In 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott perished while making his journey back from the South Pole. Scott and his team of explorers expired as a result of bitter temperatures and lack of food. In the wake of his agonizing loss in the race to the South Pole, and his enhanced standing as a hero of the country, Captain Scott showed unwaivering strength as he confronted his death. Visit this site for further information on antarctica cruises.
Nearly a century later, modern scientists continue to work towards a better understanding of the fierce conditions in Antarctica. To be exact, the temperature can reach as low as minus 90 degrees Celsius, coupled with winds that can average 67 kilometers per hour. Scott’s expedition would have been plagued with weather conditions such as these, but that doesn’t even begin to touch upon the true perils found in Antarctica.
Scott worked as a scientist in the Polar Regions, and the letters that he had written to his wife are filled with his overwhelming sense of seclusion. Even today, with the technological advances in communications, scientists who work in this area, report that they are still plagued by the same feelings of isolation. Scott’s memories were carried on by his wife and young son.
The letters he wrote to his wife were discovered when his body was found months after he died. He was a mere 11 miles distant from his supply camp. Scott’s wife was informed of her demise as she awaited his return back in New Zealand. You can get the best trips to antarctica information by visiting this website.
The letters that Scott left behind for his wife, can shed much light for historians of Antarctica. At the trip’s onset, he spoke of the pleasure derived from a fine meal and his appreciation of his body’s ability to endure the conditions. The cold didn’t seem to be a problem, as the hot food made up for the bitter cold.
At the trip’s end, Scott’s outlook depleted along with the supply of food. He begins to describe how the cold has become more bitter and unrelenting. He spoke about how he and his fellow explorers survived with only one hot meal and two days of cold food, in order to travel a distance of 11 miles.
Scott was an icon of the great age of exploration, but his journey was twice cursed. He lost the race to be the first person to reach the South Pole to the Norwegian Roald Amundsen. History shows that Amundsen arrived on the 21st day of December, 1911, and Scott made it on the 18th day of January, 1911.
Scott became a national hero due to his incursion to Antarctica from 1902-1904. Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Dr Edward Wilson were two on the team who survived this journey. Two others, Petty Officer Edgar Evans and Captain Lawrence Oats, had already died.
With just twenty miles until the next depot, the expedition stowed their provisions. Their supply of fuel and food was dangerously low by now. In one of his later letters, Scott gave his wife permission to remarry in the event of his death as he then described the brutal seventy degrees below zero temps while only having a tent around him.
His last missive shows no regret for the decision to take the trip which took his life. He said he enjoyed what he was doing rather than sitting idly by at home. Scott’s courage and determined attitude has given inspiration to many generations of British youngsters.
It was unfortunate that Captain Robert Scott’s group failed to beat Roald Amundsmen to the South Pole. He met his death on March 29, 1912. In 1913 his journal and letters were published in a book titled Scott’s Last Expedition.
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