The Worst Journey in the World

THE WORST JOURNEY IN THE WORLD – Apsley Cherry-Garrard

So far I have read only Cherry-Garrard’s introduction to this but, oh my! I guess like many people I really only had a vague knowledge of Scott’s fatal South Pole trek, I had no idea about the disasters which befell the other parties on various scientific, natural history and depot laying journeys during the 1911 expedition. I know I’m going to enjoy reading this and look forward to posting more about it.

I am enjoying this though not finding as much time to read it as I would like. What would be useful is one map showing everything. I often lose track of who’s gone where and who’s left at which hut or camp and it takes looking at more than one map in more than one place in the book to get it straight in my head.

Mr Cherry-Garrard has now set off for Cape Crozier and the Emperor penguins. It still seems to me that no-one, not the men, the dogs nor the ponies were ever going to be fit enough to make it to the South Pole and back; and the supplies were woefully lacking and they all knew it. I get the impression Scott, knowing Amundsen was heading for the Pole was going for it no matter what. I may be doing him an injustice so I shall read a couple more people’s accounts then Ranulph Feinnes’ book, which praises Scott, then still be undecided…