Captain Scott redux

That's a bit unfair to Worsley, who was just unlucky, as opposed to Scott who essentially provided everyone else with an object lesson on what NOT to do when trying to make a polar journey.

I was not attempting to draw a comparison between Scott and Worsley other than a coincidental outcome , so this was not meant to be offensive . However , I quite agree with your point about Scott's incompetence . I was unaware of Worsley's voyage until I read the news earlier today . In spite of my efforts to learn more about it , I would raise the question of what constitutes luck or the lack thereof . From what little I could find , Worsley's reticence to raise a kite to help power his sledge , bears a striking resemblance to Scott's dismissal of dogs as a source of motive power , and his choice to man haul his way to the Pole and back . I would be interested if you would care to comment about what you felt was a lack of luck . I should also mention , in all honesty , that , since 1980 , I have found the evidence presented by Huntford to be scientifically compelling as opposed to the writings of Fiennes and Solomon . In any event , both the outcomes of Scott's and Worsley's expeditions are deeply saddening tragedies .

steven,

Thanks for posting that. I was aware of this fairly quickly as I know someone who served with him. This is absolutely a tragic and heart breaking end to Worsley's expedition, considering how close he came to achieving his goal. RIP.

Sorry , not ludicrous at all . This is the same error Scott made . The idea was to complete the voyage , not to die trying for a heroic and impractical goal . , Two further points - In attempting to recreate Shackleton's 1914 journey , there were major differences here . Shackleton's plan ( before the wreck of the Endurance ) was to lay supply depots from the start , The Endurance was well stocked with supplies , while the second vessel would lay supply depots across the ice shelf to the foot of the Beardmore Glacier for the balance of the trip . Trying to do this single handedly without any support , and man hauling a 300 lb sledge was , shall I say , rather ill advised . If the goal was , as you say , to engage in super human heroics , that strikes me as a preventable tragedy . One last point , Worsley's physical condition at the end indicated severe dehydration , a well documented issue affecting travel in deep cold , This would indicate that barring several supply drops , as others attempting this had done , he did not have sufficient fuel to melt snow and provide adequate hydration . It amazes me to see that one hundred years later , he had not heeded the lessons of the past , and George Santayana's infamous quote still stands . I had really posted the link as a purely informational and interesting item , and as I have said , this was a horrible tragedy . Insofar as your recommendation for a Rick Steves helicopter is in questionable taste , considering the gravity of this event , I will ignore it .