NY, 1993, 1st edition. 322 pp, photos. Not content with his record-setting exploits of polar travel --including the first Pole to Pole circumnavigation (1979-1982)-- Fiennes set out from Chile in November 1992 to make an unsupported crossing of Antarctica.
His companion was Mike Stroud, who would record physiological data. Each man pulled a 485-pound sledge containing all the supplies they would require for their 1500-mile journey, much of it at altitudes above 10,000 feet. By the time they reached the South Pole in mid-January, they had each lost 25% of their body weight. Stroud was vulnerable to hypothermia, and both men were suffering from frostbite and wind- and sunburn.
On Day 83, now on half rations, they faced a 9000-foot descent on ice and in gale-force winds; next they traversed dangerous crevasse fields. On Day 95 -- February 12, 1993 -- having reached the Ross Ice Shelf, they summoned a plane. This epic journey tested both body and mind. With a foreword by H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, Fiennes offers another gripping account of endurance and adventure. From Library Journal.
Fiennes now tells his version of the historic expedition to Antarctica undertaken with Dr. Mike Stroud. In November 1992, Fiennes and Stroud, both veteran British polar explorers, set out to achieve the first unsupported crossing of Antarctica. This arduous journey, fraught with the hazards of Antarctic weather and terrain, broken equipment, and medical problems, came to an end 95 days and 1350 miles later, after the two had successfully crossed the Antarctic continent (though not the entire Ross Ice Shelf).
Both Stroud's record of the trip, Shadows on the Wasteland, and Fiennes's account reveal a journey that took the explorers to the edge of their physical and psychological capabilities. Fiennes also interweaves an extensive history of Antarctic exploration and provides appendixes detailing Antarctic topography, among other items. This fascinating book will be enjoyed by adventurers, armchair travelers, and Antarctic researchers.
Hardcover, DJ, Near Fine.
