Amundsen S Way

What would you do to be the first? The gripping tale of the great Norwegian explorer's courage, determination and ruthlessness in the race to the South Pole.

But how will history view Roald Amundsen? he wonders to himself. Will I be remembered for my dedication, my discipline, my daring deeds? Or only for my deception? Roald Amundsen - hero or villain? Amundsen's South Polar conquest is an extraordinary tale that combines risk, intrigue and personal conflict. A man of striking intelligence and a single-minded thirst for world records, Amundsen's astute planning and shrewd strategy propelled him into first place. Such a man, with everything to lose, will stop at nothing to secure his goal. His story is a testament to utter brilliance and ruthlessness. From the author of the highly acclaimed Into the White, and full of life-threatening challenges, deception, disappointments and triumph, Amundsen's Way is an adventure story in the purest sense.

Lynne Cox, adventurer, swimmer, and bestselling author gives us a full-scale account of the life and expeditions of Roald Amundsen, “the last of the Vikings,” who left his mark on the Heroic Era as one of the most successful polar explorers ever. A powerfully built man more than six feet tall, Amundsen’s career of adventure began at the age of fifteen (he was born in Norway in 1872 to a family of merchant sea captains and rich ship owners); twenty-five years later he was the first man to reach both the North and South Poles. We see Amundsen, in 1903-06, the first to travel the Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, in his small ship Gjøa, a seventy-foot refitted former herring boat powered by sails and a thirteen-horsepower engine, making his way through the entire length of the treacherous ice bound route, between the northern Canadian mainland and Canada’s Arctic islands, from Greenland across Baffin Bay, between the Canadian islands, across the top of Alaska into the Bering Strait. The dangerous journey took three years to complete, as Amundsen, his crew, and six sled dogs waited while the frozen sea around them thawed sufficiently to allow for navigation. We see him journey toward the North Pole in Fridtjof Nansen’s famous Fram, until word reached his expedition party of Robert Peary’s successful arrival at the North Pole. Amundsen then set out on a secret expedition to the Antarctic, and we follow him through his heroic capture of the South Pole. Cox makes clear why Amundsen succeeded in his quests where other adventurer-explorers failed, and how his methodical preparation and willingness to take calculated risks revealed both the spirit of the man and the way to complete one triumphant journey after another. Crucial to Amundsen’s success in reaching the South Pole was his use of carefully selected sled dogs. Amundsen’s canine crew members—he called them “our children”—had been superbly equipped by centuries of natural selection for survival in the Arctic. “The dogs,” he wrote, “are the most important thing for us. The whole outcome of the expedition depends on them.” On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and four others, 102 days and more than 1,880 miles later, stood at the South Pole, a full month before Robert Scott. Lynne Cox describes reading about Amundsen as a young girl and how because of his exploits was inspired to follow her dreams. We see how she unwittingly set out in Amundsen’s path, swimming in open waters off Antarctica, then Greenland (always without a wetsuit), first as a challenge to her own abilities and then later as a way to understand Amundsen’s life and the lessons learned from his vision, imagination, and daring. South with the Sun—inspiring, wondrous, and true—is a bold adventure story of bold ambitious dreams.

This eBook has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. The South Pole is a book by Roald Amundsen and it represents an interesting first-hand account of the Norwegian expedition's successful attempt to reach the South Pole in 1911. Amundsen spends a great deal of time talking about logistics and placing of depots in preparation for his polar attempt all the way from the preparation leading up to the initial sea voyage, the voyage itself and then the establishing of a camp at the Antarctic. Although they were lucky with the weather, and Amundsen attributed the success of the expedition to "good luck", it is obvious that the Norwegian expedition was well prepared and ready for the troubles ahead; the equipment, the sledges with well-trained dogs, the supply depots with seal meat at regular intervals along the route, the sunglasses to avoid snow blindness; it was all thought of in advance.

The true story of the first man to reach the South Pole. The first new edition of Amundsen's work in English since 1928. New foreword by Lt Cmdr E. C. Coleman RN, who has travelled in both Polar regions and has written the definitive history of the Royal Navy in Polar Exploration.

Narrative of the first expedition to navigate the Northwest Passage in a single vessel, the expedition that brought Amundsen to prominence as a polar explorer. In 1901 he gave up the idea of medicine and decided to become an explorer. After several months in Hamburg studying the science of terrestrial magnetism, he purchased an old ship, the Gjoa, 70ft long and thirty years old. He put in a 14 hp engine; then, with six dogs and enough provisions on board, he got under way with a crew of six on 17 June, 1903. His aim was to find the North-West Passage which had been sought in vain since the time of John Cabot. In September, he crossed Peel Sound and anchored in a sheltered bay on King William Island. Eskimos came up to him who knew of the existence of white men by oral tradition only. Seventy-two years earlier, James Ross, had sailed in these regions with Parry. Amundsen bought tooth and bone necklaces and clothes which later enriched the Oslo museum. He also spent two winters learning about the Eskimo way of life. In October, 1905, he set out again for the North-West Passage. On August 30th the Gjoa entered the Nome roadstead. For the first time in world history a ship sailing north of America had found a way from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The South Pole is a book by Roald Amundsen and it represents an interesting first-hand account of the Norwegian expedition's successful attempt to reach the South Pole in 1911. Amundsen spends a great deal of time talking about logistics and placing of depots in preparation for his polar attempt all the way from the preparation leading up to the initial sea voyage, the voyage itself and then the establishing of a camp at the Antarctic. Although they were lucky with the weather, and Amundsen attributed the success of the expedition to "good luck", it is obvious that the Norwegian expedition was well prepared and ready for the troubles ahead; the equipment, the sledges with well-trained dogs, the supply depots with seal meat at regular intervals along the route, the sunglasses to avoid snow blindness; it was all thought of in advance.

WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE© IN LITERATURE 2013 A New York Times Notable Book A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction A Best Book of the Year: The Atlantic, NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Vogue, AV Club In story after story in this brilliant new collection, Alice Munro pinpoints the moment a person is forever altered by a chance encounter, an action not taken, or a simple twist of fate. Her characters are flawed and fully human: a soldier returning from war and avoiding his fiancée, a wealthy woman deciding whether to confront a blackmailer, an adulterous mother and her neglected children, a guilt-ridden father, a young teacher jilted by her employer. Illumined by Munro’s unflinching insight, these lives draw us in with their quiet depth and surprise us with unexpected turns. And while most are set in her signature territory around Lake Huron, some strike even closer to home: an astonishing suite of four autobiographical tales offers an unprecedented glimpse into Munro’s own childhood. Exalted by her clarity of vision and her unparalleled gift for storytelling, Dear Life shows how strange, perilous, and extraordinary ordinary life can be.