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

After whipping through a couple great polar exploration books, I got a copy of Alone on the Ice. (Btw, I highly recommend both of these: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage , which is the well known account of Shackleton's ill-fated, but miraculous survival in Antarctic and Arctic Adventure: My Life in the Frozen North , which though hugely popular in its day, is something of a lost classic that is a great read filled with lots of well told dramatic adventure while [unlike Endurance] giving insight into native Eskimo culture, which is fascinating.) In "Alone on the Ice," David Roberts tells the true story of what Sir Edmund Hillary called "the greatest survival story in the history of exploration." Hillary was referring to the 1912 expedition of Australian explorer Douglas Mawson and his fellow members of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE). Mawson and cohorts set out to explore Antarctica with the intention of gathering specimens and to make scientific observations of the continent. What has left Mawson's considerable accomplishments and amazing survival story obscured by the layers of newsprint and time is--unlike Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott--he wasn't a pole bagger. Mawson, never grabbed headlines by "summiting" the south pole. Mawson and the AAE's expedition went virtually unnoticed by the public. Now, at the 100th year anniversary of the expedition, Roberts tells the story of Mawson, alone after his companions had died during the expedition, an expedition that saw them trek over 600 miles round trip while being face with 100 miles per hour winds, and left with little of their original provisions. Left as a lone explorer, Mawson was forced to make a ninety-five mile trek across the Antarctic Ice while battling extreme hunger, madness, and the deadly terrain of the continent. During his trek Mawson often had to crawl as a result of losing the flesh from the soles of his feet. And at one point, he fell into a deadly crevice that would have likely killed almost anyone else. However, Mawson, inspired by a poem by Robert. W. Service, was able to extricate himself out of the crevice with what could only be considered superhuman strength, determination, and extraordinary will. Roberts tells Mawson's story well and has seemingly done his research thorough, including some great, rarely-seen photos (one of an iced-over face is bizarre, as is the shot of an explorer's contortions to stay upright in a 100-mile an hour wind). The photos are by Frank Hurley, who is famous from his Endurance photos. In sum, this is a very engaging read. Robert's detailed description of Mawson's determination, perseverance, and courage gives Mawson the heroic recognition while provided classic adventure story entertainment.

A captivating true tale about one of the last of the "heroic" polar explorations: the Australasian Antarctic Expedition from 1911 through 1914. The expedition was led by Douglas Mawson, a geologist by trade, who was himself a tireless worker who expected the same level of effort and commitment from his men. Many of his men thought he was wonderful and a great leader, but some chafed at his discipline and expectations. Like all of these polar expeditions, this one was beset by horrible weather, some bad decisions, a great deal of heroism, and some tragedies, both avoidable and unavoidable. The importance of this expedition and its scientific discoveries was eclipsed by what happened to the Scott and Shackleton expeditions that were contemporaneous, and, of course, the first World War, which began the same year as the AAE concluded. Mawson himself had a most horrific experience as he and two companions were trying to return to their winter quarters from one of their research trips. One of the three (Ninnis by name) was manning a dog-pulled sledge that had most of their critical gear on it: food, tents, stoves, etc. The sledge, man, and dogs all fell into a huge crevasse and were killed. That left Mawson and the other man Mertz to continue on their way with only 1.5 weeks worth of food for a month-long journey. Soon Mertz got sick and finally died. Mawson stayed with Mertz for 8 days while he was too weak to travel, thus endangering Mawson's own survival by continued exposure to the cold. After Mertz's death, Mawson had to get back on his own across the frozen waste, through bad weather, and with no-one to help rescue him should he fall into a crevasse. He finally staggered back into winter quarters a month later ... and the ship that was to have taken the men (Mawson and others left at the winter quarters) back to Australia had left FIVE HOURS earlier, thus necessitating they stay at winter quarters another year until the ship could get back to them. Talk about endurance and fortitude! And yet, they endured. If you like polar and exploration sagas, this one is a must-read. Mawson was knighted upon his return to Australia, and was celebrity-famous for decades in his home country.

This boook tells the tale of the most extensive and successful, in terms of scientific achievement, polar expedition of that age. The expedition is most remembered for the tragic deaths of Ninnis and Mertz on the Eastern sledging party led by Mawson, who had to endure extraordinary feats of super-human endurance to survive the ordeal and make it back to the hut. This must sit alongside the survival of the 'Endurance' expedition led by Shackleton in terms of polar extremes. However, the tale is not as famous or renown as one might expect it should be. This is owing to the death of Scott and his south polar party as well as the outbreak of the first world war. David Roberts has done a wonderful job of bringing to life an important story in polar history and placing Mawson into the pantheon of polar greats. The book is well constructed and an enjoyable read. I would thoroughly recommmend it.

Fascinating read. Well written.

A well written description of an epic chapter in the exploration of Antarctica at a time before modern means of communication and transport. Well researched and gives a real sense of what these men experienced and endured. Thoroughly recommended.

Excellent book for reading

A riveting, well written, entertaining account of an amazing feat of determination in the face of appalling hardship, of tragedy, and yet of survival. This book fills a void in the annals of antactic exploration. It leaves me exhausted yet uplifted.