Book info

• Title Scott's Last Expedition
• Author Robert Falcon Scott
• Year 1913
• Genre Non-fiction

The Last Expedition is Captain Scott's gripping account of his expedition to the South Pole in 1910-12. It was meant to be a voyage of scientific discovery and a heroic exploration of the last unconquered wilderness. Scott's expedition, carried in the Terra Nova, pitted him and his team not only against the elements but also against the Norwegian explorer, Amundsen. Ultimately, Scott was beaten by both. The journals are full of incident and drama, courage and endurance, hope and bitter disappointment.

Thoughts

This was such a fascinating read - inspiring and yet so very sad at the same time. Chronicling the full journey from departing New Zealand, to arriving and fighting through the ice, to setting up “home” through the winter and then the final journey. I knew about the iconic quotes, going outside, being some time, that kind of thing, but seeing it in context was just so desperately sad.

I thought it was very telling about the human spirit that they had heart and hope and were pushing forward with things going well right up until the point where they find they have been beaten to the Pole. Then things rapidly go downhill, and it ends up with the tragic conclusion. Is there something in the optimism of being first that might have kept them going? I’m sure there have been a lot of studies on this.

It was weird reading this story first hand, particularly as it became more and more obvious to the explorers that they were unlikely to get off the ice alive. It’s a tough read, tragic, thought-provoking, but it’s made me want to read more about Scott and others who have done such extreme exploration.

Rating: 5 / 5