In 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott was making the long trek back from the South Pole, when he and his companions met their doom. His friends also perished due to starvation and hypothermia. Because of his ambition and persistence, and even though he lost the race to the South Pole and perished, he is known as a national hero.
In our modern times we now fully understand the extreme conditions that exist in the Antarctica wilderness. In the winter, you can expect lows to drop down to a ridiculous minus 90 degrees Celsius and the wind can howl around 67 kilometers per hour. In 1912, with little understanding of the devastating hazards the continent had in store for him, Scott was ill prepared for the task he was undertaking.
Examining the letters Scott wrote to his wife as he worked as a scientists on the continent one can see the isolation he was feeling there. Even today, with the most up-to-date communications equipment, scientists working at the pole often note the same sense of utter isolation. Captain Scott's wife was left a widow, and his young son without a father, at the time of Scott's death.
The letters he wrote to his wife were discovered when his body was found months after he died. He was no more than 11 miles from safety. Scott's wife learned of his demise in New Zealand, where she waited for his triumphant return.
The letters Scott wrote to her provide tremendous historical insight. The joys of eating proper nourishment, and recognition of his exquisite physical health, were his writing topics during the early days of his adventure. He was not bothered so much by the frigid climate, saying that his cooked foods made up the difference.
As the expedition went on the food was running low, Scott's mood seemed to change as well. He explained that the weather was getting even more brutal and showed no mercy. He and his men were only able to consume one hot meal with two days of cold food in order to move another 11 miles.
Although Scott was a pioneer in the field of exploration, he had bad luck twice over with this trek. First off, he lost his race to the South Pole to a Norwegian named 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 was referred to as a national hero due to his previous explorations of Antartic during the years 1902-1904. Lieutenant Henry Bowers and Dr Edward Wilson were two on the team who survived this journey. Two others, Captain Lawrence Oats and Petty Officer Edgar Evans, had already succumbed to the cold.
The expedition packed away supplies when they were only twenty miles from a storage area. The small group was down to the last of their food and fuel. Scott described in his letters, the bitter cold of the seventy degrees below zero temperatures, and how the only inadequate defense they had was their tent. He also gave his blessing for her to remarry in the event of his death.
He never once expressed any remorse or regret for setting out on his final journey. Instead, he said it far outweighed relaxing at home. Scott's ambition and bravery inspired many generations of young people in Great Britain.
Roald Amundsmen beat Scott's team to the South Pole by a few weeks. He perished on the 29th day of March, 1912. Published as "Scott's Last Expedition," his journals are available for study.
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