When taking a quick look at the two expeditions, one led by Ernest Shackleton to Antarctica and the other led by Arlene Blum to climb Annapurna, a quick summation can be made that Blum succeeded in her expedition and Shackleton failed. But this is a shallow view, not considering the nuances and actual experiences of the trips. Ernest Shackleton set out with his crew in 1915 to be the first expedition to cross Antarctica, but in fact, he never set foot on the continent. While failing at his initial goal, he was a highly successful leader and kept his 28 men safe for close to two years, while they were trapped on the ice floe and then, after the ice gave way, when they were paddling hundreds of miles across open seas in small, wooden lifeboats. He then completed the treacherous journey across South Georgia Island to reach a town and resources necessary to rescue his other men. All of his men were rescued alive and safe and all were able to return home to their families. In comparison, Arlene Blum set out from the United States in 1978 with 9 of her teammates as the American Women's Himalayan Expedition – the first all-woman group to attempt to climb Annapurna. Though their expedition was too often hazardous, it didn’t have the same level of urgency, because at any point during their climb, the group was at liberty to descend. Blum struggled with her role as the leader of this group of highly independent women. She too often hesitated and showed her lack of confidence, which in turn led to many problems within the group and with the hired Sherpas. On October 15th, 1978, two members of the expedition, along with two Sherpas, reached the summit of Annapurna, fulfilling the goal of the group. However, two days later, on Octobe...
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...ew to the path of being trapped by the ice, he excelled at his decision making. He didn’t believe that one should look back at past mistakes and waste time on regrets, indeed, “Shackleton never wasted time or energy lamenting things that had passed or that he couldn’t change (Morell, pp. 145).” As Shackleton himself said, “A man must shape himself to a new mark directly the old one goes to ground (Morell, pp. 145).” This ability to shift quickly and react to new circumstances served him and his crew members well and allowed all of them to save themselves from their icy trap. As Dennis Perkins says in his book, Leading at the Edge, in reference to the last leg of Shackleton’s expedition, “Their heroic journey across South Georgia Island had saved their shipmates. It remains a tribute to unremitting effort—and to the tenacious creativity at The Edge (pp. 148).”
Swimming to Antarctica, by Lynne Cox, is about Lynne’s adventure to become a great long distance swimmer. Lynne started as a slow swimmer. During practice, she never rested for each instruction the coach gives. She later found out that she wanted to be a long distance swimmer. Her coach told her to join a race on a lake. She went and she loved to swim in the open waters. She then went to a different program that trained her to swim in the open waters.
The book about Chris McCandless’s journey into the Alaskan bush, Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer, received a lot of criticism about Chris being foolish for being unprepared. From the articles that I have read, most of the sources do believe that he was poorly prepared for his journey. But there are a few people who believe he was prepared mentally, and an even smaller amount believe he was fully prepared. I believe that Chris only knew what he was doing mentally. He did not have the correct tools or the developed skills to survive, for an extended period of time in the wild. But, he did know what he was about to get himself into. He planned out the trip and knew exactly what his risk factors were. Chris McCandless was either prepared mentally, both mentally and physically, or he was ill-prepared for his voyage.
To start with, McCandless was not someone who gave up. Despite others trying to scare him out of continuing with his journey into the Alaskan wilderness, nothing deterred McCandless. He anxiously awaited to experience life off the land. The people McCandless encountered on his way to Alaska often commented on his determination. Jim Gallien, a man who drove McCandless into the Alaska interior, described McCandless as “real gung-ho”. McCandless's attempt to undertake such a risky endeavour is something to admire in itself. To travel two years, mostly on foot, is certainly not an easy task. However, McCandless still persevered through the hardships he faced throughout his journey. McCandles...
Discoveries can embody experiences of uncovering the unknown for the first time, which can often broaden and question the knowledge that we already own, as well as challenge the values we possess. In Simon Nasht’s documentary “Frank Hurley: The Man Who Made History (2004),” Hurley captures images on expeditions such as the Douglas Mawson and the Ernest Shackleton which allowed him to illustrate the beauty of nature as well as to display the harsh reality he faced when trying to capture these images. On the other hand, Robert Frost’s poem, “Road Not Taken” (1920) is metaphorical for the decisions individuals are faced with
Nasht’s depiction of Frank Hurley’s journey into Antarctica raises the importance of discovering new ideas and values which shape his journey as an “odyssey”, a classical allusion to Homer’s epic poem, His journey of discovery challenges many assumptions and questions Hurley’s society had sought represented by epic film music and indirect interviews to portray the feeling of excitement and adventure, portraying an assumption that discovery can lead to new experiences and new worlds. Nasht’s juxtaposition of Hurley’s dramatic archival footage to the modern recreation of the journey evokes a sense of excitement and a change in beliefs, where previously people didn’t know what adventure felt like. Images of large and grand icebergs signify a new sense of discovery in an uncharted world which becomes important to those on the ship, Endurance knowing that they are risking their lives to experience the nature of the world that no one has even sought and being the first to answer the challengers of discovering and exploring new worlds and experiences. The clever synthesis from shifts of Elephant Island to Hurley’s daughters provokes a sense of discovering something personal, as “the places he explored left a mark on him and his photography”, where Hurley’s daughters rediscover their father’s experiences. The daughters are overwhelmed by the desolation of the ice and space, which becomes significant for them, as they relive the memories and the experience of their father when he journeyed to
