Section A: The Ross Ice Shelf /The Barrier
24 October
The motor sledges set off with Teddy Evans, Day, Lashly and Hooper. It was hoped that they would go past One Ton Depot to 80° 30' S. One managed to go 14 miles, the other 50 miles. Their loads were man-hauled after they broke down.
1 November
Scott and the main team set out with ponies.
6-7 November
Party held in by a blizzard.
On the 7th Meares and Girev arrived with the dog team.
15 November
Reached One Ton Depot
21 November
Camp 17 established at lat. 80° 35'.
Came into contact with the motor party.
Travel is now done at night-time, leaving about 10.30pm.
24 November
Day and Hooper return to Cape Evans carrying letters and the first horse, Jehu, was shot and fed to the dogs.
The team was re-organised into three tenting units of four men each, as well as Meares and Girev with the dogs. These teams were:
- Scott, Cherry-Garrard, Lashly and Wilson
- Oates, Bowers, PO Evans and Crean
- Teddy Evans, Wright, Atkinson and Keohane
As horses were shot their handlers took up man-hauling 10 foot sledges. Atkinson, Lashly and Evans were all man-hauling at this stage.
26 November
Mid-barrier Depot laid. Lat.81° 35'
5-8 December
Blizzards keep the party tent bound for four days. Water enters in the tents wetting sleeping bags.
Scott writes "Miserable, utterly miserable"
The sledges, buried in snow, had to be dug out and the tents shifted as the weight of snow on them had made them too uncomfortable.
9 December
At the foot of the Beardmore Glacier. The remaining ponies are shot and the journey is now to continue solely by man-hauling.
Section B: The Climb through the Transantarctic Mountains: The Beardmore Glacier
10 December
The ascent of the Beardmore Glacier begins. The snow from the early December blizzard was soft and made hard work on the man-hauling. The sledges, weighing 600 lbs each, sank into the snow.
11 December
Meares and Girev returned at mid-day to Cape Evans with the dogs. Loads on the sledges were added to with supplies from Meares. The sledges weighed 680 lbs and were stacked quite high. The Lower Glacier Depot was laid. A number of the party were suffering from snow-blindness.
17 December
Mid-Glacier Depot laid.
The value of skis had become very apparent. The three teams travelled at different rates.
Evans' team was the slowest and this caused some irritation in Scott.
21 December
The top of the Beardmore was reached and the Upper Glacier Depot was laid.
The team of Atkinson, Cherry-Garrard, Wright and Keohane return to Cape Evans the next day.
Section C: The Polar Plateau/ The Summit
The climb to the Polar Plateau (via the Beardmore Glacier) meant that the two remaining sledge teams were man-hauling at altitudes of 7 500 feet to 10 000 feet. Because of the earth's rotation the atmosphere is thinner at the Poles and so the effects of the 10 000 feet altitude on the Polar Plateau were the equivalent of a much higher altitude. One of the main effects noticeable to Scott and his party would be a lower oxygen intake, making man-hauling much more demanding.
22 December
Scott began a new sledge diary for this part of the journey. On the flyleaf he noted the ages of himself (43), Wilson (39), PO Evans (37), Oates (32), Bowers (28). The average age being 36.
Observations put them at Lat. 85° 13˝'; Long. 161° 55'
23 December
Wilson writes in his diary:
Temp. about -5° and a hot sun with cool Sly breeze all day….Endless flat plains of snow lie before us to the S.S.W. and W. and just the tops of disappearing mountains behind us.
25 December Christmas Day
The two teams made 15 miles.
The Christmas Day supper was a slight break from the usual fare.
First course was a pemmican, horse meat, onion powder, curry powder and biscuit dust hoosh. Second course was a pannikin of arrowroot, cocoa, sugar, biscuit dust and raisin followed by a pannikin of cocoa and raisins. Then everybody had a slice of plum pudding and finished this feast off with 5 caramels, 5 pieces of ginger and 1 biscuit.
31 December
Latitude estimated to be 86° 56' S
The Three Degree Depot was built. A double tent is used for the first time.
The 12' sledges were dismantled and remade into 10' sledges.
Evans' party leave their skis at this depot, only Scott's team continue on ski.
1 January 1912 New Years Day
11 miles made.
A stick of chocolate was eaten to celebrate the new year.
Scott writes only 170 miles to go and plenty of food left.
3 January
The decision on the make-up of the final party to reach the Pole was made. Scott's team of himself, Wilson, Oates and PO Evans were selected. Scott also made the decision to take Bowers from Teddy Evans' team. This was an unexpected decision as it meant that the polar party was to be five, one more than had been planned for. It also meant the Evans' party had to make the long return to Cape Evans with only three people. Many explanations are given for this decision. The most likely one is that Scott needed a competent navigator and Bowers was able to do this. It is surprising that Oates, who was struggling, continued, but it appears that Scott was guided by a notion that it was desirable to have a representative of the army at the Pole.
