 section 36 of Scots last expedition volume 1 this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information auto volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Indy Gosel Scots last expedition volume 1 the journals of Robert Falcon Scott arranged by Leonard Huxley chapter 17 on the Beardmore Glacier on the Beardmore Glacier Sunday December 10 Camp 32 footnote while day and Hooper of the ex-motor party had turned back on November 24 and Mears and Dmitri with the dogs ascended above the lower Glacier depot before returning on December 11 the Southern Party and its supports were organized successively as follows December 10 leaving Shambles Camp Sledge 1 Scott Wilson Oates and P.O. Evans Sledge 2 E. Evans Atkinson Wright Lashley Sledge 3 Bowers Cherrygarde Green Keohan December 21 at Upper Glacier depot Sledge 1 Scott Wilson Oates P.O. Evans Sledge 2 E. Evans Bowers Green Lashley while Atkinson Wright Cherrygarde and Keohan returned January 4 150 miles from the pole Sledge 1 Scott Wilson Oates Bowers P.O. Evans while E. Evans Green and Lashley returned. End of footnote I was very anxious about getting our loads forward over such an appalling surface and that we have done so is mainly due to the ski I roost everyone at 8 but it was noon before all the readjustments of load had been made and we were ready to start the dogs carried 600 pounds of our weight besides the depot 200 pounds it was greatly to my surprise when we my own party with a one two three together started our Sledge and we found it running fairly easily behind us we did the first mile at a rate of about two miles an hour having previously very carefully scraped and dried our runners the day was gloriously fine and we were soon perspiring after this first mile we began to rise and for some way on a steep slope we held on to our ski and kept going then the slope got steeper and the surface much worse and we had to take off our ski the pulling after this was extraordinary fatiguing we sank above our finesse go everywhere and in places nearly to our knees the runners of the Sledge got coated with thin foam of ice from which we could not free them and the sledges themselves sank to the crossbars and soft spots all the time they were literally plowing the snow we reached the top of the slope at five and started on after tee on the downgrade on this we had to pull almost as hard as on the upward slope but could just manage to get along and ski we camped at 915 when a heavy wind coming down the glacier suddenly fell on us but I decided to camp before as Evan's party could not keep up and Wilson told me some very alarming news concerning it it appears that at constancy is that writers getting played out and Lashley is not so fit as he was owing to the heavy pulling since the blizzard I have not felt satisfied about this party the finish of the March today showed clearly that something was wrong they fell a long way behind had to take off ski and took nearly half an hour to come up a few hundred yards true the surface was awful I'm growing worse every moment it is a serious business if the men are going to crack up as for myself I never felt fitter on my party can easily hold its own pure Evans of course is a tower of strength but open some Wilson are doing splendidly also here where we are camped the snow is worse than I've ever seen it but we are in a hollow every step here one sinks to the knees and the uneven surface is obviously insufficient spot the sledges perhaps this wind is a blessing in disguise already it seems to be hardening the snow all this soft snow is an aftermath of a prolonged storm here about Shackleton found hard blue ice it seems an extraordinary difference in fortune and at every step s is luck becomes more evident I take the dogs on for half a day tomorrow then send them home we have 200 pounds to add to each sledge load and could easily do it on a reasonable surface but it looks very much as though we shall be forced to really lay if present conditions hold there's a strong wind down the glacier tonight big more glacier just a tiny note to be taken back by the dogs things are not so rosy as they might be but we keep our spirits up and say the luck must turn this is only to tell you that I find I can keep up with the rest as well as of old Monday December 11 camp 33 a very good day from one point of view very bad from another we started straight out of the glacier and passed through a good deal of disturbance we pulled on ski and the dogs followed I cautioned the drivers to keep close to their sledges and we must have passed over a good many crevices undiscovered by us thanks to ski and by the dogs are owing to the soft snow and one only semen Evans dropped a leg ski and all we built our depot before starting made it very conspicuous left a good deal of gear there footnote the lower glacial depot and footnote the old man hauling party made heavy weather at first but when relieved of a little weight and having cleared their runners and readjusted their load they came on in fine style and passing up took the lead starting about 11 by three o'clock we were clear of the pressure and I count the dogs discharged our loads and we put them on our sledges it was a very anxious business when we started after lunch about 4 30 could we pull our full loads or not my own party got away first and to my joy I found we could make fairly good headway every now and again the sledge slank in a soft patch which bought us up but we learned to treat such occasions with the patients we got sideways to the sledge and hauled it out Evans p0 getting out of his ski to get better purchase the great thing is to keep the sledge moving and for an hour or more there were dozens of critical moments when it all but stopped are not a few in it brought up all together the latter were very trying and tiring but suddenly the surface grew more uniform and we more accustomed to the game for after a long stop to let the other parties come up I started at six and ran on until seven pulling easily without a halt at the rate of about two miles an hour I was very turbulent all difficulties seemed to be vanishing but unfortunately our history was not repeated with the other parties Bowers came up about half an hour after us they also had done well at the last and I'm pretty sure they will get on all right Keohun is the only weak spot and he only I think because blind temporarily but Evans party didn't get up till 10 they started quite well but got into difficulties did just the wrong thing by straining again and again and so tiring themselves went from bad to worse their ski shoes too are out of trim just as I thought we were in for making a great score this difficulty overtakes us it is dreadfully trying the snow around us tonight is terribly soft one sinks to the knee at every step it would be impossible to drag sledges on foot and very difficult for dogs ski are the thing and here are my tiresome fellow countrymen too prejudiced how prepared themselves for the event the dog should get back quite easily there is food all along the line the glacier winds sprang up about seven the morning was very fine and warm tonight there is some stratus cloud forming a hint no more bad weather in sight a plentiful crop of snow blindness due to air in caution the sufferers Evans Bowers Keohun Lashley Oates in various degrees the four noon wilson went over to a boulder poised on the glacier it proved to be a very coarse granite with large crystals of quartz in it evidently the rock of which the pearls of the gateway and other neighboring hills are formed Tuesday December 12th camp 34 we've had a hard day and during the four noon it was my team which made the heaviest weather of the work we got bogged again and again and do what we would the sledge dragged like lead the others were working hard but nothing compared to us at 2 30 i halted for lunch pretty well cooked and there was disclosed the secret of our trouble in a thin film with some hard knots of ice on the runners Evans team had been sent off in advance and we didn't couldn't catch them but they saw us camp and break camp and followed suit i really dreaded starting after lunch but after some trouble to break the sledge out we went ahead without a hitch and in a mile or two recovered our leading place with obvious ability to keep it at six i saw the other teams are flagging and so i count at seven meaning to turn out earlier tomorrow and start a better routine we have done about eight or perhaps nine miles stat the sledge meters are hopeless on such surface it is evident that what i expected has occurred the whole of the lower valley is filled with snow from the recent storm and if we had not had ski we should be hopelessly bogged on foot one sinks to the knees and if pulling on a sledge to half way between knee and thigh it would therefore be absolutely impossible to advance on foot with our lords considering all things we are getting better on ski a crust is forming of the soft snow and a week or so i have little doubt it will be strong enough to spot sledges and men at present it carries neither properly the sledges get bogged every now and again sinking to the crossbars needless to say the hauling is terrible when this occurs we steered for the Commonwealth range during the far noon till we reached about the middle of the glacier this showed that the unnamed glacier to the southwest raised great pressure observing this i altered course for the cloud maker and later still farther to the west we must be getting a much better view of the southern side of the main glacier than shackleton got and consequently have observed a number of peaks which he did not notice we are about five or five and a half days behind him as a result of the storm but on this surface our sledges could not be more heavily laden than they are in fact we have not nearly enough runner surface as it is moreover the sledges are packed too high and therefore capsize too easily i do not think the glacier can be so broad as s shows it certainly the scenery is not nearly so impressive as that of the ferrar but there are interesting features showing up a distinct banding structure on mount elizabeth which we think may well be a recurrence of the beacon sandstone more banding on the commonwealth range during the three days we have been here the wind has blown down the glacier at night or rather from the southwest and it has been calm in the morning a sort of nightly land breeze there is also a very remarkable difference in temperature between day and night it was plus 33 degrees when we started and without hard work we were literally soaked through with perspiration it is now plus 23 degrees evans party kept up much better today we had their shoes in our tent this morning and po evans put them into shape again wednesday december 13 