all nations for scientific and peaceful activities only. Forty-five nations signed this early agreement, the Antarctica Treaty. About 30 years later, the Montreal treaty became an agreement in which no country would have a permanent claim to any part of the continent. Those who signed the treaty are continually working to limit the numbers of tourists and preserve this pristine part of our world.

In 2006, 30,000 people visited Antarctica. The exhaust from engines is certainly not good for the environment, and we believe Antarctica should remain exactly as it is to protect the animals and landscapes. I felt as if I was seeing a heavenly plan for a

ll generations to come and admire. What a transforming experience and adventure!

Martha Langford Derrick is a native of Orangeburg. She and her husband, Fletcher, live in Charleston. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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