Camp 52
A very trying, tiring march, and only 11 miles covered. Tomorrow, I'm going to march half a day, make a depot, and build the 10-feet sledges. The second party is certainly tiring; it remains to be seen how they will manage with the smaller sledge and lighter load. The surface is certainly much worse than it was 50 miles back. We have caught up with Shackleton's dates. Everything would be cheerful if I could persuade myself that the second party were quite fit to go forward.
I hope no-one cuts themselves on the sledge runners tomorrow. That would be awful.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
29 December, 1911
Camp 51
It's been a struggle all day over very bad surfaces. The weather looks a little doubtful. The marches are terribly monotonous. One's thoughts wander occasionally to pleasanter scenes and places, but the necessity to keep the course, or some hitch in the surface, quickly brings them back. There have been hours of very steady plodding to day; these are the best part of the business, they mean forgetfulness and advance.
It's been a struggle all day over very bad surfaces. The weather looks a little doubtful. The marches are terribly monotonous. One's thoughts wander occasionally to pleasanter scenes and places, but the necessity to keep the course, or some hitch in the surface, quickly brings them back. There have been hours of very steady plodding to day; these are the best part of the business, they mean forgetfulness and advance.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
28 December, 1911
Camp 50
I start cooking again tomorrow morning. We have had a troublesome day but have completed our 13 miles. My unit pulled away easy this morning and stretched out for two hours—the second unit made heavy weather. I changed with Evans and found the second sledge heavy—could keep up, but the team was not swinging with me as my own team swings. Then I changed P.O. Evans for Lashly. We seemed to get on better, but we then came up over a rise with hard sastrugi. At the top we camped for lunch. What was the difficulty? One theory was that some members of the second party were stale. Another that all was due to the bad stepping and want of swing; another that the sledge pulled heavy.
In the afternoon we exchanged sledges, and at first went off well, but getting into soft snow, we found a terrible drag, the second party coming quite easily with our sledge. So the sledge is the cause of the trouble, and talking it out, I found that all is due to want of care.The runners ran excellently, but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping, bad loading, 7c. The party are not done, and I have told them plainly that they must wrestle with the trouble and get it right for themselves. There is no possible reason they should not get along as easily as we do.
Oh, and the fact that they have been manhauling for weeks longer than we have on shorter rations is no excuse. No excuse at all.
I start cooking again tomorrow morning. We have had a troublesome day but have completed our 13 miles. My unit pulled away easy this morning and stretched out for two hours—the second unit made heavy weather. I changed with Evans and found the second sledge heavy—could keep up, but the team was not swinging with me as my own team swings. Then I changed P.O. Evans for Lashly. We seemed to get on better, but we then came up over a rise with hard sastrugi. At the top we camped for lunch. What was the difficulty? One theory was that some members of the second party were stale. Another that all was due to the bad stepping and want of swing; another that the sledge pulled heavy.
In the afternoon we exchanged sledges, and at first went off well, but getting into soft snow, we found a terrible drag, the second party coming quite easily with our sledge. So the sledge is the cause of the trouble, and talking it out, I found that all is due to want of care.The runners ran excellently, but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping, bad loading, 7c. The party are not done, and I have told them plainly that they must wrestle with the trouble and get it right for themselves. There is no possible reason they should not get along as easily as we do.
Oh, and the fact that they have been manhauling for weeks longer than we have on shorter rations is no excuse. No excuse at all.
27 December, 1911
Camp 49
Damn Bowers. This morning he broke the only hypsometer thermometer. This means we can't measure our altitude. I really let him have it, too.
We got into abominable crevasses this afternoon. Steering the party is no light task. One cannot allow one's thoughts to wander as others do, and when, as this afternoon, one gets amongst disturbances, I find it is very worrying and tiring. I do trust we shall have no more of them. We have not lost sight of the sun since we came on the summit; we should get an extraordinary record of sunshine. It is monotonous work, this; the sledgemeter and theodolite govern the situation.
Damn Bowers. This morning he broke the only hypsometer thermometer. This means we can't measure our altitude. I really let him have it, too.