camp 35 a most damnably dismal day we started at eight the pulling terribly bad the glide decidedly good a new crust in patches not sufficient to spot the ski but without possibility of hold therefore as the pullers got on the hard patches they slipped back the sledges plunged into the soft places and stopped dead evans party got away first we followed and for some time helped them forward at their stops but this proved altogether too much for us so i forged ahead and camped at one p.m as the others were far astern during lunch i decided to try the 10 feet runners under the crossbars and we spent three hours in securing them there was no delay on account of the slow progress of the other parties evans passed us and for some time went forward fairly well up a decided slope the sun was shining on the surface by this time and the temperature high bower started after evans and it was easy to see the really terrible state of affairs with them they made desperate efforts to get along but ever got more and more bogged evidently the glide had vanished when we got away we soon discovered how awful the surface had become added to the forenoon difficulties the snow had become wet and sticky we got our load along soon passing bowers but the toll was simply awful we were soaked with perspiration and thoroughly breathless with our efforts again and again the sledge got one runner on harder snow than the other canted on its side and refused to move at the top of the rise i found evans reduced to relay work and bowers followed the his example soon after we got our whole load through till 7 p.m camping time but only with repeated halts and labour which was altogether too strenuous the other parties certainly cannot get a full load along on the surface and i much doubt if we could continue to do so but we must try again tomorrow i suppose we've advanced a bare four miles today and the aspect of things is very little changed our height is now about 1500 feet i had pinned my faith on getting better conditions as we rose but it looks as though matters were getting worse instead of better as far as the cloud maker the valley looks like a huge basin for the lodgement of such snow as this we can but toil on but it is woefully disheartening i'm not hungry at all but pretty thirsty temperature plus 15 degrees i find our summit ration is even too filling for the present two schoolers came around the camp at lunch no doubt attracted by our shambles camp thursday december 14 camp 36 indigestion and the soggy conditional my clothes kept me awake for some time last night and the exceptional exercise gives bad attacks of cramp our lips are getting raw and blistered the eyes of the party are improving i'm glad to say we are just starting our march with no very hopeful outlook temperature plus 30 degrees evening height about 2000 feet evans party started first this morning for an hour they found the howling stiff but after that to my great surprise they went on easily hours followed without getting over the ground so easily after the first 200 yards my own party came on with a swing that told me at once that all would be well we soon caught the others and offered to take on more weight but evans pride wouldn't know how such help later in the morning we exchanged ledges with bowers pulled theirs easily was they made quite heavy work with ours i'm afraid that cherry grad and keohun are the weakness of that team though both put their utmost into the traces however we all lunch together after a satisfactory morning's work in the afternoon we did still better and camped at 6 30 with a very marked change in the land bearings we must have come 11 or 12 miles start we got fearfully hot on the march sweated through everything and stripped our jerseys the result is we are pretty cold and clammy now but escape from the soft snow and a good march compensate every discomfort at lunch the blue ice was about two feet beneath us now it is barely a foot so i suppose we shall soon find it uncovered tonight the sky is overcast and the wind has been blowing up the glacier i think there will be another spell of gloomy weather on the barrier and the question is whether this part of the glacier escapes there are crevices about one about 18 inches across outside val's tent and a narrow one outside our own i think the soft snow trouble is at an end and i could wish nothing better than a continuance of the present surface towards the end of the march we were pulling our loads with the greatest ease it is splendid to be getting along and to find some adequate return for the work we are putting into the business friday december 15 camp 37 height about 2500 altitude about 84 degrees eight minutes got away eight march till one the surface improving and the snow covering thinner over the blue ice overcast and glooming the clouds are ever coming lower and evans is now decidedly the slowest unit though bowers is not much faster we keep up an overhaul either without difficulty it was an enormous relief yesterday to get steady going without involuntary stops but yesterday and this morning once a sledge was stopped it was very difficult to start again the runners got temporarily stuck this afternoon for the first time we could start by giving one good heave together and so for the first time we were able to stop to readjust footwear or do any other desirable task this is a second relief for which we are most grateful at the lunch camp the snow covering was less than a foot and at this it is a bare nine inches patch of ice and hard nevy are showing through in places i meant camp at 630 but before five the sky came down on us with falling snow we could see nothing and the pulling grew very heavy at 545 there seemed to be nothing to do but camp another interrupted march look is really very bad we should have done a good march today as it is we have covered about 11 miles start since supper there are signs of clearing again but i don't like the look of things this weather has been working up from the southeast with all the symptoms of our pony wrecking storm pray heaven we are not going to have this wretched snow in the worst part of the glacier to come the lower part of this glacier is not very interesting except from a nice point of view except mount kiffan little bear rock is visible and it's structure at this distance is impossible to determine there are no moraines on the surface of the glacier either the tributary glaciers are very fine and have cut very deep courses though they do not enter at grade the walls at this valley are extraordinary steep we count them at least 60 degrees in places the ice falls descending over the northern sides are almost continuous one with another but the southern steep faces are nearly bare evidently the sun gets a good hold on them there must be a good deal of melting and rock weathering the talus heaves are considerable under the southern rock faces higher up the valley there is much more bare rock and stratification which promises to be very interesting but oh for fine weather surely we have had enough of this oppressive gloom end of first part of chapter 17 recorded by indy gosel section 37 of scots last expedition volume one this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libravox.org recorded by indy gosel scots last expedition volume one the journals of robert falcon scott arranged by lenard herxley second part of chapter 17 on the beard more glacier saturday december 16 camp 38 a gloomy morning clearing out noon and ending in a gloriously fine evening although constantly anxious in the morning the light held good for traveling throughout the day and we have covered 11 miles stat altering the aspect of the glacier greatly but the traveling has been very hard we started at seven lunched at 12 15 and marched on till 6 30 over 10 hours on the march the limit of time to be squeezed into one day we began on ski as usual evans team hampering us a bit the pulling very hard after yesterday's snowfall in the afternoon we continued on ski till after two hours we struck a peculiarly difficult surface old hard strostugi underneath with pits and high soft strostugi due to very recent snowfalls the ledges were soft and broad up by this that we decided to take to our feet and thus made better progress but for the time with very excessive labour the crust brittle held for a pace or two then let one down with a bump some eight or ten inches now and again one's leg went down a crack in hard ice underneath we drove a slope on the surface and discovered a long icefall extending right across our track i presume the same pressure which called shackleton to turn towards the cloud maker at present one gets terrible hot and perspiring on the march and quickly cold when halted but the sun makes up for all evils it is very difficult to know what to do about the ski their weight is considerable and yet under certain stances they are extraordinarily useful everyone is very satisfied with our summit ration the party which has been man hauling for so long say they are far less hungry than they used to be it is good to think that the majority will keep up this good feeling all through sunday december 17 camp 39 soon after starting we found ourselves in rather a mess bad pressure head and long waves between us of the land blue ice showed up on the crests of the waves very soft snow lay in the hollows we had to cross the wave in places 30 feet from the crest to hollow and we did it by sitting on the sledge and letting her go first we went down with a rush and our impetus carried us some way up the other side then followed a fearfully tough drag to rise the next crest after two hours of this i saw a larger wave the crest of which continued hard ice up the glacier we reached this and got excellent traveling for two miles on it then rose on a steep gradient and so topped the pressure ridge the smooth ice is again lost and we have patches of hard and soft snow with ice peeping out in places cracks in all directions and legs very frequently down we have done very nearly five miles geo evening temperature minus 12 degrees heights about 3500 above barrier after lunch decided to take the risk of sticking to the center of the glacier with good result we traveled on up the more or less rounded ridge which i selected in the morning and camped at 6 30 with 12 and a half stacked miles made good this has put mount hope in the background and shows us more of the upper reaches if we can keep up the pace we gain on shackleton and i don't see any reason why we shouldn't accept that more pressure is showing up ahead for once one can say sufficient for the day is the good thereof our luck may be on the turn i think we deserve it in spite of the hard work everyone is very fit and very cheerful feeling well fed and eager for more toil i isn't much better except