Because Evans' team had left their skis behind at Three Degree Depot, Bowers had to join a man-hauling team that was on skis. While the others enjoyed the greater ease of their skis Bowers had to pull on foot.
9 January
Camp number 61. Scott records with delight in his diary 'RECORD'. He had gone beyond Shackleton's southernmost point.
Lat. 88° 25'
10 January
One and a half Degree depot laid.
The team was 95 miles from the Pole.
15 January
Last Depot laid.
The party carried supplies for nine days. They were 28 miles from the Pole.
16 January
Scott writes:
The worst has happened, or nearly the worst… About the second hour of the march Bowers' sharp eyes detected what he thought was a cairn; he was uneasy about it but argued that it must be a sastugus. Half an hour later he detected a black speck ahead. Soon we knew that this could not be a natural feature. We marched on, found that it was a black flag tied to a sledge bearer; near by the remains of a camp; sledge tracks and ski tracks going and coming and the clear trace of dogs' paws- many dogs. This told us the whole story. The Norwegians have forestalled us and are first at the Pole. It is a terrible disappointment and I am sorry for my loyal companions.
17 January
The South Pole is reached.
18 January
Measurements put them closer to the true geographic Pole.
A tent of Amundsen's is discovered with a note from him to Scott. Scott learns that the Norwegians were at the Pole on 16 December 1911.
Scott finishes his diary for the day with:
Well, we have turned our back now on the goal of our ambition and must face our 800 miles of solid dragging- and good-bye to most of our day-dreams!
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Predicted times
Section A: The Ross Ice Shelf
26 October
Fly to Antarctica
1 November
Depart Scott Base
Position S77.51.00 E166.45.00
Distance to Depot #1 - 100km (6 days, ave 16.6km/d )
Bearing to Depot #1 - 22°M (168°T) Decl. 146°
6 November
Arrive Depot #1 North Ice Shelf
Projected GPS Location S78.41.16 E167.48.30
Distance from Scott Base - 100km
Distance to Depot #2 - 200km (10 days, ave 20km/d)
Bearing to Depot #2 - 20°M (167°T) Decl. 147°
Food cached - 9kg
Fuel cached 1.8
3 days supply (total 10.8kg)
16 November
Arrive Depot #2 North Central Ice Shelf
Projected GPS Location S80.26.59 E170.22.56
Distance from Depot #1 - 200km
Distance to Depot #3 - 200km (10 days, ave 20km/d)
Bearing to Depot #3 - 19°M (163°T) Decl. 144°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres D
5 days supply (total 18kg)
26 November
Arrive Depot #3 Central Ice Shelf
Projected GPS Location S82.09.01 E174.06.52
Distance from Depot #2 - 200km
Distance to Depot #4 - 200km (9 days, ave 22.2km/d)
Bearing to Depot #4 - 15°M (160°T) Decl. 145°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres
5 days supply (total 18kg)
5 December
Arrive Depot #4 South Central Ice Shelf
Projected GPS Location S83.48.00 E179.51.12
Distance from Depot #3 - 200km
Distance to Depot #5 - 82km (4 days, ave 20.5km/d)
Bearing to Depot #5 - 21°M (164°T) Decl. 143°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres
5 days supply (total 18kg)
9 December
Arrive Depot #5 South Ice Shelf
Projected GPS Location S84.27.00 W176.50.00
Distance from Depot #4 - 82km
Distance to Depot #6 - 132km (8 days, ave 16.5km/d)
Bearing to Depot #6 - 39°M (178°T) Decl. 139°
Food cached - 9kg
Section B: The Climb through the Transantarctic Mountains: The Shackleton Glacier
17 December
Arrive Depot #6 North Plateau
Projected GPS Location S85.37.30 W176.15.00
Distance from Depot #5 - 132km
Distance to Depot #7 - 200km (7 days, ave 28.6km/d)
Bearing to Depot #7 - 38°M (180°T) Decl. 142°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres
5 days supply (total 18kg)
Section C: The Polar Plateau/The Summit
24 December
Arrive Depot #7 Central Plateau
Projected GPS Location S87.24.56 W176.15.00
Distance from Depot #6 - 200km
Distance to Depot #8 - 200km (7 days, ave 28.6km/d)
Bearing to Depot #8 - 36°M (180°T) Decl. 144°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres
5 days supply (total 18kg)
31 December
Arrive Depot #8 South Plateau
Projected GPS Location S89.12.22 W176.15.00
Distance from Depot #7 - 200km
Distance to South Pole - 88km (3 days)
Return distance to Depot #8 - 160km (6 days, ave 26.6k/d)
Bearing to South Pole - 33°M (180°T) Decl. 147°
Food cached - 15kg
Fuel cached 3litres
5 days supply (total 18kg)
3 January
Arrive South Pole
GPS Location S90.00.00
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