“We Measure Our Friendship In Dog Years”
For most people, Antarctica is a dream destination. For Liz Pope (above) and Heidi Krajewsky (top), it’s their office. The pair met while working on the expedition team on Aurora Expeditions’ Arctic and Antarctic cruises – Liz as an expedition leader, Heidi as a naturalist – but their friendship extends to dry land as well.
Liz When Heidi and I talk about our friendship, we say we measure it in dog years. It just feels like I’ve known her forever, even though we met in 2014. I’d worked for Aurora Expeditions for about five years when we met; Heidi was new to the company. Her joyful, belly-aching laugh was one of the first things that made my head turn. Heidi is an extraordinarily positive person, she’s a force of nature.
Heidi I met Liz not long after I joined the company. I was impressed by her because she’s incredibly intelligent, articulate and well-spoken; she’s respected within the company and within the industry. It’s great to see a woman in a leadership role and when she speaks, you pay attention. We ended up sharing a cabin the first time we were on an expedition together, even though my husband was also working as part of the expedition team. It’s a pretty tiny ship so the logistics of getting male and female crew sharing has to work. Ten days in the cabin was a crash course in getting to know each other.
L On that first trip, we quickly learnt that we both need a caffeine hit in the morning, so wonderful Stephen [Heidi’s husband] would arrive with coffee to get us going. We’d get into delirious silliness whenever we were getting ready to go out. Two people hopping about trying to put on all the layers it takes to stay warm – four to six layers on top, a couple on the bottom – in a tiny cabin is quite an exercise and it would bring on the giggles. We also bonded through daggy dancing. For some reason Eye of the Tiger was our theme song on that trip as we geared up to leap into our Zodiacs and head off into another day of work and adventure.
H Liz made our cabin homely and most days she’d put something lovely up on the wall that would make us smile. Days are long and immensely busy on an expedition but in the evening, we’d lie in our separate bunks and chat about what was going on. Trips can be challenging – you have different groups of guests who want to do different things, and it’s tricky trying to keep everyone happy. Luckily, I don’t have to make that work, but Liz does. We gave each other a lot of support.
L Expeditions are busy, so we wouldn’t often be alone together during the day, but I do remember one time being out together, quietly drinking in this enormous vista of towering mountains, glaciers and icebergs and then looking down at our feet, where one single, delicate little white feather had melted perfectly into a feather-shaped hole in the snow. It was a special Antarctic moment, even more special because we were taking it in together. Much of our bond comes down to us having had very extraordinary shared experiences in an extraordinary place in the world, and the joy we both get from that.
H We might only work together for a few weeks each season [there are separate Arctic and Antarctic seasons] but our friendship isn’t confined to the ship. Even though we live in different states, we are always there to help each other out. There have been no expeditions this year because of COVID and both of our livelihoods have been put on hold which has been stressful. But Liz is so resilient – she’s had an incredibly draining couple of years with her partner in ill health but amid all the change and uncertainty, she has remained positive and uplifting.
L Heidi understands me enough to know what I need. Not long after [my partner] Martin’s diagnosis, I had to go to a work event in Tasmania [where Heidi lives] and she insisted I stay with her and Stephen. That genuine care and tenderness was so important for me. She was there when I wanted to talk; when I didn’t, she was still there with hearty meals and big hugs.
H Liz has endless energy. Over the last few months she has found amazing projects to get involved with, and she emails me about getting involved. She found a collaborative art project in which a group of illustrators were working to record threatened species – we each took one on.
L Heidi is fascinated by, and curious about everything in the natural world, and she has this incredibly infectious enthusiasm which allows her to bring everyone along with her on that journey. She’s also completely reliable – I’d trust her with my life. Simply put, she’s a remarkable human being who I am proud to be able to call my friend.
H Liz has been a pillar of strength for me. She is so positive and has this really creative, artistic side. Sometimes we ring each other and just sit on the couch for an hour, catching up with what’s happening with each other.
Interview with Liz Pope and Heidi Krajewsky by Ute Junker
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