Operation AXIOM
One hundred five years ago to the day, 9 January 1909, the Nimrod Expedition (1907-1909), the first of three Antarctic expeditions lead by Sir Ernest Shackleton, failed in its bid to discover the South Pole but set a new world record for Farthest South: 88˚23' S. This record was not surpassed 'til Amundson's & Scott's expeditions achieved the South Pole in 1911 & 1912, respectively. A party from the Nimrod, lead by Shackleton, reached a new Farthest South, one hundred five years ago to-day.
I urge all readers of "The Explorers' Club," indeed all fans of human endeavor, to watch the documentary series Chasing Shackleton, airing this week & each of the next two weeks on P.B.S. This year marks the centennial of the commencement of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition (1914-1917), the epic Endurance Expedition. In Chasing Shackleton, six contemporary adventurers are attempting the recreate Shackleton & co.'s desperate voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia Island in the James Caird, a small boat that was never intended for the open seas of the Southern Ocean, & the trek across the uncharted interior of South Georgia to reach help at the island's whaling stations; they are doing so in a latter-day replica of the James Caird, the Alexandra Shackleton. Check your local listings.
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