Roald Amundsen had spent nearly two years preparing his Arctic expedition. He had secured funding from the Norwegian Crown and hand-picked a trusted crew. He’d even received the blessing of the famed explorer Fridtjof Nansen, along with the use of his ship, Fram, specially constructed to withstand the ice. Now, with the voyage departing, he had one final announcement to his shipmates: They were going to head in the opposite direction.
羅爾德·阿蒙森花了將近兩年的時間 準備他的北極探險。 他獲得了挪威王室的資助, 並親自精挑了可信的成員。 他甚至得到著名探險家 弗里喬夫·南森的祝福 並可使用他的船隻──前進號, 它是專為耐受冰塊而建造的。 在航行即將起程時, 他對同行船員作了最後聲明: 他們將朝相反的方向前進。
By the early 20th century, nearly every region of the globe had been visited and mapped, with only two key locations remaining: the North Pole, deep in the frozen waters of the Arctic region, and the South Pole, nestled within a recently discovered icy continent in the vast Antarctic Ocean. A veteran of several expeditions, Amundsen had long dreamed of reaching the North Pole. But in 1909, amidst his preparations, news came that the American explorers Frederick Cook and Robert Peary had staked rival claims to the achievement. Instead of abandoning the planned voyage, Amundsen decided to alter its course to what he called “the last great problem.”
二十世紀初, 全球各處幾乎都被到訪並繪製地圖, 只剩兩個主要地點: 北極──深處北極地區的冰洋中; 以及南極──座臥在廣大南冰洋 新發現的冰冷大陸上。 阿蒙森是歷經多次探險的老兵, 長久以來夢想到北極。 但在 1909 年準備期間, 消息傳來美國探險家 弗雷德里克·庫克和羅伯特·皮里 已競相宣稱達成目標。 與其放棄已計劃好的航行, 阿蒙森決定改變航道, 指向他所稱的「最後的大難題」。 但並不只是阿蒙森的 船員被蒙在鼓裡。
But Amundsen’s crew weren’t the only ones kept in the dark. British naval officer Robert F. Scott had already visited the Antarctic, and was leading his own South Pole expedition. Now, as Scott’s ship Terra Nova reached Melbourne in 1910, he was greeted with the news that Amundsen was also heading south. Reluctantly, Scott found himself pitted against the Norwegian in what the newspapers called a ‘race to the Pole.’
英國海軍軍官羅伯特·費爾康·史考特 已經到訪過南極洲, 現正主導自己的南極探險。 當史考特的船──新大陸號 於 1910 年抵達墨爾本時, 他聽到阿蒙森也南向的消息。 史考特無奈地發現自己陷入 與挪威人的較量中, 即新聞所稱的 「極地競賽」。
Yet if it was a race, it was a strange one. The expeditions left at different times from different locations, and they had very different plans for the journey. Amundsen was focused solely on reaching the Pole. Informed by his Arctic exploration, he drew on both Inuit and Norwegian experience, arriving with a small team of men and more than a hundred dogs. His explorers were clothed in sealskin and furs, as well as specially designed skis and boots. But Scott's venture was more complicated. Launching an extensive scientific research expedition, he traveled with over three times more men than Amundsen, alongside over 30 dogs, 19 Siberian ponies, and three state-of-the-art motorized sledges. But these additional tools and bodies weighed down the ship as it battled the storms of the southern ocean. And as they finally began to lay supplies, they found both their ponies and motor-sledges ineffective in the harsh ice and snow.
然而假若它是比賽, 那也是一種奇怪的比賽。 他們的探險在不同時間、 不同地點出發, 而且航行的計劃差異很大, 阿蒙森只注重到達極地而已。 依過去北極探險,阿蒙森引用 因紐特人及挪威人的經驗, 率領一小隊人員 及一百多隻狗抵達大陸。 他的隊員穿著 海豹皮及皮毛製的衣物 以及特製的滑雪板和雪靴 。 但史考特的探險就複雜多了。 為了廣泛性的科研探險, 他帶著比阿蒙森超過三倍多的人員、 30 幾隻狗、 19 匹西伯利亞小馬 和三部最先進的摩托雪橇。 但在南冰洋對抗風暴時, 這些附加的工具及人畜 增加了船隻的負重。 而且當他們最後開始卸貨, 發現小馬和摩托雪橇 在嚴峻的冰雪上無用武之地。 在 1911 年春天, 等過了極地永夜之後 ,
In the spring of 1911, after waiting out the long polar night, both parties began the journey south. Scott’s team traveled over the Beardmore Glacier, following the path of Ernest Shackleton's earlier attempt to reach the pole. But although this course had been documented, it proved slow and laborious. Meanwhile, despite an initial false start, Amundsen’s five-man team made good time using a previously uncharted route through the same Transantarctic Mountains. They stayed ahead of Scott’s team, and on December 14, arrived first at their desolate destination.
兩隊開始南向旅程。 史考特的隊伍行經比爾德摩爾冰川, 循著歐內斯特·沙克爾頓 稍早試圖到達南極的路徑。 即使這條路徑曾被記錄, 但既緩慢又費勁。 同時,阿蒙森雖啟程錯誤, 他們五人小組縮短了耗時, 用先前未勘測的路徑, 通過相同的橫貫南極山脈。 他們領先史考特的團隊, 並於 12 月 14 日首先抵達 荒無人煙的目的地。
To avoid the ambiguity that surrounded Cook and Peary’s North Pole claims, Amundsen’s team traversed the area in a grid to make sure they covered the Pole’s location. Along with flags and a tent marker, they left a letter for Scott, which would not be found until over a month later. But when Scott’s party finally reached the pole, losing the ‘race’ was the least of their problems. On the way back towards the camp, two of the five men succumbed to frostbite starvation, and exhaustion. The remaining explorers hoped for a prearranged rendezvous with a team sent from their base, but due to a series of mishaps, misjudgements and miscommunications, their rescue never arrived. Their remains, along with Scott’s diary, would not be found until spring.
為了避免重蹈庫可及皮里 抵達北極聲明的混亂, 阿蒙森團隊以網格方式 走過整個區域, 確立他們穿越了南極。 除了旗子及一頂帳篷標記外, 還留了一封信給史考特, 可是它們到一個月後才會被發現。 當史考特隊伍終於抵達極地時, 輸掉比賽已是他們 最無關緊要的問題了。 返回營地途中,五位隊員中的兩名 死於凍傷、飢餓及耗竭。 其餘隊員期望與基地派來的隊員 在預定地點會合, 但一連串不幸的事、 誤判及錯誤傳訊, 他們的救援一直未達。 他們的遺骸以及史考特的日記 到春天才被發現。
Today, scientists from various countries live and work at Antarctic research stations. But the journeys of these early explorers are not forgotten. Despite their divergent fates, they are forever joined in history, and in the name of the research base that marks the South Pole.
現今,來自各國的科學家 在南極研究站生活與工作, 但這些早期探險家的旅程沒被遺忘。 縱使他們的命運迥異, 但他們永存於歷史中, 還有南極研究基地 是依據他倆而命名。