Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration

Alone on the Ice: The Greatest Survival Story in the History of Exploration PDF

Author: David Roberts

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2013-01-28

Total Pages: 352

ISBN-13: 0393089649

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"Gripping and superb. This book will steal the night from you." —Laurence Gonzales, author of Deep Survival On January 17, 1913, alone and near starvation, Douglas Mawson, leader of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, was hauling a sledge to get back to base camp. The dogs were gone. Now Mawson himself plunged through a snow bridge, dangling over an abyss by the sledge harness. A line of poetry gave him the will to haul himself back to the surface. Mawson was sometimes reduced to crawling, and one night he discovered that the soles of his feet had completely detached from the flesh beneath. On February 8, when he staggered back to base, his features unrecognizably skeletal, the first teammate to reach him blurted out, "Which one are you?" This thrilling and almost unbelievable account establishes Mawson in his rightful place as one of the greatest polar explorers and expedition leaders. It is illustrated by a trove of Frank Hurley’s famous Antarctic photographs, many never before published in the United States.

Alone in Antarctica

Alone in Antarctica PDF

Author: Felicity Aston

Publisher: Catapult

Published: 2014-10-14

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 1619024004

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In the whirling noise of our advancing technological age, we are seemingly never alone, never out–of–touch with the barrage of electronic data and information. Felicity Aston, physicist and meteorologist, took two months off from all human contact as she became the first woman –– and only the third person in history – to ski across the entire continent of Antarctica alone. She did it, too, with the simple apparatus of cross–country, without the aids used by her prededecessors – two Norwegian men – each of whom employed either parasails or kites. Aston's journey across the ice at the bottom of the world asked of her the extremes in terms of mental and physical bravery, as she faced the risks of unseen cracks buried in the snow so large they might engulf her and hypothermia due to brutalizing weather. She had to deal, too, with her emotional vulnerability in face of the constant bombardment of hallucinations brought on by the vast sea of whiteness, the lack of stimulation to her senses as she faced what is tantamount to a form of solitary confinement. Like Cheryl Strayed's Wild, Felicity Aston's Alone in Antarctica becomes an inspirational saga of one woman's battle through fear and loneliness as she honestly confronts both the physical challenges of her adventure, as well as her own human vulnerabilities.

The Impossible First

The Impossible First PDF

Author: Colin O'Brady

Publisher: Scribner

Published: 2021-01-19

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1982133120

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Colin O’Brady’s awe-inspiring, New York Times bestselling memoir recounting his recovery from a tragic accident and his record-setting 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica is a “jaw-dropping tale of passion and perseverance” (Angela Duckworth, New York Times bestselling author of Grit). Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone, without support and completely human powered. Yet, Colin O’Brady was determined to do just that, even if, ten years earlier, there was doubt that he’d ever walk again normally. From the depths of a tragic accident, he fought his way back. In a quest to unlock his potential and discover what was possible, he went on to set three mountaineering world records before turning to this historic Antarctic challenge. O’Brady’s pursuit of a goal that had eluded many others was made even more intense by a head-to-head battle that emerged with British polar explorer Captain Louis Rudd—also striving to be “the first.” Enduring Antarctica’s sub-zero temperatures and pulling a sled that initially weighed 375 pounds—in complete isolation and through a succession of whiteouts, storms, and a series of near disasters—O’Brady persevered. Alone with his thoughts for nearly two months in the vastness of the frozen continent—gripped by fear and doubt—he reflected on his past, seeking courage and inspiration in the relationships and experiences that had shaped his life. “Incredibly engaging and well-written” (The Wall Street Journal)—and set against the backdrop of some of the most extreme environments on earth, from Mt. Everest to Antarctica—this is “an unforgettable memoir of perseverance, survival, daring to dream big, and showing the world how to make the impossible possible” (Booklist, starred review).

Mawson's Will

Mawson's Will PDF

Author: Lennard Bickel

Publisher: Steerforth

Published: 2011-08-30

Total Pages: 276

ISBN-13: 158642193X

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The dramatic story of explorer Douglas Mawson and "the most outstanding solo journey ever recorded in Antarctic history" (Sir Edmund Hillary, mountaineer and explorer) For weeks in Antarctica, Douglas Mawson faced some of the most daunting conditions ever known to man: blistering wind, snow, and cold; the loss of his companion, dogs, supplies, and even the skin on his hands and feet. But despite constant thirst, starvation, disease, and snow blindness—he survived. Sir Douglas Mawson is remembered as the young Australian who would not go to the South Pole with Robert Scott in 1911. Instead, he chose to lead his own expedition on the less glamorous mission of charting nearly 1,500 miles of Antarctic coastline and claiming its resources for the British Crown. His party of three set out through the mountains across glaciers in 60-mile-per-hour winds. Six weeks and 320 miles out, one man fell into a crevasse—along with the tent, most of the equipment, the dogs' food, and all except a week's supply of the men's provisions. Mawson's Will is the unforgettable story of one man's ingenious practicality, unbreakable spirit, and how he continued his meticulous scientific observations even in the face of death. When the expedition was over, Mawson had added more territory to the Antarctic map than anyone else of his time. Thanks to Bickel's moving account, Mawson can be remembered for the vision and dedication that make him one of the world's great explorers.

Admiral Richard Byrd

Admiral Richard Byrd PDF

Author: Paul Rink

Publisher: Young Voyageur

Published: 2017-09

Total Pages: 226

ISBN-13: 0760354359

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Richard Byrd, survived six months alone at a tiny base in the Antarctic winter. His story is an epic of courage and an indomitable will to live.

The Ice

The Ice PDF

Author: Stephen J. Pyne

Publisher: University of Washington Press

Published: 2016-06-01

Total Pages: 466

ISBN-13: 0295805234

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“The Ice is a compilation of more about ice than you knew you wanted to know, yet sheer compelling significance holds attention page by page. . . . Pyne conveys a view of Antarctica that interweaves physical science with humanistic inquiry and perception. His audacity as well as his presentation warrant admiration, for the implications of The Ice are vast.”—New York Times Book Review

The Ice at the End of the World

The Ice at the End of the World PDF

Author: Jon Gertner

Publisher:

Published: 2019

Total Pages: 449

ISBN-13: 0812996623

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An urgent account of the explorers and scientists racing to understand the rapidly melting ice sheet in Greenland, a dramatic harbinger of climate change. As Greenland's ice melts and runs off into the sea, it not only threatens to affect hundreds of millions of people who live in coastal areas. It will also have drastic effects on ocean currents, weather systems, economies, and migration patterns

Two Against the Ice

Two Against the Ice PDF

Author: Ejnar Mikkelsen

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781586420574

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A classic tale of survival by an important figure in the history of Arctic exploration, this is the autobiography of a man who devoted his life to the Arctic. A veteran explorer, in 1910 he embarked upon an expedition with his friend Iver Iversen, in search of the diaries of the tragic Mylius and Erichsen expedition. For three years they suffered every calamity known to man, including starvation, frostbite, snow blindness, bear attacks and apocalyptic storms, with no hope of rescue. Yet they retained their sanity and humour by refusing to become as desolate as their surroundings.

Alone

Alone PDF

Author: Richard E. Byrd

Publisher:

Published: 2011-08

Total Pages: 340

ISBN-13: 9781447424109

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The harrowing and heartfelt account of an adventurer's desire to feel true peace and isolation. Richard E. Byrd chose to stay alone in the Antarctic over the long dark nights of Antarctic winter. The following story details his battle with monoxide poisoning, depression and utter despair. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.