Stromness, South Georgia
Latitude 54 09 S Longitude 036 41 W
Traveling in the footsteps of famous explorers is often exhilarating, but not always easy. We have lived and breathed the Shackleton saga for several weeks, and we’ve had some spectacular good fortune along the way. Our Zodiacs brought us alongside Point Wild on Elephant Island, where the hapless crew of Endurance spent the winter of 1916 awaiting rescue. We sailed the very same seas Shackleton did during the epic small boat adventure of the James Cairdr. Some days ago we were fortunate enough to be among the few people to have ever landed in King Haakon Bay, the site where the men first came ashore after their harrowing boat journey, and the jumping off place for Shackleton’s incredible march across South Georgia.
Today was icing on the cake. Endeavour sailed into Fortuna Bay this morning, and after a hearty breakfast 38 intrepid guests disembarked into the surf on the east shore of the bay. After changing into hiking boots, the group set off to replicate the last four miles of one of the most famous forced marches in the annals of exploration. It was here that Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean finally knew that they were going to make it, for they had heard the whistle blow at the whaling station in Stromness. Help was at hand – they had only one more mountain to cross, and a rather wee one at that.
Well it must have seemed small after all these hard men had been through, but to us it was an adventure. A rather steep adventure, but worth every minute. We climbed up a steep tussac grass slope, then got onto the ubiquitous scree. Ascending, the view was stupendous – ice clad peaks reaching for the sky as far as we could see. At the top we paused to take in the breathtaking sight of Stromness valley laid out below us, the ruins of the whaling station off to one side, and the good ship Endeavour beckoning to us as she sailed into the harbor. What a beautiful day.
Latitude 54 09 S Longitude 036 41 W
Traveling in the footsteps of famous explorers is often exhilarating, but not always easy. We have lived and breathed the Shackleton saga for several weeks, and we’ve had some spectacular good fortune along the way. Our Zodiacs brought us alongside Point Wild on Elephant Island, where the hapless crew of Endurance spent the winter of 1916 awaiting rescue. We sailed the very same seas Shackleton did during the epic small boat adventure of the James Cairdr. Some days ago we were fortunate enough to be among the few people to have ever landed in King Haakon Bay, the site where the men first came ashore after their harrowing boat journey, and the jumping off place for Shackleton’s incredible march across South Georgia.
Today was icing on the cake. Endeavour sailed into Fortuna Bay this morning, and after a hearty breakfast 38 intrepid guests disembarked into the surf on the east shore of the bay. After changing into hiking boots, the group set off to replicate the last four miles of one of the most famous forced marches in the annals of exploration. It was here that Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worsley and Tom Crean finally knew that they were going to make it, for they had heard the whistle blow at the whaling station in Stromness. Help was at hand – they had only one more mountain to cross, and a rather wee one at that.
Well it must have seemed small after all these hard men had been through, but to us it was an adventure. A rather steep adventure, but worth every minute. We climbed up a steep tussac grass slope, then got onto the ubiquitous scree. Ascending, the view was stupendous – ice clad peaks reaching for the sky as far as we could see. At the top we paused to take in the breathtaking sight of Stromness valley laid out below us, the ruins of the whaling station off to one side, and the good ship Endeavour beckoning to us as she sailed into the harbor. What a beautiful day.
