It was in the year 1912 when Robert Falcon Scott died on his return trip from the south pole. Along with his fellow adventurers, he perished from lack of food and heat. Because of his ambition and persistence, and even though he lost the race to the South Pole and perished, he is known as a national hero.
It has taken us decades, if not centuries, to gain what knowledge we have of the harsh environmental challenges that Antarctica can dish out to her visitors. During the bitter winter months, temperatures often reach a low of minus 90 degrees Celsius and wind speeds average 67 kilometres an hour. These are the conditions that Scott faced, and without our current knowledge of the dangers lurking on this continent.
Scott would write letters to his wife while working in Polar regions to explain exactly how lonely it was in these areas. Even with all our modern communication skills, scientists today still feel that same sense of isolation. When Scott was taken by the wilderness he left his wife and young son behind.
It was not until several months after his death that the explorer's body was found, along with letters he had written to his wife. The doomed expedition was found only 11 miles from the supply camp. Scott's widow learned of her husband's death while she waited in New Zealand for him to return.
The letters that Scott left behind gave historians a great deal of information about his expedition. When he first began his expedition, Scott told his wife in his letter how great he felt physically and how much he enjoyed a hot meal. The cold didn't seem to be a problem, as the hot food made up for the bitter cold.
As the letters progressed with time, Scott wasn't as positive about his trek. He explains the temperature dropping, then continuing to drop more without relief. When Scott and his men were found, they had only one hot meal and two days worth of cold meals left for the remaining 11 miles, testament to the severe hunger they experienced.
During this time of great exploration, Scott was a monumental figure, but, unfortunately, his plans were cursed twofold. First, the race to the South Pole was lost to a Norwegian named Roald Amundsmen. Amundsmen arrived on December 21, 1911, beating out Scott, who arrived on January 18, 1912, by nearly one month.
Scott was referred to as a national hero due to his previous explorations of Antartic during the years 1902-1904. Scott, along with Dr. Edward Wilson, and Lieutenant Henry Bowers, held on to the belief that they would be able to complete the journey. Unfortunately, two other men, Petty Officer Edgar Evans and Captain Lawrence Oats perished before they could make it.
The expedition packed away supplies when they were only twenty miles from a storage area. At this time, they had sparse food or fuel. Scott wrote in his letters to his wife that she should remarry if he were to die, his letters described weathering temperatures 70? below zero in nothing but a tent.
Scott was careful to express that he held no regrets in his undertaking of this journey. Even in his most desperate hour, he expressed that his current position was preferred to relaxing around the house. The young people of Britain have been greatly encouraged by the strength and perseverance that Scott displayed.
Roald Amundsmen beat Scott's team to the South Pole by a few weeks. Scott died on March 29, 1912. His journal of the final doomed expedition was published in 1913 as "Scott's Last Expedition".
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