Ernest Shackleton Research Paper

Although Sir Ernest Shackleton did not conquer his life dream, some still believe he is a great explorer. Ernest Shackleton was an Irish-British explorer who had attempted multiple times to accomplish his dreams, but failed. Later, after a tragic accident, he decided to become a journalist. Before he died, he set sail for one last attempt at being the first person to ever cross the whole Antarctic. When Ernest Shackleton was younger, he had gone and “joined the merchant navy at the age of 16” (BBC). After his adventure with the leading Naval Officer and explorer, Robert Falcon Scott, he wanted to be the first man to step foot on the Antarctic. Shackleton had become sick while on his first expedition to the South Pole. He returned home, became …show more content…
In 2000, Venables went to the South Pole to trek across the same trek Shackleton and his crew went on. Venables never faced a life or death situation like Shackleton had, but he had “had a bit part in the IMAX film Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure.” “Unlike the genius navigator Worsley, we had a map to tell us where to go” (Venables). Throughout Venables article, In the Footsteps of Shackleton, he compares how his trek through the South Pole was done differently from Shackleton’s, and how Shackleton could have done some things in another way. Unlike Shackleton, Reinhold did not stop for “regular brews” (Venables). Reinhold believed in lightweight and as minimal luggage as possible. While Reinhold wanted to dig snow holes and sleep in the hole, Venables put his foot down and took a tent to sleep in. Similar to Shackleton’s trek, Venables and his crew took thirty six hours to travel from King Haakon Bay to Stromness in the austral autumn, although Venables and his crew took 3 days to travel those thirty six hours. As Shackleton and his crew were able to travel a bit faster through the snow, Venables and his men had to travel a tad slower because the crevasses of the mountain were covered in ice instead of snow. Reinhold broke his foot in the process slowing travel time down even more. In comparison to the what Shackleton had and Venables,Venables and his crew “didn’t actually carry more than Shackleton and his companions, but” they “did, critically, have a map, proper mountaineering equipment, more protective clothing and a tent” (Venables). Also like Shackleton, Venables has treked across the same trek multiple times, going at it in different ways. One thing Shackleton did not have to do that Venables did, was climb up mountains. Shackleton did not have to climb mountains was because he took the route away from them. Venables went to the mountains,