for wilson's he has caught a very bad attack remembering his trouble on our last southern journey i fear he is in for a very bad time we got fearfully hot this morning and marched in singlets which became ringing wet thus uncovered the sun gets at one skin and then the wind which makes it horribly uncomfortable our lips are very sore we cover them with soft silk plaster which seems about the best thing for the purpose i'm inclined to think that the summit trouble will be mostly due to the chill falling on sunburned skins even now one feels the cold strike directly one stops we get fearfully thirsty and chip a pice on the march as well as drinking a great deal of water on halting our fuel only just does it but that is all we want and we have a bit in hand for the summit the pulling this afternoon was fairly pleasant at first over hard snow and then onto pretty rough ice with surface snowfield cracks bad for sledges but ours promised come through well we have worn our crampons all day and i delighted with them po evans the inventor of both crampons and ski shoes is greatly pleased and certainly we owe him much the weather is beginning to look dirty again snow clouds rolling in from the east as usual i believe it will be overcast tomorrow monday december 18 camp 40 lunch nearly 4 000 feet above barrier overcast and snowing this morning as i expected land showing on the starboard hand so though it was gloomy and depressing we could march and did we have done our eight stout miles between 8 20 and 1 pm at first fairly good surface then the ice got very rugged with sword cut splits we got on a slope which made matters worse i then pulled up to the left at first without much improvement but as we top to rise the surface got much better and things looked quite promising for the moment on our right we now have a pretty good view of the adams marshal and wild mountains and their very curious horizontal stratification right has found amongst bits of windblown debris an undoubted bit of sandstone and a bit of black basalt we must get to know more of the geology before leaving the glacier finally this morning all our gear was fringed with ice crystals which looked very pretty afternoon night camp number 40 about 4500 above barrier temperature minus 11 degrees latitude about 84 degrees 34 minutes after lunch got on some very rough stuff within a few hundred yards of pressure ridge there seemed no alternative and we went through with it later the glacier opened out into a broad basin with irregular undulations and we onto a better surface but later on again this improvement nearly vanished so that it had been hardgoing all day but we have done a good mileage over 14 stat we are less than five days behind s now there was a promise of a clearance about noon but later more snow clouds drifted over from the east and now it is snowing again we have scarcely caught a glimpse of the eastern side of the glacier all day the western side has not been clear enough to photograph at the helts it is very annoying but i suppose we must be thankful when we can get our marches off still sweating horribly on the march and very thirsty at the halts tuesday december 19 lunch rise 650 distance eight and a half geo camp 41 things are looking up started on good surface soon came to very annoying criss-cross cracks i fell into two and had bad bruises on knee and thigh but we got along all the time until we reached an admirable smooth ice surface excellent for traveling the last mile neve predominating and therefore the pulling a trifle harder we have risen into the upper basin of the glacier seemingly close about us at the various land masses which are joined the summit it looks as though we might have difficulties in the last narrows we are having a long lunch hour for angles photographs and sketches the slight south westerly wind came down the glacier as we started and the sky which was overcast has rapidly cleared in consequence night heights about 5800 camp 41 we stepped off this afternoon at the rate of two miles or more an hour with a very satisfactory result of 17 stacked miles to the good for the day it has not been a strain except perhaps for me with my wounds received early in the day the wind has kept us cool on the march which has in consequence been very much pleasanter we are now not wet in our clothes tonight and have not suffered from the same overpowering thirst as on previous days temperature minus 11 degrees minutes minus five degrees evans and bowers are busy taking angles as they have been all day we shall have material for an excellent chart days like this put heart in one wednesday december 20 camp 42 6500 feet about just got off our last best march 10 miles 1150 yards geo over 12 miles stat with an afternoon to follow we should do well today the wind has been coming up the valley turning this book seems to have brought luck footnote in the pocket journal only one side of each page had been written on coming to the end of it scott reversed the book and continued his entries on the empty backs of the pages end of footnote we marched on till nearly seven o'clock after a long lunch halt and covered 19 and a half geo miles nearly 23 stat rising 800 feet this morning we came over a considerable extent of hard snow then got to the hard ice with patches of snow a state of affairs which has continued all day pulling the sledges in crampons is no difficulty at all at lunch wilson and bowers walked back two miles or so to try and find bowers broke and sledge meter without result during their absence a fog spread about us carried up the valleys by easterly wind we started the afternoon march in this fog very unpleasantly but later it gradually lifted and tonight it is very fine and warm as the fog lifted we saw a huge line of pressure ahead i steered for a place where the slope looks smoother and we camped beneath the spot tonight we must be ahead of shackleton's position on the 17th today we have been admiring a wonderful banded structure of the rock tonight is as beautifully clear on mount dowan i have just told off the people to return tomorrow night adkinson right cherry garad and kyohan all are disappointed poor right rather bitterly i fear i dread this necessity of choosing nothing could be more heartrending i calculated our program to start from 85 degrees 10 minutes with 12 units of food and eight men footnote a unit of food means a weak supplies for four men and a footnote we ought to be in this position tomorrow night less one day's food after all our harassing trouble one cannot but be satisfied with such a prospect thursday december 21 camp 43 latitude 85 degrees seven minutes longitude 163 degrees four minutes height about eight thousand feet upon glacier depot temperature minus two degrees we climbed the ice slope this morning and found a very bad surface on top as far as crevices were concerned we all had falls into them at concern and teddy evans going down the length of their harness evans had rather a shake up the rotten ice surface continued for a long way though i crossed to and fro towards land trying to get on better ground at 12 the wind came from the north bringing the inevitable mist of the valley and covering us just as we were in the worst of places we camped for lunch and were obliged to wait two and a half hours for a clearance then the sun began to struggle through and we were off we soon got out of the worst crevices and onto a long snow slope leading on part of mount dawin it was a very long stiff pull-up and i held on till 730 when the other team being somewhere at stern i camped we have done a good march risen to a satisfactory altitude and reached a good place for our depot tomorrow we started with our fullest summit lord and the first march should show us the possibilities of our achievement the temperature has dropped below zero but tonight it is so calm and bright that one feels lightfully warm and comfortable in the tent it is immense relief to have their indifatigable little bowers to see all detail arrangements of this sort we have risen a great height today and i hope it will not be necessary to go down again but it looks as though we must dip a bit even to go to the south west December 21 1911 latitude 85 degrees south they're struggling on considering all things against odds the weather is a constant anxiety otherwise arrangements are working exactly as planned for your own ear also i'm exceedingly fit and can go with the best of them it is a pity the luck doesn't come our way because every detail of quickment is right i write this sitting in our tent waiting for the fog to clear an exasperating position as we are in the worst crevice region teddy evans and atkinson were down to the length of their harness this morning and we have all been halfway down as first man i get first chance and it's decidedly exciting not knowing which step will give way all this is interesting enough if one could only go on since writing the above i made a dash for it and got out of the valley out of the fog and away from crevices so here we are practically on the summit and up to date in the provision line we ought to get through end of chapter 17 recorded by indy gosel section 38 of scott's last expedition volume one this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox dot org recording by bob stretch scott's last expedition volume one the journals of robert falcon scott arranged by linard huxley chapter 18 the summit journey to the pole a fresh manuscript book on the flyleaf ages self 43 wilson 39 evans petty officer 37 oats 32 bowers 28 average 36 friday december 22 camp 44 about 7100 feet temperature negative one degree barometer 22.3 inches this the third stage of our journey is opening with good promise we made our depot this morning then set an affecting farewell to the returning party who have taken things very well dear good fellows as they are footnote return of the first southern party from latitude 85 degrees 72 minutes south top of the beard more glacier party el adkinson a cherry gerard right petty officer keoane on the morning of december 22nd 1911 we made a late start after saying goodbye to the eight going on and wishing them all good luck and success the first 11 miles was on the downgrade over the ice falls and at a good pace we completed this in about four hours lunched and on completing nearly 23 miles for the first day at the end of the second day we got among very bad crevasses through keeping too far to the eastward this delayed us slightly we made the depot on the third day we reached the lower glacier depot three and a half days after the lower part of the glacier was very badly crevassed these crevasses we had never seen on the way up as they had been covered with three to four feet of snow all the bridges of the crevasses were concave and very wide no