GEOGRAPHY

A two-man team has embarked on a 2,900-kilometer (1,800-mile) walk across Antarctica to retrace the steps of British explorer Robert Falcon Scott. It’s the longest unsupported polar journey in history. (CNN, watch the video below!)

Use our resources to plot their course, or chart your own!

Discussion Ideas

• British explorers Ben Saunders and Tarka L’Herpiniere are retracing the ill-fated journey of legendary British explorer Robert Falcon Scott. Take a look at Saunders and L’Herpiniere’s journey, and compare it with Scott’s. Saunders gives a short explanation here.
  • Use our Polar Regions MapMaker Kit to plot the Scott Expedition (either the 1910 or 2013 version). Print out a simple one-page map, or get creative with a tabletop or mega-map of the region!
    • Use the MapMaker Kit to plot your own course to the South Pole!
      • How would you get to the starting point of your expedition?
        • Saunders and L’Herpiniere are flying in from Chile, while Scott sailed in on a ship from New Zealand.
      • When would you leave?
        • Saunders and L’Herpiniere began their journey in October, while Scott began his in November. Why do you think they started this late in the year?
          • It’s the beginning of the “warm” Antarctic summer, with less chance of encountering Antarctica’s most severe weather.

• Max Foster, the CNN reporter, reminds Saunders that one of the most perilous parts of the Antarctic adventure will be the crushing boredom described by Scott. How would you combat boredom on the long walk to the South Pole? Remember, all your entertainment needs to fit in a backpack!
  • Saunders says he relies on technology unavailable to Scott and his team. In fact, during a horrific snowstorm on a Greenland training excursion, he stayed in his tent and watched the movie Inception!

USGS, come back, we miss you!