Ice Story

Ice Story: Shackelton’s Lost Expedition	Houghton Mifflin Books
Written by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel	1999
Nonfiction/Biography	115 pages
Reading Level ages 8-12

Summary

Ernest Shackelton set off with a crew of 29 for Antarctica. His goal was to journey across the entire continent. They set off in 1914 and have been on the sea for a month and a half when their ship, Endurance became shuck fast in the ice. They stay with the ship, moving the dogs to igloo kennels to create room on the ship. The crew waits for spring in order for the floe to melt and free them. But as it nears spring, the ice doesn’t release them but starts to crush the ship. The ice floe in front of them hit the continent and was building back to where they were held fast. Schackelton ordered the ship be abandoned and in three days it was crushed and slowly sank as the ice moved. The crew kept light spirits by playing cards, games of ice soccer and performing plays. The ice was treacherous and hard to cross. They only traveled a mile in one day. They create two other camps on their way to the Antarctic land: Ocean Camp and Patience Camp. They were journeying inward because there was a cache of supplies left and they needed food and shelter for the coming winter months. The way was too difficult, so Shackelton had the men wait and ready to go in an instant, when the ice broke and they could load into their row boats and travel faster. Even when they were in the boats, the unpredictable ocean within the floe was harrowing. There were three boats and soon became soaked as water was sloshed into their boats. They finally made it to Elephant Island, where they decided to stay. They were the first people believed to land on the island. It was decided that Shackelton and five other men would take a boat and row to the closest whaling island, Saint Georgia some 800 miles away. They outfitted the boat with wood and sails from the other boats to make it as weather able as possible. It took them little more than two weeks of miserable, water soaked nights to arrive on the south west side of the island. The port was on the north east and the only way was through the mountain passes no one had ever climbed. Shackelton and two of the crew set off for the mountain peaks, leaving three behind who were unable to continue. At the top of the pass after all day climbing, the three faced a near shear drop. They didn’t have time to find another way as they had been searching most of the afternoon with no option and it would soon be too dark to see. The tree of them tobogganed down taking two minutes to reach the bottom. They laughed with relief and pent up adrenaline. They walked into the city, not recognized by anyone for having almost a year without bathing. Shackelton sent a boat to pick up the three on the other side of the island and elected a boat to rescue the rest of his stranded crew. The first three attempts had to be abandoned since the ice floe was too thick and could not be broken through. Shackelton became almost frantic to save the rest of his men, fearing that not many would be left to rescue. After three months of being gone from Elephant Island, the ship Yelcho was able to slip through a clear path in the ice. Shackelton arrived in a boat to the sound of shouts and waving arms. None of his crew had died. They had survived on seal ‘hoosh’ and believing he would come each new day. The crew wanted to show him all the accommodations they had made in his absence, but Shackelton was worried the safe passage between the ice would close and hurried them onto the boat. They all arrived home safely after two years being gone as heroes. Shackelton never was able to return to Antarctica. He suffered from a heart attack in Saint Georgia while taking supplies for another journey south. He was buried there in January 1922.

Reaction

I loved reading this book. The pictures tell the story and add to the accounts and facts that were presented. The amazing journey and trials kept me interested and worried about the outcome. It is incredible that the worst suffered were lost toes to frostbite. It is a great true story.

Potential Problems

The crew was abandoned for several months and had to kill their dogs to eat and hunted seals to survive.

Recommendations

I would recommend this book to those who love learning about true adventure stories and about explorations of intriguing and exciting places.