Shackleton's Antarctic Voyage

    Our current theme in reading focuses on voyages or journeys.  This past week was spent reading Trapped by the Ice by Michael McCurdy.  It describes the ill-fated journey of Robert Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition.  His ship ended up being crushed by the ice and sinking in the Antarctic leaving his crew of 27, including himself, stranded in the freezing climate.  Miraculously, all 27 members of the crew survived the ordeal.  What is even more miraculous was that this took place back in 1916 before computers, GPS, and all of those other things that would have made a rescue easier.

  
Here is a link to an even more in-depth video about the journey of the Endurance and its crew.   There are 11 additional videos of almost 2 hours in length total that you can view.  Check with your parents before visiting though.

     Here are some additional links relating to Shackleton's voyage:

Shackleton Expedition Photography

American Museuem of Natural History

Cool Antarctica

Ernest Henry Shackleton