Author Archives: Ernest Shackleton

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About Ernest Shackleton

Polar Explorer. Leader of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, 1914-1917.

Add nothing to the risks

“A boat party might make the voyage and be back with relief within a month, provided that the sea was clear of ice and the boat survive the great seas. […] The hazards of a boat journey across 800 miles … Continue reading

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Another planet

“We were, in a world of our own, we had only ourselves to look to, and the world was as completely cut off from us as though we had come from another planet. I have experienced a good many strange … Continue reading

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The promise was not redeemed

“The icy fingers of the gale searched every cranny of our beach and pushed relentlessly through our worn garments and tattered tents. The snow, drifting from the glacier and falling from the skies, swathed us and our gear and set … Continue reading

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Blizzard life

“Skinning them with our already partially frostbitten hands was painful work, for to bare the hand for a very few minutes in such a blizzard means almost certain frost-bite. We sought such shelfter as we could find behind rocks and … Continue reading

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Evil-smelling yellow mud

“The heat of our bodies soon melted the snow and refuse beneath us, and the floor of the tent became an evil-smelling yellow mud. The snow drifting from the cliff above us weighted the sides of the tent, and during … Continue reading

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Shelter

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Rough, bleak and inhospitable

“The spit was by no means an ideal camping ground; it was rough, bleak and inhospitable – just an acre or two of rock and shingle, with the sea foaming around it except where the snow slope, running up to … Continue reading

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The princess and the pea

“The fairy princess who would not rest on her seven downy mattresses because a pea lay underneath the pile might not have understood the pleasure we all derived from the irregularities of the stones, which could not possibly break beneath … Continue reading

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Landing Spot

“Wild, Worsley, and Hurley accompanied me on an inspection of our beach before getting into the tents. I almost wished then that I had postponed the examination until after sleep, but the sense of caution that the uncertainties of polar … Continue reading

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Anything but cheering

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