Alfred Lansing (1921–1975)

I was a little apprehensive to read a book written 60 years ago about events that happened 100 ago (would the language be boring?) but it was incredible. I heard about it from my husband so even knowing much of what happens and how it ends, it was still amazingly captivating. I remarked to him that if someone had tried writing these events as a fiction book the editor and/or the public would have trashed the book because of how unbelievable it was - but this really happened. Any of this would have been my own personal hell and if I had been a member of this crew I would have moved to the desert and become a vegetarian I think!

I don't read a lot of non-fiction but I really highly recommend this!… (més)

I probably would have paid attention in my high school history class if they taught us about Sir Ernest Shackleton and his impressive voyage on the Endurance. This is an unbelievable story, and one that Alfred Lansing tells superbly in his book, Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage.

My interest in Shackleton and the Endurance began with an episode on the television show, Histories Greatest Mysteries. A crew was searching for the lost Endurance and the episode told the harrowing tale of Shackleton and his crew.

I was intrigued by the story and wanted to know more details so I purchased the book, Endurance by Alfred Lansing, through my Audible subscription. I certainly learned a lot from this book. Shackleton, an expedition leader, was determined to reach the South Pole and establish a base on Antarctica’s Weddell Sea Coast. He and his crew of 27 men and 69 dogs set sail on December 5, 1914. They were to be the first to cross the continent.

Their adventure was troublesome with constantly being trapped in pack ice that made their progress extremely slow. On January 18, 1915, the Endurance became permanently stuck in the pack ice. Initially, they waited out the winter weather on the ship. Once the pack ice began damaging the ship, Shackleton and his crew had no choice but to abandon the Endurance. They established a camp on the ice floe, always intending to get to land. Navigating the ever changing ice floes and sailing in their smaller boats, Shackleton and his crew eventually reached Elephant Island, 497 days into their journey.

From there, Shackleton and five other men, set sail again for a whaling station 800 miles away. It took them 16 days. When they finally reached land, the weather had gotten them so far off course, they were on the opposite side of the island from where they intended. Shackleton and two men hiked, sometimes making progress...

I have photos, videos, and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog… (més)