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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 16, 2008 - 12:37pm PT
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How are you all doing with the book? Really a GREAT, short read.....and there was one woman on this epic disaster! Valerian Albanov (the author) was an incredible guy, too bad he was second in command.
Piton, How's the kayak coming?
Mighty Hiker....run into any Polar Bears yet?
Ed H., What do you think ?
Not too late to order the book on line and join us for discussion at the end of July.
Cheers, Lynne
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, Ca
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Jul 16, 2008 - 12:39pm PT
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Great book. A co-classic along with Endurance in a different way.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 12:44pm PT
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Thought so too, Ksolem ! Can't believe this book was buried for so long !
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 16, 2008 - 01:08pm PT
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I've been sealing the kayak with bear fat.
There better be some big polynyas to make it worth it.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 01:18pm PT
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Think the polynya's will be there for you and your ride....are you not worried about the scent of bear fat....or is that what the Remington's for ?
Personally, I'm still trying to find my way across the ice...Ekkkk! Out......
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 16, 2008 - 07:15pm PT
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The Remington might be for me.
Turns out I've been bearing my kayak with seal fat. Doh!
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graniteclimber
Trad climber
Nowhere
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Jul 16, 2008 - 07:23pm PT
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Valerian Ablanov
St Anna
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Jul 16, 2008 - 08:01pm PT
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A good short read. I guess the most amazing thing to me was that they got that far with cobbled together sleds and kayaks.
Otherwise, he seems a much poorer leader than say Shackleton.
The epilogue in the new edition has a very interesting piece of information. Did any of you guess it before you read the epilogue?
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 08:03pm PT
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piton, I know it's been hot where you live hehehe,
granite thanks for the pics ! I've learned much in the past several months, but haven't mastered the scanner yet.
Really cannot believe what happens in this epic saga ! There are epics and then there are EPICS!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 16, 2008 - 08:11pm PT
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Unfair Steve.
Shackleton led an exploring expedition.
Albanov "led" a bunch of hunters and other misfits on a self-rescue attempt.
Having no authority over them he had to endeavor to explain the rationalizations behind each "suggestion" with any leadership sway losing ground as they approached land to the point where he was lucky to survive himself.
This is not a book about an expedition as much as an accounting of a remarkable series of epics to marvel at.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 08:31pm PT
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YES ! Loving it. Even before we have our end of the month discussion we have dissention and disagreement...getting into the Mood of the book. A good movie director would be Proud!
Good lesson for women adventurers in this well crafted, non fiction read.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 16, 2008 - 08:35pm PT
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I can't seem to get GC's pix.
Arctic whiteout?
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 09:50pm PT
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Ron, whiteout's occur even in the Western US ... tho not so often in July.
Granite posted two pictures, one of Albanov and another of his ship, Saint Anna. Did you not get those ? Lynners
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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Jul 16, 2008 - 10:40pm PT
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I am reading it, and I will probably finish it off on the airplane next week.
At one point in my life I loved reading the literature on victorian arctic/antarctic exploration. Later in life, as I became a bit more experienced in adventuring myself, I found it hard to read and reread some of that work.
Why?
It takes real effort to ignore the nature of that environment, an arrogance born out of disdain for those beings that actually able to live there, including the human inhabitants. The victorian mindset was one of unbound enthusiasm for enthusiasm, positive thinking and a strong belief in the superiority of their culture and ability. The tragedies that this illusion begot are all the more difficult to read about now, perhaps because I see many of our attitudes swinging back that way.
It is one thing to venture into those places fully prepared to get your butt kicked hard enough that you might not survive it... but to traipse in assuming it will all work out for the best, somehow, is difficult to take. The vast degrees of irresponsibility, the unfolding of the inevitable, but avoidable waste of life generate the strongly conflicting emotions that the demonstrable horrendous judgement of some of these expeditions had on embarkation.
If I were ever to be so disrespectful of the adventure I would expect no less than to die for it.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 16, 2008 - 11:00pm PT
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That, Ed, is why I had hoped you would post. I so appreciate and enjoy in a very thoughtful way, the ideas you manage to portray in the printed word.
"our attitudes swinging back that way", could you give an illustration on what you're thinking there ?
"If I were ever so disrespectful of the adventure I would expect to die for it". Ed, I so agree !
But for me I cannot let the overwhelming "But what if's" keep me from trying some things I never would have in the past. I hope most of those that pursue a goal or dream plan well and count the cost.
When you do plan well and do your best, sometimes it works out to be the best adventure ever. Did for me recently.
Guess we need to be prepared for the best and worst of times and figure out how to live gracefully through them all.
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Jul 16, 2008 - 11:06pm PT
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I'm with you on that Ed.
Scott is perhaps the worst example of that particular Victorian mindset. And the whole search for the Northwest passage is full of that attitude, the Franklin expedition being the worst.
Ron, certainly Albanov had less to work with than Shackleton, both in men and resources. But he was still the leader, and I still came away a few too many times wondering why he didn't keep his group together better.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 17, 2008 - 12:39am PT
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Reread my post.
He WASN'T the leader. He was the navigator who fell out with the captain, Brusilov, and determined to head out on his own.
It was only later that others determined to follow him, which only makes sense as he was the only person (besides Brusilov) capable of shooting the sun and, given the clocks were right, determining longitude (and it came down to a 50/50 educated guess at that).
That he survived is a testament to his willingness to adopt the native practices that Ed rightfully claims many Victorian explorers disdained.
He learned from Nansen, and employed that omnipresent oxymoron, common sense.
As for holding up Shackleton as an example, lets not forget that his supply-caching support expedition did not fare as well, losing men who could have used the supplies that were cached and never utilized.
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 17, 2008 - 02:03am PT
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Albanov was the second in command, the navigator...I have wondered if he had been the Captain and leader of the expedition whether they would have started the trip at all...what with all the supply and personnel problems they were facing.
Can't wait to discuss in depth at end of July...Peace and Joy to you all ! Lynnie
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Lynne Leichtfuss
Social climber
valley center, ca
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 17, 2008 - 07:00pm PT
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Please be Mellow and Forgiving to me for bumping my own thread....and read read read or you really will miss out...it's only 192 pages FCOL.
Smiles, book marm
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stevep
Boulder climber
Salt Lake, UT
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Jul 17, 2008 - 11:21pm PT
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He wasn't the expedition leader, but as Lynne said, but he was second-in-command, and certainly seems to have regarded himself as the leader of the group that left the ship.
As for common sense, he certainly had some of that, as well as a lot of determination. But judging by what happened to almost everyone else in his group, and his adventure near the end in the kayak, he also had a bunch of luck.
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