By Dylan Kelemen
Most people know what Antarctica is, but for those who don’t, it’s that huge ice covered continent down south. Really far south. Where we went was about 3500 km (2230 miles) from Cape Horn, Chile, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Literally.
At one point in history, this extraordinary place had to be discovered, but we don’t know exactly who or when. James Cook was the first Westerner to document a sighting of Antarctica on the HM Bark Endeavour expedition in 1771, but that’s about it for the time period. Then in 1820, Nathan Palmer recorded his sighting of the continent. We know more about famous Antarctic expeditions like Roald Amundsen and Ronald Scott’s race to the pole, as well as the ill-fated Trans-Antarctic expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. These are just a few of the thousands of expeditions led by various countries around the world. We had the chance to visit this wonderful place this January, and learned a ton about its history. We learned things about early Antarctic explorations to present-day politics. From its inhospitable climate to the abundant wildlife and ecosystem.
Endurance. It’s a word that means perseverance and tolerance of a difficult situation, and it was a vital trait for early Antarctic explorers. It is also the title of a book describing the historic journey of Ernest Shackleton and the crew of his ship “The Endurance.” They intended to cross the continent on foot. But they never made it to land. They were stranded in pack ice for almost a year, circulating clockwise with the ice in the Weddell Sea until their ship was crushed and sank to the ocean floor. From then on, their mission changed. forget about crossing the continent, just survive. Against all odds, they escaped the harsh conditions of the ice pack and took sail in the lifeboats they’d been hauling around for months.
But things got worse from there. By luck — and only luck — they reach a tiny piece of land called Point Wild on Elephant Island where 22 men wintered with only the protection from two boats. Shakleton set sail for South Georgia Island with a crew of five in the third boat. They braved a 800-mile journey in order to seek rescue. And they made it.
Another expeditions rival Shackleton’s for the title of “most famous,” and those were the expeditions that generated the race to the pole. The competitors in this race were Roald Amundsen and Ronald Scott. Like Shackleton, Scott was British and had a macho style, with the ideal of confronting everything thrown at him and coming out on top. Amundsen, on the other hand, took years to prepare for his expedition, accounting for every little detail that would play a part in his reaching the ultimate goal.
The differences between Amundsen and Scott showed up not only in the outcome of the race but in what each of them brought on their voyages. The well-prepared Amundsen brought skis to substantially ease the load that would otherwise be carried by hikers, while Scott brought horses which turned out to be useless except as a source of food.
The race to the pole wasn’t just about these two men and their crews. It was nation against nation. Both Norway and England took pride in being first, and this was a big “first”. First to the South Pole.
Amundsen was the first to plant his country’s flag at 90?S. Knowing he was ahead of Scott, Amundsen left Scott a very well thought out note which I paraphrase: If I don’t make it back, bring this note to my king so my legacy lives on. It was a brilliant note because he used it as a way to boast to Scott about beating him in a underhanded way. But Amundsen was the one who returned, while Scott’s body lay frozen in the middle of the Antarctic desert.
On our own extraordinary expedition to the seventh continent, we saw and made connections with places from this era of exploration. John Dudeney, our historian on board, told us stories and recollections about his life and the life of Antarctic explorers. Our first sighting of land after two day of sailing the open ocean was Point Wild on Elephant Island. Frank Wild and 21 other men wintered there, while we just passed it by in the comfort of our ship. Still, it was pretty cool.
One base we visited was the Ukrainian base named Vernatsky. The Ukrainians purchased this base from the British Antarctic Survey for one-pound Sterling, and agreed to keep some meteorological tests going. But also, out of kindness, they preserved a few rooms to show people what it was like to live and work at the base back in the 1950’s. This gave us insights into how hard it was and still is to live in and explore Antarctica.
People who have reached the pole are few and far between, mostly because it is the most inhospitable place on the planet. But as inhospitable as it is, it is also undeniably beautiful. Antarctica really impressed me, and changed my perspective of the world. I would recommend a visit to Antarctica to anyone who isn’t afraid to face the cold.