(NGC) So close - death of a British adventurer

[Gliderjohn]

A British explorer attempting the first unassisted solo crossing of Antarctica has died 71 days after setting out and within 30 miles from his goal, his wife said Monday.

Henry Worsley, 55, had been suffering from increasing exhaustion and dehydration during the voyage, posting updates by satellite phone messages that began with optimism and ended in desperation.
To have got that close and not make it, bummer.


“This is just the best place on Earth right now,” he said on the first day of the trip in November.

His final message Friday was both a call for help and cry of frustration. “It is with sadness that I report it is journey’s end — so close to my goal,” he said.

Worsley was soon airlifted off the ice — after covering more than 900 miles — and died at a medical facility in Punta Arenas, Chile, his wife Joanna said. He was reported to be within 30 miles of completing the trek.

Her statement described the cause of death as “complete organ failure.” He had undergone surgery for bacterial peritonitis, an infection in the abdomen that can lead to septic shock.

GliderJohn

[oldbike54]

 Deciding whether these types of folks are really brave or really crazy is difficult . Maybe a bit of both.

 Dusty

[Triple Jim]

Deciding whether these types of folks are really brave or really crazy is difficult . Maybe a bit of both.

And that's the way most of the non-motorcycling public views us.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  I believe Worsley was the name of a man who sailed with Shackleton to the Antarctic in the early
 20th century.  Is this perhaps a grandson?

[oldbike54]

And that's the way most of the non-motorcycling public views us.

 Yeah , in my case the crazy part wins 

  Dusty

[Moto]

Reminds me of Scott.

I was lucky to see a museum exhibition on the race between Scott's British and Amundsen's Norwegian teams to cross Antarctica via the pole. The Norwegians used (edible) dogs to drag their sleds, while the British elected to use man-harnesses on their much heavier sleds, apparently because it seemed more manly. Worsley was right in that tradition. Scott and he both died not far from their intended final destinations.

Crazy. [EDIT -- but maybe no crazier than me...]

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Scott may have actually made the pole and died on the return trip.  We will never know for sure.
  It is pretty certain he was headed back when he died but no proof of whether or not he got there
 first.

[Moto]

  Scott may have actually made the pole and died on the return trip.  We will never know for sure.
  It is pretty certain he was headed back when he died but no proof of whether or not he got there
 first.

Hmm. My recollection is that there was evidence that he got there, and that he found Amundsen's claim had already been staked a few days before.

Checking the Infallible Wikipedia supports this:

"The chosen group marched on, reaching the Pole on 17 January 1912, only to find that Amundsen had preceded them by five weeks. Scott's anguish is indicated in his diary: "The worst has happened"; "All the day dreams must go"; "Great God! This is an awful place".[79]" The citation is to Huxley, Leonard, ed. (1913). Scott's Last Expedition, Volume I: Being the Journals of Captain R.F. Scott, R.N., C.V.O. London: Smith, Elder & Co. OCLC 1522514.

I don't recall exactly which museum artifacts I saw to support this, if any. Is there some dispute about Scott's journal?

EDIT: I take it that Worsley intended to reach the pole. Does anyone know if he did?

[Gliderjohn]

My understanding was that he was walking across Antartica so I am assuming he crossed the pole.
GliderJohn

[Sasquatch Jim]

  A bit of research showed the he was indeed a decendant of Frank Worsley who was with Shackleton
 stranded in the ice when their ship was crushed.  The elder Worsley was in a lifeboat with shackleton
 and another of the crew when they sailed from Elephant island to South Georgia to get a rescue boat
 to save his crew.  It was one of the most heroic feats of seamanship in history.

[nobleswood]

  A bit of research showed the he was indeed a decendant of Frank Worsley who was with Shackleton
 stranded in the ice when their ship was crushed.  The elder Worsley was in a lifeboat with shackleton
 and another of the crew when they sailed from Elephant island to South Georgia to get a rescue boat
 to save his crew.  It was one of the most heroic feats of seamanship in history.

True.
With winter keeping many of us in, it's an amazing book to read. It is an example of what human beings are capable of and how few of us test those abilities.

[Arizona Wayne]

My day was going nicely until I read this.   Thank you all for your effort today.