doubt their normal summer condition on christmas day we made in to the lateral moraine of the cloud maker and collected geological specimens the march across the barrier was only remarkable for the extremely bad lights we had for eight consecutive days we only saw an exceedingly dim sun during the three hours up to one ton depot our marches had averaged 14.1 geographical miles a day we arrived at cape evans on january 28th 1912 after being away for three months el adkinson end of footnote then we started with our heavy loads about 920 i in some trepidation quickly dissipated as we went off and up a slope at a smart pace the second sledge came close behind us showing that we have weeded the weak spots and made the proper choice for the returning party we came along very easily in lunch that one when the sledge meter had to be repaired and we didn't get off again until 320 camping at 645 thus with seven hours marching we covered 10 and a half miles geographic 12 statute observation latitude 85 degrees 13 and a half minutes longitude 161 degrees 55 minutes variation 175 degrees 46 minutes east tomorrow we march longer hours about nine i hope every day the loads will lighten and so we ought to make the requisite progress i think we have climbed about 250 feet today but i thought it more on the march we look down on huge pressure ridges to the south and southeast and in fact all around except in the direction in which we go southwest we seem to be traveling more or less parallel to a ridge which extends from mount darwin ahead of us tonight is a stiffish incline and it looks as though there might be pressure behind it it is very difficult to judge how matters stand however in such a confusion of elevations and depressions this course doesn't work wonders and change of latitude but i think it is the right track to clear the pressures at any rate i shall hold it for the present we passed one or two very broad 30 feet bridged crevasses with the usual gaping sides they were running pretty well in north and south direction the weather has been beautifully fine all day as it was last night night temperature negative nine degrees this morning there was an hour or so of haze due to clouds from the north now it is perfectly clear and we get a fine view of the mountain behind which wilson has been sketching saturday december 23rd lunch barometer 22.01 inches rise 370 started at eight steering southwest seemed to be rising and went on well for about three hours then got amongst bad crevasses and hard waves we pushed to the southwest but things went from bad to worse and we had to haul out to the north then west west looks clear for the present but it is not a very satisfactory direction we have done eight and a half miles geographic a good march temperature negative three degrees southerly wind force two the comfort is that we are rising on one slope we got a good view of the land and the pressure ridges to the southeast they seem to be disposed and echelon and gave me the idea of shearing cracks they seem to lessen as we ascend it is rather trying having to march so far to the west but if we keep rising we must come to the end of the obstacles sometime saturday night camp 45 temperature negative three degrees barometer 21.61 inches rise height about 7,750 feet great vicissitudes of fortune in the afternoon march started west up a slope about the fifth we've mounted in the last two days on top another pressure appeared on the left but less lofty and more snow covered than that which had troubled us in the morning there was temptation to try it and i have been gradually turning in its direction but i stuck to my principal and turned west up yet another slope on top of this we got the most extraordinary surface narrow crevasses ran in all directions they were quite invisible being covered with a thin crust of hard nieve without a sign of a crack in it we all fell in one after another and sometimes two together we have had many unexpected falls before but usually through being unable to mark the run of the surface appearances of cracks or where such cracks were covered with soft snow how a hardened crust can form over a crack is a real puzzle it seems to argue extremely slow movement dead reckoning 85 degrees 22 minutes one second south 158 degrees 31 minutes east in the broader crevasses this morning we noticed that it was the lower edge of the bridge which was rotten whereas in all the glacier the upper edge was open near the narrow crevasses this afternoon we got about 10 minutes on snow which had a hard crust and loose crystals below it was like breaking through a glass house at each step but quite suddenly at 5 p.m everything changed the hard surface gave place to regular strattugi in a horizon leveled in every direction i hung on to the southwest until 6 p.m and then camped with a delightful feeling of security that we had at length reached the summit proper i'm feeling very cheerful about everything tonight we marched 15 miles geographic over 17 statute today mounting nearly 800 feet and all in about eight and a half hours my determination to keep mounting irrespective of course is fully justified and i shall be indeed surprised if we have any further difficulties with crevasses or steep slopes to me for the first time our goal seems really in sight we shall pull our loads and pull them much faster and farther than i expected in my most hopeful moments i only pray for a fair share of good weather there is a cold wind now as expected but with our good clothes and well-fed as we are we can stick a lot worse than we're getting i trust this may prove the turning point in our fortunes for which we have waited so patiently sunday december 24th lunch barometer 21.48 inches rise 160 feet christmas eve seven and a half miles geographic due south and arise i think more than shown by barometer this in five hours on the surface which ought to be a sample of what we shall have in the future with our present clothes it is a fairly heavy plod but we get over the ground which is a great thing a high pressure ridge has appeared on the port bow it seems isolated but i shall be glad to lose sight of such disturbances the wind is continuous from the south southeast very searching we are now marching in our wind blouses and with somewhat more protection on the head barometer 21.41 inches camp 46 rise for the day about 250 feet or 300 feet hypsometer 8 000 feet the first two hours of the afternoon march went very well then the sledges hung a bit and we plotted on and covered something over 14 miles geographic in the day we lost sight of the big pressure ridge but tonight another smaller one shows fine in the port bow and the surface is alternatively very hard and fairly soft dips and rises all around it is evident that we are skirting more disturbances and i sincerely hope it will not mean altering course more to the west 14 miles in four hours is not so bad considering the circumstances the southerly wind is continuous and not at all pleasant in camp but on the march it keeps us cool temperature negative three degrees the only inconvenience is the extent to which our faces get iced up the temperature hovers around zero we have not struck a crevasse all day which is a good sign the sun continues to shine in a cloudless guy the wind rises and falls and about us is a scene of the wildest desolation but we're a very cheerful party and tomorrow is christmas day with something extra in the hoosh monday december 25th christmas lunch barometer 21.14 inches rise 240 feet 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 i thought it might have spoiled the surface but for the first hour and a half we went along in fine style then we started up a rise and to our annoyance found ourselves amongst crevasses once more very hard smooth navy between ridges at the edge of crevasses and therefore very difficult to get foothold to pull sledges 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 around and found the second sledge halted some way in the rear evidently someone had gone into a crevasse we saw the rescue work going on but had to wait half an hour for the party to come up and got mighty cold it appears that lashley 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 lashley to the surface again lashley says the crevasse was 50 feet deep and eight feet across in the form you showing that the word unfathomable can rarely be applied lashley is 44 today and as hard as nails his fall has not even disturbed his equanimity after topping the crevasse ridge we got to a better surface and came along fairly well completing over seven miles geographic just before one o'clock we've risen nearly 250 feet this morning the wind was strong and therefore trying mainly because it held a sledge it's a little lighter now night camp number 47 barometer 21.18 inches temperature negative seven degrees i am so replete that i can scarcely write after sundry luxuries such as chocolate and raisins at lunch we started off well but soon got amongst crevasses huge snowfield roadways running almost in our direction and across hidden cracks into which we frequently fell passing for two miles or so along between two roadways we came on a huge pit with raised sides is this a submerged mountain peak or a swirl in the stream getting clear of crevasses and on a slightly downgrade we came along at a swinging pace splendid i marched on until nearly 730 when we had covered 15 miles geographic 17 and a quarter statute i knew that supper was to be a titaner and indeed it has been so much that i must leave description till the morning dead reckoning latitude 85 degrees 15 minutes south longitude 159 degrees eight minutes two seconds east barometer 21.22 inches towards the end of the march we seem to get into better condition about us the surface rises and falls on the long slopes of vast mounds or undulations no very definite system in their disposition we camped halfway up a long slope in the middle of the afternoon we got another fine view of the land the dominion ridge ends abruptly as observed and then come two straights and two other masses of land similarly north of the wild mountains is another straight and another mass of land the various straights are undoubtedly outflows and the masses of land mark the inner fringe of the exposed coastal mountains the general direction of which seems to be about south southeast from which it appears that one could be much closer to the pole on the barrier by continuing on it to the south southeast we ought to know more of this when evans's observations are plotted i must write a word of our supper last night 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 hush sweetened then a plum pudding then cocoa with raisins and finally a dessert of caramels and ginger after the feast it was difficult to move wilson and