My dad spent much of 1958-1965 in Antarctica, overwintering at places like Halley Bay, and including a period as scientific leader at Scott Base (for which he was awarded the Polar Medal). That was in the days when overwintering meant no supply ships or aeroplanes or any contact with the outside world beyond radio contact for 7-8 months. Anyway, there are a few things he mentioned about leaving Antarctica that aren't mentioned in the original article:

- the smells: "In the cold atmosphere of Antarctica your sense of smell has become acute and now, wafting in through the door of the aircraft, is the smell of tarmac on the runway, green grass, hundreds of flowers and dozens of different scents ... for the first time ever you can smell your Antarctic clothing. The heat has brought out a hundred different smells, seals, huskies, penguins, kerosene and many more."

- the flies and other insects

- and perhaps one of his main and lasting experiences, the spirit of international co-operation brought about by the "common problem of survival in Antarctica"

On that last point, the last 2 sentences in his book were "The nations of the world can just as easily work on a common problem outside the Antarctic as in it. Let us hope this understanding by common knowledge and experience will not fail us now."

I had hoped the current pandemic would help people realise that we are all in this together on the same planet, that it is better for everyone to work together rather than to fight.