November 8 - Cape Royds / Shackleton's Hut, Antarctica

Today Murphy and I went to Cape Royds with Jean Pennycook, an Adélie penguin specialist. She will live at the Cape Royds Adélie penguin colony for 3 months studying the penguins. I can see how these penguins can be addictive.

Adélies with Mt. Erebus in the background

Cape Royds is also the site of Shackleton's hut...

Sir Ernest Shackleton was the 3rd officer in Scott's Discovery Expedition of 1901. Unfortunately, he was sent back early to London for health reasons. He returned in 1907 on the Nimrod. The Nimrod was stopped by ice 16 miles north of Discovery's old base at Hut Point (the first landing site of Scott). Eventually, Shackleton set up camp at Cape Royds, which is 24 miles north of Hut Point.

On October 19, 1909 Shackleton and 3 others set off to go the furthest south ever reached... 88 degrees, 23 seconds (the South Pole is at 90 degrees). He was only 97 miles from the South Pole.  Upon his return with all of his men alive, King Edward VII knighted him.  Shackleton is credited with discovering the approximate location of the Magnetic South Pole on 1/11/09 and having been the first person to climb Mt. Erebus.

The hut was very simple... Just one room with everything in it...except, of course the necessary darkroom.

It seems like Heinz could have been a sponsor for Shackleton, also.

Warm clothes and transportation...

The necessary reading material and photographs to remind oneself of home.

In 1914, Shackleton attempted the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. It was going to be the first attempt to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea via the South Pole to Vahsel Bay.

His ship, "The Endurance" got trapped in the pack ice and crushed before landing. Fortunately, no one died but his trip was aborted. Shackleton went back in 1921 on the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition to try once more but he died of a heart attack before he could land in Antarctica.