The Pearl, Vol. 2--To a Far-Off Country--An Epic Adventure

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It transpired that the ice drift got him no further north than 84 degrees. Nansen and Johansen built sledges and kayaks, and tried to reach the This is the story of Nansen's attempt to reach the north pole, an expedition that occurred over the period of Nansen and Johansen built sledges and kayaks, and tried to reach the north pole over the ice. After getting to about 86 degrees, their progress was slow enough that they felt the pole was not attainable, so they headed south to return to land.

Nansen's ship, the Fram, was constructed with a rounded bottom and extra strengthening so that ice pressure would push the ship up rather than crushing it. The concept largely worked, although they had one incident where merging ice piled high against one side of the boat. Concerned that it might collapse on to the ship, they cut much of it away. The ship was built for use as a winter refuge, having much insulation around the living quarters. Possibly the most interesting part of the book is the skill with which they dealt with the cold arctic conditions.

While frozen in during the winter, they had planned exercise for it's own sake, but found that daily maintenance provided sufficient work. Wherever possible, they killed game for food. Polar bears visited regularly, and they killed them for food whenever possible. Skis were used for travel over the icepack, but they were called snowshoes.

At one point in the narrative, he referred to them as skis but in general he differentiated between his snowshoes and "Canadian snowshoes'. Nansen's partner was Hjalmar Johansen. They traveled north until travel was sufficiently retarded by ice ridges that they felt they would not be able to make the pole and return. Ice movement affected their travels, sometimes pushing them north; at other times south.

Travel conditions were difficult on the return trip. No animals were found for food. While the latitude could be measured directly, longitude was less certain. Huge suspense existed around their actual location versus known land. Nansen observes "We must comfort ourselves with the adage that night is darkest before dawn. Of course, it somewhat depends on how dark the night is to be, and considerably darker than it is now it might very well be.

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The ship eventually drifted far enough south that it got to water where they could break free of the ice and return to Norway. A well written book that gives a good feel for the logistics of Arctic travel. Jeg leste en foto-kopiert utgave av denne. This expedition was a great achievement for Nansen, but my purpose here is not to rate his achievement but the book. While there many interesting and exciting moments, there are also long stretches of days where nothing is reported but daily measurements.

From a scientific point of view, these were a necessary part of the expedition, but reading day after day about air temperature, water temperature, water depth, ice thickness and characteristics, latitude and longitude, etc. Well, this took a while! Not to mention endless bear, seal and walrus hunts. Jan 23, Sylvia McIvers rated it liked it Shelves: My hometown was freezing Couln't figure out why I wasn't getting into it until someone looked at a pic of 'the girlfriend.

So that's what lack of representation looks like. Oct 12, David Kessler rated it really liked it. A breathtaking story of courage. The planning was impeccable. Nansen and a shipmate go it further north to the 86 degree N latitude before turning around. On their trip south by ski and kayak they went with their 13 dogs. This story of polar travel turns out without a lose of life. Aug 30, Emily rated it it was amazing. Longer read than I expected given length of book. This is because it's so dense, chock full of information and scientific explanations alongside matter of fact narration of events and surroundings that were life-threatening and never previously survived.

Feb 26, Fred K. Slow Read Long drawn out explanations of northern lights and ice descriptions. Some interesting parts, but skimmed through quite a bit which was redundant. Would have been more interesting if what happen to the Fram after Nansen departed. Long but Good A wonderful adventure with a lot of detail. A very good telling of exactly what it feels like to be a Polar explorer in the 19th century.

Epic and sometimes tedious, this story never lost my interest.

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For those interested in the arctic specifically or exploration in general, this book does not disappoint. Dec 17, David rated it really liked it Shelves: Good thing we treat animals a little better than then. Fantastic account of Nansen' s polar exploration. Jan 01, Jamie rated it it was amazing. Humanity is destined to explore the unknown across fleeting moments. An amazing account of survival in the pursuit of an idea, all to be first and to push further the boundaries of humanity.

Not always the most dignified encounters with other creatures, particularly dogs and bears - yet in each violent act there is an awareness of our own cruelty. A vivid account of survival and determination with a great level of introspection. Astounding that one can isolate themselves for three years to valid Humanity is destined to explore the unknown across fleeting moments. Astounding that one can isolate themselves for three years to validate a theory, such is humanity and our pursuit for a true adventure.

Why distress yourself as to whether you are drifting forward or backwards? Why not carelessly let the days glide by like a peacefully flowing river? Every now and then there will come a rapid that will quicken the lazy flow. And then comes death and cuts all short before the goal is reached. Again and again this thought comes back to my mind. I gaze far on through the ages Slowly and imperceptibly the heat of the sun declines, and the temperature of the earth sinks by equally slow degrees.

Thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of years pass away, glacial epochs come and go, but the heat still grows ever less; little by little these drifting masses of ice extend far and wide, ever toward more southern shores, and no one notices it; but at last all the seas of the earth become one unbroken mass of ice. Life has vanished from its surface, and is to be found in the ocean depths alone. But the temperature continues to fall, the ice grows thicker and ever thicker; life's domain vanishes. Millions of years roll on, and the ice reaches the bottom.

The last trace of life has disappeared; the earth is covered with snow. All that we lived for is no longer; the fruit of all our toil and sufferings has been blotted out millions and millions of years ago, buried beneath a pall of snow. A stiffened, lifeless mass of ice, this earth rolls on in her path through eternity. Like a faintly growing disk the sun crosses the sky; the moon shines no more, and is scarcely visible.

Yet, still, perhaps, the northern lights flicker over the desert, icy plain, and still the stars twinkle in silence, peacefully as of yore. Some have burnt out, but new ones usurp their place; and round them revolve new spheres, teeming with new life, new sufferings, without any aim. Such is the infinite cycle of eternity; such are nature's everlasting rhythms.