i couldn't finish our share of plum pudding we have all slept splendidly and feel thoroughly warm such is the effect of full feeding tuesday december 26th lunch barometer 21.11 inches four and three quarters hours six and three quarters miles geographic perhaps a little slow after plum pudding but i think we're getting on to the surface which is likely to continue the rest of the way there are still mild differences of elevation but generally speaking the plane is flattening out no doubt we are rising slowly camp 48 barometer 21.02 inches the first two hours of the afternoon march went well then we got on a rough rise and the sledge came badly camped at 6.30 sledge coming easier again at the end it seems astonishing to be disappointed with the march of 15 statute miles when i had contemplated doing little more than 10 with full loads we are on the 86th parallel observation 86 degrees two minutes south 160 degrees 26 minutes east the temperature has been pretty consistent of late negative 10 degrees to negative 12 degrees at night negative three degrees in the day the wind has seemed milder today it blows anywhere from southeast to south i had thought to have done with pressures but tonight a crevasse slope appears on our right we shall pass while clear of it but there may be others the undulating character of the plane causes a great variety of surface owing of course to the varying angles at which the wind strikes the slopes we're a half an hour late starting this morning which accounts for some loss of distance though i should be content to keep an average of 13 miles geographic Wednesday December 27th lunch barometer 21.02 inches the wind light this morning and the pulling heavy everyone sweated especially the second team which had great difficulty in keeping up we have been going up and down the upgrade is very tiring especially when we get amongst tritugi which jerk the sledge about but we have done seven and a quarter miles geographic a very bad accident this morning bowers broke the only hips a meter thermometer we have nothing to check our two aneroids night camp 49 barometer 20.82 inches temperature negative 6.3 degrees we marched off well after lunch on a soft snowy surface then came to a slippery hard stritugi and kept a good pace but i felt this meant something wrong and on topping a short rise we were once more in the midst of crevasses and disturbances for an hour it was dreadfully trying had to pick a road tumbled into crevasses and got jerked about abominably at the summit of the ridge we came to another pit or whirl which seemed the center of the trouble is it a submerged mountain peak during the last hour and a quarter we pulled out onto soft snow again and moved well camped at 6.45 having covered 13 and a third miles geographic 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 that 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 sledge meter and the theodolite govern the situation thursday december 28th lunch barometer 20.77 inches i start cooking again tomorrow morning we've had a troublesome day but have completed our 13 miles geographic 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 petty officer evans for lashley we seem to get on better but at the moment the surface changed and we came up over a rise with hard strattugi 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 on quite easy with our sledge so the sledge is the cause of the trouble and talking it out i find that all is due to want of care the runners ran excellently but the structure has been distorted by bad strapping bad loading this afternoon and only managed to get 12 miles geographic the very hard pulling has occurred on two rises it appears that the loose snow is blown over the rises and rests in heaps on the north facing slopes it is these heaps that cause our worst troubles the weather looks a little doubtful a good deal of cirrus cloud in motion over us radiating east and west the wind shifts from southeast to south southwest rising and falling in intervals it is annoying to the march as it retards the sledges but it must help the surface i think and so hope for better things tomorrow 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 some hours very steady plotting today these are the best part of the business they mean forgetfulness and advance saturday december 30th barometer 20.42 inches lunch night camp 52 barometer 20.36 inches rise about 150 feet a very trying tiring march and only 11 miles geographic covered wind from the south the southeast not quite so strong as usual the usual clear sky we camped on a rise last night and it was sometime before we reached the top this morning this took it out of us as the second party dropped i went on six and a half miles when the second party was some way a stern and lunched they came on in the afternoon the other party still dropping camped at six thirty they at seven fifteen we came up another rise with the usual gritty snow toward the end of the march for us the interval between the two sites some eight miles was steady plotting work which we might keep up for some time tomorrow i'm going to march half a day make a depot and build the ten foot 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 temperature negative 10 degrees we have caught up shackleton's dates everything would be cheerful if i could persuade myself that the second party were quite fit to go forward sunday december 31st new year's eve 20.17 inches height around 9126 feet temperature negative 10 degrees camp 53 corrected aneroid the second party depot its ski and some other weights equivalent to about 100 pounds i sent them off first they marched but not very fast we followed and did not catch them before they camped by direction at 130 by this time we had covered exactly seven miles geographic and we must have risen a good deal we rose on a steep incline at the beginning of the march and topped another at the end showing a distance of about five miles between the wretched slopes which give us the hardest pulling but as a matter of fact we've been rising all day we had a good full brew of tea and then set to work stripping the sledges that didn't take long but the process of building up the 10 foot sledges now in operation in the other tent is a long job evans petty officer and kreen are tackling it and it is a very remarkable piece of work certainly petty officer evans is the most invaluable asset to our party to build a sledge under these conditions is a fact for special record evans lieutenant has just found the latitude 86 degrees 56 minutes south so that we're pretty near the 87th parallel aimed at for tonight we lose half a day but i hope to make that up by going forward at a much better speed this is to be called the three degree depot and it holds a week's provisions for both units there is an extraordinary little mirage up here and the refraction is very small except for the seamen we are all sitting in a double tent the first time we have put up the inner lining to the tent it seems to make us much snugger 10 p.m the job of rebuilding is taking longer than i expected but is now almost done the 10 foot sledges look very handy we had an extra drink of tea and are now turned into our bags in the double tent five of us as warm as toast and just enough light to write or work with did not get to bed until 2 a.m observation 86 degrees 55 minutes 47 seconds south 165 degrees five minutes 48 seconds east variation 175 degrees 40 minutes east morning barometer 20.08 inches Monday January 1st 1912 new year's day lunch barometer 20.04 inches roused hands about 730 and got away at 930 evans's party going ahead on foot we followed on ski very stupidly we had not seen to our ski shoes beforehand and it took a good half hour to get them right wilson especially had trouble when we did get away to our surprise the sledge pulled very easily and we made fine progress rapidly gaining on the foot haulers night camp 54 barometer 19.98 inches risen about 150 feet height about 9600 feet above barrier they camped for lunch at five and a half miles and went on easily completing 11.3 miles geographic by 730 we were delayed again at lunch camp evans repairing the tent and I the cooker we caught the other party more easily in the afternoon and kept alongside them the last quarter of an hour it was surprising how easily the sledge pulled we've scarcely exerted ourselves all day we have been rising again all day but the slopes are less accentuated I'd expected trouble with ski and hard patches but we found none at all temperature negative 14 degrees the temperature is steadily falling but seems to fall with the wind we are very comfortable in our double tent stick of chocolate to celebrate the new year the supporting party not in very high spirits they have not managed matters well for themselves prospect seemed to get brighter only 170 miles to go and plenty of food left Tuesday January 2nd temperature negative 17 degrees camp 55 height about 9,980 feet at lunch my aneroid reading was over the scale 12,250 feet shifted hand to read 10,250 feet proposed to enter heights in future with correction as calculated at end of book minus 340 feet the foot party went off early before eight in march till one again from 235 to 630 we started more than a half hour later on each march and caught the others easy it's been a plod for the foot people and pretty easy going for us and we have covered 13 miles geographic temperature negative 11 degrees observation 87 degrees 20 minutes eight seconds south 160 degrees 40 minutes 53 seconds east variance 180 degrees the sky is slightly overcast for the first time since we left the glacier the sun can be seen already through the veil of stratus and blue sky around the horizon the stratugi have all been from the southeast today and likewise the wind which has been pretty light i hope the clouds do not mean wind or bad surface the latter became poor towards the end of the afternoon we have not risen much today and the plane seems to be flattening out the regularities are best seen by stratugi a skewagull visited us on the march this afternoon it was evidently curious kept alighting on the snow ahead and fluttering a few yards as we approached it seems to have had little food an extraordinary visitor considering our distance from the sea wednesday january third height lunch 10 110 feet night 10 180 feet camp 56 temperature negative 17 degrees minimum negative 18.5 degrees within 150 miles of our goal last night i decided to reorganize and this morning told off teddy evans lashley and korean to return they are disappointed but take it well bowers is to come into our tent and we proceed as a five-man unit tomorrow we have five and a half units of food practically over a month's allowance for five people it ought to see us through we came along well on