Near Death in the Arctic PDF
Preview Near Death in the Arctic
CECIL KUHNE NEAR DEATH IN THE ARCTIC Cecil Kuhne is the editor of four anthologies on adventure travel, On the Edge, The Armchair Paddler, Near Death on the High Seas, and Near Death in the Mountains. A former whitewater rafting guide, he has also written nine books about rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. He lives in Dallas. ALSO EDITED BY CECIL KUHNE Near Death in the Mountains Near Death on the High Seas On the Edge The Armchair Paddler A VINTAGE DEPARTURES ORIGINAL, FEBRUARY 2009 Copyright © 2009 by Cecil Kuhne All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Vintage Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Vintage is a registered trademark and Vintage Departures and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc. Permissions appear at the end of the book. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data: Near death in the Arctic : true stories of disaster and survival / edited by Cecil Kuhne. p. cm. “A Vintage departures original”–T.p. verso. eISBN: 978-0-30779372-0 1. Polar regions–Discovery and exploration. 2. Survival skills–Polar regions. I. Kuhne, Cecil, 1952– G590.N35 2009 910.911–dc22 2008045794 www.vintagebooks.com v3.1 CONTENTS Cover About the Author Also by Cecil Kuhne Title Page Copyright PREFACE FOREWORD from Polar Dream HELEN THAYER IN THE LAND OF WHITE DEATH An Epic Story of Survival in the Siberian Arctic VALERIAN ALBANOV THE SOUTH POLE An Account of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition in the “Fram,” 1910– 1912 CAPTAIN ROALD AMUNDSEN MAWSON’S WILL The Greatest Survival Story Ever Written LENNARD BICKEL ALONE RICHARD E. BYRD THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD Antarctic 1910–13 APSLEY CHERRY-GARRARD ICE BIRD The First Single-Handed Voyage to Antarctica DAVID LEWIS FARTHEST NORTH DR. FRIDTJOF NANSEN THE NORTH POLE Its Discovery in 1909 Under the Auspices of the Peary Arctic Club ROBERT E. PEARY SCOTT’S LAST EXPEDITION The Personal Journals of Captain R. F. Scott, C.V.O., R.N., on His Journey to the South Pole ROBERT FALCON SCOTT SOUTH A Memoir of the Endurance Voyage ERNEST SHACKLETON SHADOWS ON THE WASTELAND MIKE STROUD SHACKLETON’S BOAT JOURNEY The Narrative from the Captain of the Endurance FRANK ARTHUR WORSLEY NOTES ON THE CONTRIBUTORS PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREFACE Venturing to the ends of the earth offers its fair share of challenges, and unfortunately, the seemingly never-ending struggle sometimes results in having to pay the ultimate price. The odds of freezing to death are, of course, very real in this apparently endless landscape of snow and ice. If you somehow manage to avoid that awful fate, other hazards await. Cold, howling winds can instantly turn exposed skin into frostbite, blizzards often reduce visibility to a few feet, and hidden crevasses may send you to an immediate end. And some simply starve to death. The British explorer Robert Falcon Scott, on his doomed 1912 trek to be the first to reach the South Pole, lay dying in his tent with two of his colleagues. He had the presence of mind to pen these haunting last words in his diary: “For God’s sake look after our people.” The conditions that Arctic and Antarctic explorers face are, quite frankly, beyond comprehension. The astonishingly hostile conditions obstruct the basic needs of life: food, shelter, clothing, water. And this is true even with modern high-technology gear. Tents must withstand the onslaught of wind and blowing snow; sleeping bags have to be well- insulated, waterproof, and breathable enough to avoid condensation inside; and reliable cooking stoves are necessary to melt snow and cook meals high enough in calories to keep the body warm. Those who probe these frigid, gale-swept reaches must also possess exceptionally well-honed navigational skills, mental and physical fortitude, and even a bit of good fortune. A simple slipup can easily lead to frostbite, snow blindness, and even death. The constant concern, naturally, is hypothermia–the sudden lowering of the body’s core temperature. Along with it comes a debilitating loss in reasoning ability, and errors in judgment are not easily remedied. More alarming is the fact that most victims don’t even become aware of the danger signals until it’s too late. Conditions worsen when you add the element of water. The most dangerous seas on earth are those surrounding Antarctica. Winds circle unobstructed around the continent, whipping up huge waves and creating deadly sea ice. Many a vessel has met its fate after being trapped and crushed under the immense pressure of these polar ice fields. Even today, nature’s forces are the enemy, and they always win in the end. The arduous journeys described in this book are a moving mixture of success and failure, and their prose resonates precisely because they were written not by professional authors, but by those driven to set foot in a spot no human had yet laid eyes upon. Their goals were sometimes met, but often matters went horribly wrong. From reading these accounts one thing is absolutely clear: the globe’s apexes are best observed from the relative comfort of the pages related here. Cecil Kuhne, Dallas, Texas FOREWORD Polar Dream HELEN THAYER I awoke at 12:30 a.m., and the first thing I saw when I checked the weather was the lenticular clouds, some cigar-shaped and others saucerlike, floating lazily across the pale blue sky. They and polar bears were the last things I wanted to see. I nervously checked the temperature. It had risen to 5 degrees F., and the south wind had strengthened to ten miles per hour. With sinking spirits I realized last night’s weather forecast was correct after all. My quandary then was whether to try to beat the storm to the North Pole or stay where I was, close to the coast, and wait it out. I knew that at this time of the year, storms can have long staying power. But there was always the possibility that the storm might dissipate before developing into anything serious. I weighed the alternative. If I tried to race the storm to the pole and didn’t make it, then I would have to camp out there and wait for it to pass. I had certainly camped in worse places and I had already weathered high winds. My tent and gear were in good shape and should be able to withstand a battering. Besides, could I really expect more shelter from the storm where I was camped than out on the sea ice farther south? As soon as I asked myself the question I knew the answer was no. Therefore, there was no advantage in waiting. I decided to go for it. I hurriedly packed and with my dog, Charlie, in his usual place at my right side, I set off at 1:00 a.m. for the pole. My plan was to head due south, straight down the coastline of King Christian Island, then continue to the south and reach the pole in one day. Navigation would be easy until I was out of sight of land again. Then I would switch to the methods I had used to get to King Christian Island on the way north. I skied down the coast into the headwind, taking a line farther out from the coast than I had on the way up, and again was struck by the flat
The list of books you might like