One person sets forth to sail in open water, perhaps to the very Pole, but gets stuck int he ice and laments, another is prepared to get stuck in the ice, but will not grumble even should he find open water. It is ever the safest plan to expect the least of life, for then one often gets the most. At one moment all resolution, at the next all doubt Today our intellect, our science, all our 'Leben und Treiben' seem but a pitiful Philistinism, not worth a pipe of tobacco; tomorrow we throw ourselves heart and soul into these very researches, consumed with a burning thirst to absorb everything into ourselves, longing to spy out fresh paths, and fretting impatiently at our inability to solve the problem fully and completely.

Then down we sink again in disgust at the worthlessness of it all.

Feb 07, Daniel rated it really liked it. The book is poorly written and poorly edited, which means that it's such a great story that even those problems can't keep it from being a page turner. This story makes many exploration stories look like jaunts to the mall in comparison as Nansen decides that being stuck in the ice for 2 years isn't enough for him and pushes himself farther north.

It's an amazing story and one that shows the true determination, personal strength and mental toughness of the turn-of-the-century explorers.

Nansen's The book is poorly written and poorly edited, which means that it's such a great story that even those problems can't keep it from being a page turner. Nansen's name should be as common as many of the others and is still very well known in his home country. Part of the reason for his lack of worldwide notoriety is probably because he was good enough to not have the tragedies happen to his expeditions that so often are at the center of popular expedition stories Shackleton, Into Thin Air, Curious George Gets A Medal, etc.

Nansen is so good at what he does that nothing is really left up to chance. The book is a collection of his diary entries with some insight and elaboration put in to fill the gaps and expand on the important aspects, but in general it reads rather sterile except where emotion was the only action going on. Like everything they see gets shot at, even if just for sport. Feb 19, Ryan Vande rated it really liked it.

Fridjtof Nansen is one of the great legends of arctic exploration. This book recounts his amazing expedition launched in Other expeditions in the past had tried to reach the North Pole by sailing large cumbersome ships through the narrow and ice-filled straits north of Canada. Hundreds of menlo perished and dozens of ships were crushed and lost in the icy water.

Nansen was one of those geniuses whose innovations changed the way things were done. He realized that there were powerful current Fridjtof Nansen is one of the great legends of arctic exploration. He realized that there were powerful currents under the arctic ice that moved the massive polar cap. His intention, then, when he set out on his small and strong ship Fram was to allow the boat to be frozen into the polar ice off the coast of Siberia and allow the currents to push the ice and the boat north towards the pole.

Once he felt the ship had reached its northern most drift he would set off towards the pole on skis with dog sleds another innovation that no other expedition had used before.

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So for three years Nansen and his small crew lived on the polar ice with their sled dogs, fighting of roving polar bears, hunting for walrus, trying to survive. Jan 23, Icarus Phaethon rated it it was amazing. I read this somewhere on the American west coast in The impact of the book has stayed with me ever since.

Say what you want about the prose it was written in or the sensibilities of the time the killing of the dogs may disturb some , the story itself is epic. To go with Nansen on this incredible journey via these pages is a trip I would recommend everyone takes. The rewards are plenty, especially in the chapter 'The Journey Southward' when he reunites with friends who may have long I read this somewhere on the American west coast in The rewards are plenty, especially in the chapter 'The Journey Southward' when he reunites with friends who may have long given him up for dead.

I can recall not having a dry eye reading that and for me that's what's so special about this book. It drags you in emotionally, hook, line and sinker, and on the one hand makes you wonder what the hell you've been doing all your life yet on the other, creates a hero out of a Norwegian Arctic explorer who probably makes every other adventurer you ever read about pale into insignificance in comparison.

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I still have a strong desire to visit his ship, the Fram, as I'm sure everyone who has read this book does. I've just been skipping through the book again whilst writing this review and it makes me want to read it once more. Apr 11, Michael rated it really liked it Shelves: I thought this was a very cool story. The first half of the book was great!!

Nansen had a plan that worked pretty much exactly as he anticipated. And his writing of the expedition on the Fram was candid and a fun read. Once he left the ship to attempt to reach the North Pole, the story felt a little repetitive. But was still interesting. The trek across the ice flows, though not a super riveting read to me was still an amazing feat. And to have himself and the ship arrive back in Norway almost I thought this was a very cool story.

And to have himself and the ship arrive back in Norway almost exactly like he predicted was proof as to how well his theory actually was. An amazing accomplishment to say the least. I have always wished I could have lived back in the early days of exploration. Not in a million years! I would break down in that environment. So I am always impressed by these guys. Either way, my hats off to you Mr. Great journey and pretty darn good book. Sep 25, Boris rated it it was amazing.

Great read on the first great Polar explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, and the first Fram expedition in an attempt to reach the North Pole.

Nansen was methodical and his plans were brilliantly thought out. He could and did learn from others' experiences in the Arctic, unlike Robert Scott, and to a lesser degree, Earnest Shackleton. The one error he seems to have made was using western clothes instead of the clothing of the Eskimos. Once Nansen and his companion Johansen left the Fram in an attempt to reach the North Pole by dog sledge it turned into a harrowing tale of survival.

They had many very close calls. Like in everything, an element of luck is involved.

One major element of luck was stumbling across the Jackson expedition. Great series, good transaction. How have they not put up the fifth one yet? The stories are awesome and epic! But only read the story if you know three Pokemon! My son likes this series much better than Diamond and Pearl not platinum. He can't wait for the next in the series. One person found this helpful. See all 7 reviews. Amazon Giveaway allows you to run promotional giveaways in order to create buzz, reward your audience, and attract new followers and customers.

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