We got into abominable crevasses this afternoon. Steering the party is no light task. One cannot allow one's thoughts to wander as others do, and when, as this afternoon, one gets amongst disturbances, I find it is very worrying and tiring. I do trust we shall have no more of them. We have not lost sight of the sun since we came on the summit; we should get an extraordinary record of sunshine. It is monotonous work, this; the sledgemeter and theodolite govern the situation.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
26 December, 1911 Boxing Day
Camp 48
We were perhaps a little slow today after the plum pudding, but I think we are getting onto the surface which is likely to continue the rest of the way.
It seems astonishing to be disappointed with a march of 15 miles, when I had contemplated doing little more than 10 with full loads.
We are on the 86th parallel.
I wonder where Amundsen spent his Christmas?
We were perhaps a little slow today after the plum pudding, but I think we are getting onto the surface which is likely to continue the rest of the way.
It seems astonishing to be disappointed with a march of 15 miles, when I had contemplated doing little more than 10 with full loads.
We are on the 86th parallel.
I wonder where Amundsen spent his Christmas?
Saturday, December 25, 2010
25 December, 1911 Christmas Day
The wind was strong last night and this morning; a light snowfall in the night; a good deal of drift, subsiding when we started, but still about a foot high. It was fine for a while but then we got amongst crevasses again. Got our ski sticks out, which improved matters, but we had to tack a good deal and several of us went half down. After half an hour of this I looked round and found the second sledge halted some way in rear -- evidently someone had gone into a crevasse. We saw rescue work going on, but had to wait half an hour for the party to come up, and got mighty cold. It appears that Lashly went down very suddenly, nearly dragging the crew with him. The sledge ran on and jammed the span so that the Alpine rope had to be got out and used to pull him to the surface again. He said the crevasse was 50 feet deep and 8 feet across, showing that the word "unfathomable" can rarely be applied. It's his birthday today too - he is 44 and hard as nails. Damned annoying to make us all cold, though.
Camp 47.
I am so replete that I can scarcely type. After sundry luxuries, such as chocolate and raisins at lunch, we started off well, but soon got among crevasses again. I marched on till 7:30. We covered 15 miles.
I knew that supper was going to be a "tightener" and indeed it has been -- we had four courses. The first, pemmican, full whack, with slices of horse meat flavored with onion and curry powder and thickened with biscuit; then an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh sweetened; then a plum pudding; then cocoa with raisins; and a finally a dessert of caramels and ginger.
After hte feast it was difficult to move. Wilson and I couldn't finish our share of the plum pudding. This full feeding will keep us wonderfully warm tonight.
This time last year we were stuck in ice at sea! How time flies!
Camp 47.
I am so replete that I can scarcely type. After sundry luxuries, such as chocolate and raisins at lunch, we started off well, but soon got among crevasses again. I marched on till 7:30. We covered 15 miles.
I knew that supper was going to be a "tightener" and indeed it has been -- we had four courses. The first, pemmican, full whack, with slices of horse meat flavored with onion and curry powder and thickened with biscuit; then an arrowroot, cocoa and biscuit hoosh sweetened; then a plum pudding; then cocoa with raisins; and a finally a dessert of caramels and ginger.
After hte feast it was difficult to move. Wilson and I couldn't finish our share of the plum pudding. This full feeding will keep us wonderfully warm tonight.
This time last year we were stuck in ice at sea! How time flies!
Friday, December 24, 2010
24 December, 1911 Christmas Eve
Camp 46
We are now marching in our wind blouses. The first two hours of the afternoon march went very well. Then the sledges hung a bit, and we plodded on and covered something over 14 miles in the day. The only inconvenience of the wind is the extent to which our faces get iced up. The temperature hovers about zero. We have not struck a crevasse all day, which is a good sign. The sun continues to shine in a cloudless sky, and the wind rises and falls, and about us is a scene of the wildest desolation, but we are a very cheerful party and tomorrow is Christmas Day, with something extra in he hoosh.
I wonder how Peter and Kathleen are spending the day?
We are now marching in our wind blouses. The first two hours of the afternoon march went very well. Then the sledges hung a bit, and we plodded on and covered something over 14 miles in the day. The only inconvenience of the wind is the extent to which our faces get iced up. The temperature hovers about zero. We have not struck a crevasse all day, which is a good sign. The sun continues to shine in a cloudless sky, and the wind rises and falls, and about us is a scene of the wildest desolation, but we are a very cheerful party and tomorrow is Christmas Day, with something extra in he hoosh.
I wonder how Peter and Kathleen are spending the day?
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