Chapter 6: Shackleton’s Story

We were fortunate to have some true Shackleton scholars on our ship. Our expedition route partially followed his ill-fated attempt to make the first land crossing of the Antarctic continent, and thus our voyage was certainly Shackleton-themed. Maps adorned many of the common room sections of the ship, and our guides provided a running commentary of his crew’s trials and tribulations. Thankfully, our journey contained only good luck.

When we departed Antarctica, we made way for Elephant Island, a desolate, isolated island with an eponymous shape. It was here that his crew sheltered for four and a half months after their ship, Endurance, broke apart and sunk in the Antarctic ice. While most of the crew remained huddled on Elephant Island surviving on any wildlife they could catch and kill, Sir Ernest Shackleton and 5 crew members braved 800 miles of open ocean—in a rowboat—to South Georgia Island. Even upon landing, a miracle in itself, these 6 courageous souls had to cross the mountain range that stretches the island’s spine. In Grytviken they were able to get help, and incredibly, ever single member of the crew survived (the rest of the crew who remained on Elephant Island were rescued almost 5 months later). It’s truly an amazing story. That is the level of lore that embodies Antarctica. Decades of profound history precede any orthodox tourist journey down south. With our 16 day expedition, we experienced some of that history with intimacy.

Shackleton and his crew survived off fur seals

We stayed at Elephant Island for less than an hour. It was unthinkable to try to make a landing. The wind terrorized us as we cowered from it on the top deck of the ship, gazing towards the most inhospitable spit of land I had ever seen. After snapping some pictures and shaking myself from a reverie, we trudged back inside. Our captain and expedition leader were eager to leave. It was almost unfathomable that 22 men survived for so long in such a hell. Our guides, most boasting at least a decade of experience, grumbled how they had each only landed on the island itself once or twice. As nightfall hastened, we resumed north to South Georgia.

It took 2 days for us to reach the island on our massive ship. I can’t imagine the journey in a rowboat. Shackleton’s journal recounts swells more than 100 feet high. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. Our travel was leisurely, as we looked for whales and birds while enjoying good weather. I read up more on Shackleton’s exploits and adventures. It was fascinating to learn about humanity’s progress as we tried to explore entirety of our planet. And then we were greeted with the most spectacular island I’ve ever visited.