ski today but the foothollers were slow so we only got a trifle over 12 miles geographic very anxious to see how we shall manage tomorrow if we can march well with a full load we shall be practically safe i take it the surface was very bad in patches today and the wind strong latitude 87 degrees 32 minutes a last note from a hopeful position i think it's going to be all right we have a fine party going forward and arrangements are all going well thursday january fourth temperature negative 17 degrees lunch temperature negative 16.5 degrees we were naturally late getting away this morning the sledge having to be packed and arrangements completed for separation of parties it is wonderful to see how neatly everything stows on a little sledge thanks to petty officer evans i was anxious to see how we could pull it and glad to find we went easy enough bowers on foot pulls between but behind wilson and myself he has to keep his own pace and luckily does not throw us out at all the second party had followed us in case of accident but as soon as i was certain we could get along we stopped and said farewell teddy evans is terribly disappointed but has taken it very well and behave like a man poor old creon wept and even lashly was affected i was glad to find their sledge a mere nothing to them and thus no doubt they will make a quick journey back footnote january third return of the second supporting party under average conditions the return party should have well fulfilled scott's cheery anticipations three man teams had done excellently on previous sledging expeditions whether in discovery days or as recently as the midwinter visit to the emperor penguins rookery and the three in this party were seasoned travelers with a skilled navigator to lead them but a blizzard held them up for three days before reaching the head of the glacier they had to press on at speed by the time they reached the foot of the glacier lieutenant evans develop symptoms of scurvy his spring work of surveying and sludging out to corner camp and the man hauling with lashley across the barrier after the breakdown of the motors had been successfully accomplished this sequel to the glacier and summit marches was an unexpected blow with all he continued to pull while bearing the heavy strain of guiding the course while the hauling power thus grew less the leader had to make up for loss of speed by lengthening the working hours he put his watch on an hour with a turning out signal thus advanced the actual marching period reached 12 hours the situation was saved and evans flattered himself on his ingenuity but the men knew it all the time and no word said at one ton camp he was unable to stand without the support of his ski sticks but with the help of his companions struggled on another 53 miles in four days then he could go no further his companions rejecting his suggestion that he be left at his sleeping bag with a supply of provisions while they pressed on for help cached everything that could be spared and pulled him on the sledge with the devotion matching that of their captain years before when he and wilson brought their companion shackleton ill and helpless safely home to the discovery four days of this pulling with a southerly wind to help brought them to corner camp then came a heavy snowfall the sledge could not travel it was a critical moment the next day kreen set out to tramp alone to hut point 34 miles away lashley stayed to nurse lieutenant evans and most certainly saved his life till help came kreen reached hut point after an exhausting march of 18 hours how the dog team went to the rescue as told by dr. adkinson in the second volume at the discovery hut evans was unremittingly tended by dr. adkinson and finally sent by sledge to the terra nova it is good to record that both lashley and kreen have received the albert metal and a footnote since leaving them we have marched on till 115 and covered 6.2 miles geographic with full marching days we ought to have no difficulty in keeping up our average night camp 57 temperature negative 16 height 10,280 feet we started well on the afternoon march going a good speed for one and a half hours then we came on a stratum covered with loose sandy snow and the pulling became very heavy we managed to get off 12 and a half miles geographic by 7 p.m. but it was very heavy work in the afternoon the wind died away and tonight it is flat calm the sun so warm that in spite of the temperature we can stand about outside in the greatest comfort it is amusing to stand with us and remember the constant horrors of our situation as they were painted for us the sun melting the snow on the ski etc. the plateau is now very flat but we are still ascending slowly stratugi are getting more confused predominant from the southeast I wonder what is in store for us at present everything seems to be going with extraordinary smoothness and one can scarcely believe that obstacles will not present themselves to make our task more difficult perhaps the surface will be the element to trouble us end of the first part of chapter 18 recording by bob stretch julivista california section 39 of scott's last expedition volume one this is a libra vox recording all libra vox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit libra vox dot org recording by bob stretch scott's last expedition volume one the journals of robert falcon scott arranged by lennard huxley second part of chapter 18 the summit journey to the pole friday january fifth camp 58 height morning 10,430 feet night 10,320 feet temperature negative 14.8 degrees observation 87 degrees 57 minutes 159 degrees 13 minutes minimum temperature negative 23.5 degrees temperature negative 21 degrees a dreadfully trying day light wind from the north northwest bringing detached cloud and constant fall of ice crystals the surface in consequence as bad as could be after the first hour we started at 815 marched solidly until 115 covering 7.4 miles geographic and again in the afternoon we plugged on by 7 p.m we had done 12 and a half miles geographic the hardest we have yet done in the plateau the strategy seemed to increase as we advanced and we have changed direction from southwest to southwest in the afternoon a good deal of confusing cross strategy and tonight a very rough surface with evidence of hard southerly wind luckily the sledge shows no sign of capsizing it we sigh for a breeze to sweep the hard snow but tonight the outlook is not promising better things however we are very close to the 88th parallel a little more than 120 miles from the pole only a march from shackleton's final camp and in a general way getting on we go a little over a mile and a quarter an hour now it is a big strain as the shadows creep slowly round from our right through ahead to our left what lots of things we think of on these monotonous marches what castles won bills now hopefully that the pole is ours bowers took sites today and will take them every third day we feel the cold very little the great comfort in our situation is the excellent drying effect of the sun our socks and finesco are almost dry each morning cooking for five takes a seriously longer time than cooking for four perhaps half an hour on the whole day it is an item i had not considered when reorganizing saturday january 6th height 10,470 feet temperature negative 22.3 degrees obstacles arising last night we got amongst stratugi they increased in height this morning and we are now in the midst of a sea of fish hook waves well remembered from our northern experience we took off our ski after the first one and a half hours and pulled on foot it is terribly heavy in places and to add to our trouble every stratugus is covered with a beard of sharp branching crystals note from the glossary stratugus an irregularity formed by the wind on a snow plane snow wave is not completely descriptive as the stratugus has often a fantastic shape unlike the ordinary conception of a wave end of note we have covered six and a half miles but we cannot keep up our average if this sort of surface continues there is no wind camp 59 latitude 88 degrees seven minutes height 10,430 to 10,510 feet rise of barometer temperature negative 22.5 degrees minimum negative 25.8 degrees morning fearfully hard pull again and when we had marched about an hour we discovered that a sleeping bag had fallen off the sledge we had to go back and carry it on it cost us over an hour and disorganized our party we have only covered 10 and a half miles geographic and it's been about the hardest pull we've had we think of leaving our ski here mainly because of risk of breakage over the stratugi it's all up and downhill and the covering of ice crystals prevents the sledge from gliding even on the downgrade the stratugi I fear have come to stay and we must be prepared for heavy marching but in two days I hope to lighten loads of the depot we are south of shackleton's last camp so I suppose have made the most southerly camp sunday january 7th height 10,560 feet lunch temp negative 21.3 degrees the vicissitudes of this work are bewildering last night we decided to leave our ski on account of the stratugi this morning we marched out a mile in 40 minutes and the stratugi gradually disappeared I kept debating the ski question and at this point stopped and after discussion we went back and fetched the ski it cost us one and a half hours nearly marching again I found to my horror that we could scarcely move the sledge on ski the first hour was awful owing to the wretched coating of loose sandy snow however we persisted and towards the latter end of our tiring march we began to make better progress but the work is still awfully heavy I must stick to the ski after this afternoon camp 60 degrees temperature negative 23 degrees height 10,570 feet observation latitude 88 degrees 18 minutes 42nd south longitude 157 degrees 21 minutes east variance 179 degrees 15 minutes west very heavy pulling still but did five and a half miles geographic in over four hours this is the shortest march we have made on the summit but there is excuse still there is no doubt if things remained as they were we could not keep up the strain of such marching for long things however luckily will not remain as they are tomorrow we depot a week's provision lightning altogether about a hundred pounds this afternoon the welcome southerly wind returned and is now blowing for two to three I cannot but think it will improve the surface the stratugee are very much diminished and those from the south seem to be overpowering those from the southeast cloud traveled rapidly over from the south this afternoon and the surface was covered with sandy crystals these were not so bad as the bearded stratugee and oddly enough the wind and drift only gradually obliterate these striking formations we have scarcely risen