Before going on his trek alone into the Yukon wilderness, an “old-timer” had given the protagonist in “To Build a Fire” advice. He told the protagonist not to travel alone in the frigid Yukon territory because it can get dangerously cold.. The protagonist chooses not to follow this advice and comes to regret it as he freezes to death. Towards the beginning, the protagonist even looks down upon the old-timer, believing the old-timer to not be as manly as him. The protagonist initially thinks, “Those old-timers were rather womanist, he thought […] Any man who was a man could travel alone” (21). Not only does the protagonist ignore the advice of the old-timer, but he even thinks of the old-timer as being inferior and weak. The protagonist completely overlooks the fact that the old-timer is a veteran to the unforgiving land and he is merely a newcomer with little knowledge of the land. The protagonist soon realizes that the old-timer was right. The narrator acknowledges the wisdom in the advice of the old-timer once the cold has set in on the protagonist: “That man [the old-timer] from Sulphur Creek had spoken the truth […] and he [the protagonist] had laughed at him at the time!” (15) The protagonist had once laughed at the old-timer, thinking the old-timer was just weak, but he now sees the wisdom in the old-timer’s advice. The protagonist comes to realize that the old-timer was right but by this point it is far too late. Christopher McCandless also ignored the advice of others throughout his adventure, the most distinguished advice given to him from an “old-timer” of Alaska directly preceding McCandless’s final journey into the Alaskan wilderness. Jim Gallien picked up McCandless outside of Fairbanks, Alaska and immediately noticed McCandless’s unpreparedness. After McCandless told Gallien of his plans to survive in
On 17 June 1576 the thirty ton bark Gabriel, accompanied by the smaller bark Michael and a tiny pinnace, set sail from London to seek out a north-west sea passage to the treasures of the Orient. The three small vessels, whose total complement was only thirty four men, were commanded by Martin Frobisher. Although the purpose of the voyage was to find a alternate sea route to the east the two subsequent voyages that quickly followed were a prelude to the establishment of English sovereignty in North America. What were the factors that initiated the voyage? Who were the key players in the enterprise and what was the eventual outcome of these three voyages? This essay will attempt to answer those questions.
My last trip to the summit was a journey filled with danger and hardships. The group of people that I was to lead up Everest included Doug Hansen, Sandy Pittman, Jon Krakauer, and Beck Weathers. Doug Hansen had attempted the summit on a guided expedition by me a year earlier, but we had to turn back. All and all the beginning of this trip was similar to many of my other commercial expeditions. We started at Kathmandu and worked our way to Phakding, where I picked up my crew of Sherpas. The Sherpas are very important to our expedition, so I told the team to appreciate their hard work. We then continued to climb until we stopped at Lobuje. This overcrowded village was disgusting and caused many of my clients to become ill....
McCandless put little to no thought into his actions and his venture to Alaska. After McCandless graduated he decided he was going to drive around on an adventure to find himself. In the middle of this journey “his car broke down and he abandoned it in the Arizona desert. McCandless was exhilarated, so much that he decided to bury most of his worldly possessions the parched earth of Detrital Wash and then--in a gesture that would have done Tolstoy proud--burned his last remaining cash, about $160 in small bills” (Krakauer 4). McCandless thrived off of the feeling of being lost and hopeless.
Climbing makes for a difficult expedition, you need to give up the wrappers when you was ascending. You need to give up the heavy things, you need to give up your wrappers, and you need to give yourselves. Sometimes we need to give up our lives to climb the mount Everest. According to snow storm, the energy, the oxygen and the people who desired prove themselves the spring’s 96s expedition to mountain Everest was destined to be the most tragic.
The man had numerous chances to take correct, decisive action. For example, the man knew that spit would freeze
He had no common sense, and he had no business going into Alaska with his romantic silliness. He made a lot of mistakes based on arrogance. I don’t admire him at all for his courage nor his noble ideas. Really, I think he was just plain crazy.” Essentially,
In 1914, a great leader began a great expedition, unbeknownst to him that instead of being known as great explorers, they would be known as some of the greatest survivors. This man was Sir Ernest Shackelton and he was determined to be the first to cross the Antarctic. Little did he know, his biggest challenge would end up being his ability to lead his team to survival. He also had no idea that their tale of strength, determination, and courage to survive would influence people well into the 21st century, and the book detailing their stories would be used as a model of leadership. As our group read this book, it was evident that Shackleton was a truly motivated and successful leader as we have come to understand one to be. His ability to successfully lead a team played a significant role in their survival.
If you struggle while paddling across a clear lake, I wouldn’t recommend crossing Drake’s Passage. After reading any description of the passage, one would warily wonder what other dangers the depths hide and why Sir Ernest Shackleton would ever cross it in this condition, a decision I whole-heartedly agree with. Despite the harsh conditions, the desolate attitude of my crew and slim chance of survival, Shackleton pressed on. A feat that seems downright inhuman once you hear of the odds stacked against him. Between waves that can swallow you whole, unpredictable weather systems and waters that are among the coldest on Earth, to even fathom crossing without the proper equipment and years of experience is impossible.
The saga of the Endurance has relevant lessons for today?s leaders concerning the vital nature of team unity and interdependence, risk taking, optimism, and selfless leadership. Shackleton, known as ?The Boss? to his men, was at all times responsible for fostering and developing these dynamics, and thus provides an example of the remarkable achievements that are possible in even the direst of situations. The expedition failed in its attempt to be the first to transverse the Antarctic, yet the ultimate success is judged by the safe return of all the crewmembers.