A photograph of Shackleton in the Shackleton bar in Punta Arenas. Descendants of Shackleton and his team are in Punta and will be retracing the 1908-9 Nimrod Expedition during the Antarctic summer of 2008-9. Image ExplorersWeb files (click to enlarge)
The route of the Shackleton Centenary Expedition: They will fly from Punta Arenas to Patriot Hills and will then be dropped on Ross Island at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. They will first climb Mount Erebus before they depart from Shackleton’s hut at Cape Roys. Map courtesy of shackletoncentenary.org (click to enlarge)
Mark wrote to ExWeb, “ALE have a 3-day delay due to an engine replacement on the Twin Otter so my ideal of 84 days is whittling away! Anyway 80 was my plan so should be good for that. Whatever happens I’ll go for it!” Image courtesy of Mark Langridge (click to enlarge)
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Mark and Shackleton in Punta Arenas
Posted: Oct 28, 2008 05:20 pm EDT
(ThePoles.com) The first skiers have arrived in Punta Arenas. Mark Langridge is there to hop on the first flight to Antarctica to ensure he has enough time for his return trip. In an email to ExWeb he says his worry that the Twin Otter would be delayed came true. He also says that he met up with the Shackleton Centenary guys.
Mark Langridge
In an interview with Mark last week he responded on the question about how he feels about the challenge that lies ahead as follows, “I can't wait to get going, though I’m apprehensive about my kit en-route to Punta and delays!!”
All his kit arrived safely in Punta. While he was writing his email he waited for it to be delivered to his hotel. Then he would start packing.
His other worry was to get delayed. Mark writes, “ALE have a 3-day delay due to an engine replacement on the Twin Otter so my ideal of 84 days is whittling away! Anyway 80 was my plan so should be good for that. Whatever happens I’ll go for it!”
Shackleton Centenary Expedition
The Shackleton team is descendants of Shackleton and some of his Antarctica team members. They will commemorate the centenary of the 1908-9 Nimrod Expedition by retracing that expedition. According to their website a group of three, the “Ice Team”, will ski from the Ross Sea, across the Beardmore Glacier to 88° 23'S where they will meet up with another group in January 2009. Shackleton and his group turned around at 88° 23'S. Both modern day groups will complete the final 97 miles to the South Pole.
The Ice Team members are Henry Worsley, the team leader and distantly related to Frank Worsley, Shackleton's skipper on the Endurance, Will Gow who is related to Shackleton by marriage and Henry Adams, the great-grandson of Jameson Boyd Adams.
The 97-mile team: Patrick Bergel, the great-grandson of Shackleton; Tim Fright, the great-great-nephew of Frank Wild, the only explorer to accompany Shackleton on all his missions; David Cornell, the great grandson of Jameson Boyd Adams; and Andy Ledger, a non-descendant, who won a contest to go with.
Matty McNair, who was responsible for the team’s polar training, told ExWeb that she will be accompaning the team who ski the last 97 miles.
The All the Way team will fly from Punta Arenas to Patriot Hills and will then be dropped on Ross Island at the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. They will first climb Mount Erebus before they depart from Shackleton’s hut at Cape Roys.
Antarctic Expedition websites:
Mark Langridge
Shackleton Centenary Expedition
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