at all today and the plane looks very flat it doesn't look as though there were more rises ahead and one could not wish for a better surface if only the crystal deposit would disappear or harden up I am awfully glad we have hung on to the ski hard as the marching is it is far less tiring on ski Bowers has a heavy time on foot but nothing seems to tire him Evans has a nasty cut in his hand sledge making I hope it won't give trouble our food continues to amply satisfy what luck to have hit on such an excellent ration we really are an excellently found party Monday January 8th camp 60 noon temperature negative 19.8 degrees minimum for the night negative 25 degrees our first summit blizzard we might just have started after breakfast but the wind seemed ominously on the increase and so has proved the sun has not been obscured but the snow is evidently falling as well as drifting the sun seems to be getting a little brighter as the wind increases the whole phenomenon is very much like a barrier blizzard only there is much less snow as one would expect and at present less wind which is somewhat of a surprise Evans hand was dressed this morning and the rest ought to be good for it I am not sure it will not do us all good as we lie so very comfortably warmly clothed in our comfortable bags within our double walled tent however we do not want more than a day's delay at most both on account of lost time and food and the snow accumulation of ice night temperature negative 13.5 degrees it has grown much thicker during the day from time to time obscuring the sun for the first time the temperature is low for a blizzard but we are very comfortable in our double tent and the cold snow is not sticky and not easily carried into the tent so that the sleeping bags remain in good condition temperature negative three degrees the glass is rising slightly I hope we shall be able to start in the morning but fear that a disturbance of this sort may last longer than our local storm it is quite impossible to speak too highly of my companions each fulfills his office to the party Wilson first is doctor ever on the lookout to alleviate the small pains and troubles incidental to the work now is cook quick careful and dexterous ever thinking of some fresh expedient to help the camp life tough as steel on the traces never wavering from start to finish Evans a giant worker with a really remarkable headpiece it is only now I realize how much has been due to him our ski shoes and crampons have been absolutely indispensable and if the original ideas were not his the details of manufacture and design and the good workmanship are his alone he is responsible for every sledge every sledge fitting tents sleeping bags harness and when one cannot recall a single expression of dissatisfaction with any one of these items it shows what an invaluable assistant he has been now besides super intending the putting up of the tent he thinks out and arranges the packing of the sledge it is extraordinary how neatly and handily everything is stowed and how much study has been given to preserving the suppleness and good running qualities of the machine on the barrier before the ponies were killed he was ever roaming around correcting faults of stowage little bowers remains a marvel he is thoroughly enjoying himself I leave all the provision arrangement in his hands and at all times he knows exactly how we stand or how each returning party should fare it has been a complicated business to redistribute stores at the various stages of reorganization but not one single mistake has been made in addition to the stores he keeps the most thorough and conscientious meteorological record and to this he now adds the duty of observer and photographer nothing comes amiss to him and no work is too hard it is a difficulty to get him into the tent he seems quite oblivious to the cold and lies coiled in his bag writing and working out sites long after the others are asleep of these three it is a matter for thought and congratulation that each is sufficiently suited for his own work but would not be capable of doing that of the others as well as it is done each is invaluable Oates had his invaluable period with the ponies now he is a foot slogger and goes hard the whole time does his share of camp work and stands the hardships as well as any of us I would not like to be without him either so our five people are perhaps as happily selected as it is possible to imagine Tuesday January 9th camp 61 record latitude 88 degrees 25 minutes height 10 270 feet barometer risen I think temperature negative four degrees still blowing and drifting when we got to breakfast but signs of taking off the wind had gradually shifted from south to east southeast after lunch we were able to break camp in a bad light but on a good surface we made a very steady afternoon march covering six and a half miles geographic this should place us in latitude 88 degrees 25 minutes beyond the record of shackleton's walk all is new ahead the barometer has risen since the blizzard and it looks as though we were on a level plateau not to rise much further observation longitude 159 degrees 17 minutes 45 seconds east variance 179 degrees 55 minutes west minimum temperature negative 7.2 degrees more curiously the temperature continued to rise after the blow and is now at negative four degrees it seems quite warm the sun has only shown very indistinctly all the afternoon although brighter now clouds are still drifting over from the east the marching is growing terribly monotonous but one cannot grumble as long as the distance can be kept up it can i think if we leave a depot but a very annoying thing has happened bowers watch has suddenly dropped 26 minutes it may have stopped from being frozen outside his pocket or he may have inadvertently touched the hands anyway it makes one more cherry of leaving stores on this great plane especially as the blizzard tended to drift up our tracks we could only just see the back track when we started but the light was extremely poor wednesday january 10th camp 62 temperature negative 11 degrees last depot 88 degrees 29 minutes south 159 degrees 33 minutes east variance 180 degrees terrible hard march in the morning only covered 5.1 miles geographic decided to leave depot at lunch camp built cairn and left one week's food together with sundry articles of clothing we are down as close as we can go in the latter we go forward with 18 days food yesterday i should have said certain to see us through but now the surface is beyond words and if it continues we shall have the greatest difficulty to keep our march long enough the surface is quite covered with sandy snow and when the sun shines it is terrible during the early part of the afternoon it was overcast and we started our lightened sledge with a good swing but during the last two hours the sun cast shadows again and the work was distressingly hard we have only covered 10.8 miles geographic only 85 miles geographic from the pole but it's going to be a stiff pole both ways apparently still we do make progress which is something tonight the sky is overcast the temperature negative 11 degrees much higher than i anticipated it is very difficult to imagine what is happening to the weather the stratugee grow more and more confused running from south to east very difficult steering and uncertain light and with rapidly moving clouds the clouds don't seem to come from anywhere form and disperse without visible reason the surface seems to be growing softer meteorological conditions seem to point to an area of variable light winds and that plot will thicken as we advance thursday january 11th lunch height 10 540 temperature negative 15 degrees it was heavy pulling from the beginning today but for the first two and a half hours we could keep the sledge moving then the sun came out it had been overcast and snowing with the light southeasterly breeze and the rest of the forenoon was agonizing i never had such pulling all the time the sledge rasps and creaks we have covered six miles but at a fearful cost to ourselves night camp 63 height 10 530 feet temperature negative 16.3 degrees minimum negative 25.8 degrees another hard grind in the afternoon and five miles added about 74 miles from the pole can we keep this up for seven days it takes it out of us like anything none of us ever had such hard work before cloud has been coming and going overhead all day drifting from the southeast but continually altering shape snow crystals falling all the time a very light south breeze at start soon dying away the sun's so bright and warm tonight that it is almost impossible to imagine a minus temperature the snow seems to get softer as we advance the strattugi though sometimes high and undercut are not hard no crusts except yesterday the surface subsided once as on the barrier it seems pretty certain there is no steady wind here our chance still holds good if we can put the work in but it's a terribly trying time friday january 12 camp 64 temperature negative 17.5 degrees latitude 88 degrees 57 minutes another heavy march with snow getting softer all the time sun very bright calm at start first two hours terribly slow lunch four and three quarters hours 5.6 miles geographic slight latitude 88 degrees 52 minutes afternoon four hours 5.1 miles total 10.7 in the afternoon we seem to be going better clouds spread over from the west with a light chill wind and for a few brief minutes we tasted the delight of having the sledge following free alas in a few minutes it was worse than ever in spite of the sun's eclipse however the short experience was salutary i had got to fear that we were weakening badly in our pulling those few minutes showed me that we only want a good surface to get along as merrily as of old with a surface as it is one gets horribly sick of the monotony and can easily imagine oneself getting played out where it not that at the lunch and night camps one so quickly forgets all one's troubles and bucks up for a fresh effort it is an effort to keep up the double figures but if we can do so for another four marches we ought to get through it's going to be a close thing at camping tonight everyone was chilled and we guessed a cold snap but to our surprise the actual temperature was higher than last night when we could dawdle in the sun it is almost unaccountable why we should suddenly feel the cold in this manner partly the exhaustion of the march but partly some damp quality in the air i think little bowers is wonderful in spite of my protest he would take sights after we camp tonight after marching in the soft snow all day where we had been comparatively restful on ski night position latitude 88 degrees 57 minutes 25 seconds south longitude 160 degrees 21 minutes east variance 179 degrees 49 minutes west minimum temperature negative 