The Butcher“In four days we have reached the plateau from the coast,” wrote Amundsen proudly in his diary. He gave full credit to the dogs. “Come and say that dogs cannot be used here.” It had been hard work. But now the dogs were to have their reward, Amundsen wrote, “the best of rewards – death”.
“Fog, fog and fog again, and in addition fine crystals that make the going impossible. Poor beasts, they have struggled hard to get the sledges forward today”– Amundsen on this day 100 years ago (Read more …) 
We are very near “The Butcher”, the place where Amundsen did away with all the dogs he no longer had use for. Or more accurately: no longer had food for. As Bjaaland wrote, they “slaughtered 23 doggies and took out the innards”. They would now continue with 18 dogs and three sleds. The butchered dogs provided food for both man and beast. Amundsen ate five dog cutlets “and looked in vain for more in the pot.” It was not a warm welcome we received when we arrived on the plateau today. Strong catabatic winds and 30 degrees below zero. We also encountered the infamous sastrugi: just as Amundsen noted, the plateau was “criss-crossed by rock-hard, knife-sharp snowdrifts”. But despite the wind-chill factor, we arrived at the second of our two depots, flown out in connection with an expedition that starts from the Axel Heiberg Glacier. Now we have all gathered in the big tent to enjoy some tasty desserts. Position: S 85 39.473, W 169 36.203
Temperature: -30°C Wind: 12-14 m/s from the southeast Elevation: 2800 metres Distance traversed: 19 km Distance behind Amundsen: 79 km Total distance traversed: 812 km Distance remaining to the South Pole: 499 km Did you know that seven countries have claims in Antarctica?
At the end of World War II, seven countries claimed sovereignty in Antarctica. Some of these claims were partly overlapping and there was a risk of international conflict that involved the superpowers. |
South Pole 1911–2011 is an informational outreach project run by the Norwegian Polar Institute
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