Returning from the South Pole in 1912, Captain Robert Falcon Scott suffered a horrible death.Scott and his team of explorers expired as a result of bitter temperatures and lack of food.Scott showed great courage facing his unfortunate demise, following the extreme disappointment at losing the race to the South Pole, and this increased his popularity, and branded him a national hero.

Because of several studies conducted through the years, we now know what types of severe conditions to expect when exploring Antarctica. Average wind speed is 67 kilometers per hour, and the temperature can get as cold as negative 90 degrees Celsius!Scott would have faced conditions such as these, with unfortunately an insufficient knowledge about the continent’s real dangers.antarctica cruise

As a scientist in the Polar Regions, Scott expressed his overwhelming feeling of isolation to his wife in letters he wrote to her.Even with today’s communication options, modern explorers in Antarctica concur that intense isolation is a problem.When Scott died, he left behind his wife and young son.

The letters he wrote to his wife were discovered when his body was found months after he died.The supply camp was 11 miles from where he was found.The wife-made-widow of Captain Scott was waiting in New Zealand from him when she was made aware of his passing.

The letters that Scott left behind gave historians a great deal of information about his expedition. The letters that were written during the first part of his journey spoke of his great health and he loved a hearty meal.Scott made little mention about the cold temperatures, saying that the cold temperatures were compensated by the availability of hot meals.antarctica vacation

At the trip’s end, Scott’s outlook depleted along with the supply of food.He talks about the cold weather worsening, and temperatures not slacking off.He spoke about how he and his fellow explorers survived with only one hot meal and two days of cold food, in order to travel a distance of 11 miles.

Scott was a legend in his field, but this trip was twice cursed.He was unable to reach the south pole first, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen beating him to the glory. Amundsmen arrived on December 21, 1911, beating out Scott, who arrived on January 18, 1912, by nearly one month.

At the time of his final trip, Scott was already a national hero in England following his adventures in the Antarctic from 1902 – 1904. Nearing the end of the 1912 expedition, along with Lt. Henry Bowers and Dr. Edward Wilson, he fought for survival until the very end.Captain Lawrence Oats and Petty Office Edgar Evans weren’t so lucky.

They were only twenty miles away from a relief zone and they stowed supplies. There was scarcely any fuel or food left.Scott’s letters instructed his wife to find love again in the event of his demise. He also spoke of seventy degrees below zero air temperatures and having nothing to provide shelter besides a flimsy tent.

In his parting letters he expressed that he did not regret the expedition that ultimately ended his life.He would rather have been there than doing nothing in the comfort of home.Throughout the years that have followed, many Brits young and old, have been encouraged by Scott’s endearing will and perseverance.

Captain Scott’s expedition finished second to Roald Amundsmen in the race to the South Pole, arriving several weeks after Amundsmen.Captain Robert Scott perished on March 29, 1912.In 1913, Scott’s journal was published under the title “Scott’s Last Expedition.”