23.5 degrees only 63 miles geographic from the pole tonight we ought to do the trick but oh for a better surface it is quite evident this is a comparatively windless area the stratugee are few and far between and all soft i should imagine occasional blizzards sweep up from the southeast but none with violence we have deep tracks in the snow which is soft as deep as you like to dig down saturday january 13th lunch height 10,390 feet barometer low lunch latitude 89 degrees three minutes 18 seconds started on soft snow very heavy dragging and went slow we could have supposed nothing but that such conditions would last from now onward but to our surprise after two hours we came on a sea of stratugee all lying from south to east predominant east southeast have had a cold little wind from southeast and south southeast where the sky is overcast have done 5.6 miles and are now over the 89th parallel night camp 65 height 10,270 feet temperature negative 22.5 degrees minimum negative 23.5 degrees latitude 89 degrees nine minutes south very nearly we started very well in the afternoon thought we were going to make a real good march but after the first two hours surface crystals became as sandy as ever still we did 5.6 miles geographic going over 11 for the day well another day with double figures and a bit over the chance holes it looks as though we were descending slightly stratugee remain in the forenoon it is wearisome work this tugging and straining to advance a light sledge i did manage to get my thoughts off the work for a time today which is very restful we should be in a poor way without our ski though bowers manages to struggle through the soft snow without tiring his short legs only 51 miles from the pole tonight if we don't get to it we shall be damned close there is a little southerly breeze tonight i devoutly hope it may increase in force the alternation of soft snow and stratugee seem to suggest that the coastal mountains are not so very far away sunday january 14th camp 66 lunch temperature negative 18 degrees night temperature negative 15 degrees sun showing mistily through overcast sky all day bright southerly wind with very low drift in consequence the surface was a little better and we came along very steadily 6.3 miles in the morning and 5.5 miles in the afternoon but the steering was awfully difficult in trying very often i could see nothing and bowers on my shoulders directed me under such circumstances it is an immense help to be pulling on ski tonight it is looking very thick the sun can barely be distinguished the temperature is risen and there are serious indications of a blizzard i trust they will not come to anything there are practically no signs of heavy wind here so that even if it blows a little we may be able to march meanwhile we are less than 40 miles from the pole again we noticed the cold at lunch today observation latitude 89 degrees 20 minutes 53 seconds south all our feet were cold but this was mainly due to the bald state of our finesco i put some grease under the bare skin and found it made all the difference oats seems to be feeling the cold and fatigue more than the rest of us but we are all very fit it is a critical time but we ought to pull through the barometer has fallen very considerably and we cannot tell whether due to a scent of plateau or change in weather oh for a few fine days so close it seems and only the weather to bulk us monday january 15th lunch camp height 9,950 feet last depot during the night the air cleared entirely and the sun shone in a perfectly clear sky the light wind had dropped and the temperature fallen to negative 25 degrees minimum negative 27 degrees i guessed this meant a hard pull and guessed right the surface was terrible but for four and three quarters hours yielded six miles geographic we were all pretty well done at camping and here we leave our last depot only four days food in a sundry or two the load is now very light but i fear that the friction will not be greatly reduced night january 15th height 9,920 feet temperature negative 25 degrees the sledge came surprisingly lightly after lunch something from loss of weight something i think from stowage and most of all perhaps as a result of tea anyhow we made a capital afternoon march of 6.3 miles bringing the total for the day to over 12 12.3 the strattugi again very confused but mostly southeast quadrant the heaviest now almost east so that the sledge continually bumps over the ridges the wind is from west northwest chiefly but the weather remains fine and there is no strattugi from that direction camp 67 lunch observation latitude 89 degrees 26 minutes 57 seconds latitude dead reckoning 89 degrees 33 minutes 15 seconds south longitude 160 degrees 56 minutes 45 seconds east variance 179 degrees east it is wonderful to think that two long marches would land us at the pole we left our depot today with nine days provisions so that it ought to be a certain thing now and the only appalling possibility the site of the norwegian flag for stalling us little bowers continues as indefatigable efforts to get good sites and it is wonderful how he works them up in his sleeping bag in our congested tent minimum for tonight negative 27.5 degrees only 27 miles from the pole we ought to do it now tuesday january 16 camp 68 height 9760 feet temperature negative 23.5 degrees the worst has happened or nearly the worst we marched well in the morning and covered seven and a half miles noon site showed us at latitude 89 degrees 42 minutes south and we started off in high spirits in the afternoon feeling that tomorrow would see us at our destination about the second hour of the march bowers sharp eyes detected what he thought was a cairn he was uneasy about it but argued it must be a strattugi half an hour later he detected a black speck ahead soon we knew this could not be a natural snow feature we marched on found that it was a black flag tied to a sledge bearer nearby the remains of a camp sledge tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of dog's paws many dogs this told us the whole story the norwegians have forced all of us and are the first at the pole it is a terrible disappointment and i am very sorry for my loyal companions many thoughts come and much discussion have we had tomorrow we must march on to the pole and then hasten home with all the speed we can compass all the daydreams must go it will be a weary some return we are descending in altitude certainly also the norwegians found an easy way up wednesday january 17 camp 69 temperature 22 degrees at start night negative 21 degrees the pole yes but under very different circumstances from those expected we have had a horrible day add to our disappointment a headwind four to five with a temperature negative 22 degrees and companions laboring on with cold feet and hands we started at 7 30 none of us having slept much after the shock of our discovery we followed the norwegian sledge tracks for some way as far as we could make out there were only two men in about three miles we passed two small cairns then the weather overcast and the tracks being increasingly drifted up and obviously going too far to the west we decided to make straight for the pole according to our calculations at 12 30 evans had such cold hands we camped for lunch an excellent weekend one we had march 7.4 miles latitude site gave 89 degrees 53 minutes 37 seconds we started out and did six and a half miles due south tonight little bowers is laying himself out to get sites in terrible difficult circumstances the wind is blowing hard temperature negative 21 degrees and there is that curious damp cold feeling in the air which chills one to the bone in no time we have been descending again i think there looks to be a rise ahead otherwise there is very little that is different from the awful monotony of past days great god this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have labored to it without the reward of priority well it is something to have got here and the wind may be our friend tomorrow we have had a fat polar hush in spite of our chagrin and feel comfortable inside added a small stick of chocolate and the queer taste of a cigarette brought by wilson now for the run home in a desperate struggle i wonder if we can do it thursday morning january 18th decided after summing up all observations that we were 3.5 miles away from the pole one mile beyond it and three to the right more or less in this direction bowers saw a cairn or tent we have just arrived at this tent two miles from our camp therefore about one and a half miles from the pole in the tent we find a record of five norwegians having been here as follows rolled amundsen olav olufsen bjarland hillmer hansen severe h hassle oscar vistling 16 december 1911 the tent is fine a small compact affair supported by a single bamboo a note from adminsen which i keep asks me to forward a letter to king hakan the following articles have been left in the tent three half bags of reindeer containing miscellaneous assortment of mitts and sleeping socks very various description a sextant norwegian artificial horizon and hypsometer without boiling point thermometers a sextant and hypsometer of english make left a note to say i had visited the tent with companions bowers photographing and wilson sketching since lunch we have marched 6.2 miles south southeast by compass i.e northwards sites at lunch give us one half to three quarter of a mile from the pole so we call it the pole camp temperature lunch negative 21 degrees we built a cairn put up our poor slighted union jack and photographed ourselves mighty cold work all of it less than half a mile south we saw stuck up an old underrunner of a sledge this we commandeered as a yard for our forecloth sale i imagine it was intended to mark the exact spot of the pole as near as the norwegians could fix it height 9500 feet a note attached talked of the tent being two miles from the pole wilson keeps the note there is no doubt that our predecessors have made thoroughly sure of their mark and fully carried out their program i think the pole is about 9500 feet in height which is remarkable considering in latitude 88 degrees we were about 10 500 we carried the union jack about three quarters of a mile north with us and left it on a piece of stick as near as we could i fancy the norwegians arrived at the pole on the 15th december and left on the 17th ahead of a date quoted by me in london as ideal viz december 22 it looks as though the norwegian party expected colder weather on the summit than they got it could scarcely be otherwise from shackleton's account well we've turned our back now on the goal of our ambition and must face our 800 miles of solid dragging and goodbye to most of the daydreams end of chapter 18 recording by bob stretch julivista california