Endurance Part 7-Epilogue, Lansing

During Part 7 Shackleton decides that himself, Crean, and Worsley must make the voyage across the interior of South Georgia, which had never before been done. From what they could tell, the island was nothing more than peaks and glaciers. However, the trip had to be made: quickly. Shackleton made the executive decision to leave behind sleeping bags, tents, and anything that might possibly slow them down. The trip had to be delayed for a few days because of weather, but as soon as there was a clearing the men took off on their journey. The connotation of the word "endure" became very clear as to why this book is called Endurance. Shackleton and the two men brought supplies that would only last them for 6 days. Miraculously, they managed to make it through the most perilous part of their journey by sliding down glaciers, similar to bobsledding. They finally reached the whaling station on May 21, 1916. Roughly four months later, the men on Elephant Island were rescued. The day was August 30, 1916. Macklin wrote for his final journal entry, " 'I stayed on deck to watch Elephant Island recede in the distance...' " (280). The men were finally saved: all 28 of them. Much like Tom Hanks at the end of Castaway, they could finally return to civilization.