Endurance, Part One

What does that word mean? It means "the power of enduring an unpleasant or difficult process; the capacity of something to last or to withstand wear and tear."

Let me tell you a story about endurance. There was an expedition to Antarctica in 1914, lead by a English gentleman named, Sir Ernest Shackleton. He took with him 27 men, and 69 dogs who were trying to cross the continent. Before he left for Antarctica, he promised all the men they would make it back alive. Now, THAT is a pretty big promise.

Let me take a minute and fill you in on the details of Antarctica. With the technology in the early 20th century, it was impossible to cross. Winter is from May- September. There is complete darkness and the temperature is below zero. Some of the other fellow explorers never came back because after being in complete blackness for five months, the men would go mad and die. The summer months are from November- February and the sun never sets.

So, now do you see why I say that he made a pretty big promise to his men about returning alive?
The year that they (Shackleton and his crew) went to the Antarctica, the ice floes were vary far out in the Weddell Sea. The captains at South Georgia said that he was crazy to go anywhere near Antarctica that year. But, he and his crew set out on their ship Endurance anyway.



They left South Georgia on December 5, 1914. They were hoping to spend Christmas on the shores of Antarctica. Instead they spent it trapped in an ice floe.
The Endurance withstood everything that had already come at her. She was trapped in the ice for just about a year. For that year, nature was trying to win; trying to take 28 men, 69 dogs, and the ship. Then, on November 21, 1915, she won. The ice smashed the sides of the ship and she went down. The Endurance, even though just a ship, gives us an example of endurance. She endured many of the hardships of Antarctica.

That is not the end of the story. Shackleton did go on. Since they no longer had boat to go forward, they had to go back to South Georgia. They had to kill the dogs for food, face blizzards, frost bite, and ice splitting.

All of the men did endure a lot, but Shackleton faced the most. He gave up his food, some of his clothing, and the Bible that the King of England had given him. He had to travel 825 miles to South Georgia in a dinghy, face the bad storms that are on the South Sea, and not sleep for days in order to get help for his men.
All 28 men made it back to England safely. The surgeons of the crew did have to amputate one man's toes, but they all made it back home.

"We seek the truth and will endure the consequences."
~Charles Seymour.