Sunday, 14 January 1912

Scott

"Again we noticed the cold," Scott wrote, "at lunch to-day (Obs.: Lat. 89° 20' 53'' S.) all our feet were cold, but this was mainly due to the bald state of our finnesko.... Oates seems to be feeling the cold and fatigue more than the rest of us, but we are all very fit. It is a critical time, but we ought to pull through. The barometer has fallen very considerably and we cannot tell whether due to ascent of plateau or change of weather. Oh! for a few fine days! So close it seems and only the weather to baulk us." [1]

Lt. Evans, Crean, and Lashly arrived at the Upper Glacier depot at the top of the Beardmore. "We had just enough now for our meal; this is cutting it a bit fine," wrote Lashly. "We have now taken our 3 1/2 days' allowance, which has got to take us another 57 miles to the Cloudmaker [Middle Glacier] Depôt. This we shall do if we all keep as fit as we seem just now. We left a note at the depôt to inform the Captain of our safe arrival, wishing them the best of a journey home. We are quite cheerful here to-night, after having put things right at the depôt, where we found the sugar exposed to the sun; it had commenced to melt, but we put everything alright before we left, and picked up our crampons and got away as soon as we could. We know there is not much time to spare." [2]


Amundsen

"82° [45'] -10 -11 SW wind," noted Bjaaland tersely. "Thick weather, bloody horrible light. Are on the line of cairns. Saw dog tracks at 46' mile cairn, they were heading north. Skiing good." [3]


Notes:

[1] R.F. Scott, diary, 14 January, 1912, quoted in Scott's Last Expedition, v.1.
[2] William Lashly, diary, 14 January, 1912, quoted by Apsley Cherry-Garrard in The Worst Journey in the World, ch.XII.
[3] Olav Bjaaland, diary, 15 January, 1912, quoted by Roland Huntford in Race for the South Pole : the expedition diaries of Scott and Amundsen (London : Continuum, c2010), p.243.