I can tell you about climbing Everest, being lost in the Antarctic and surviving a plane crash.
Of course, I haven't actually done any of those things, but that's the beauty of books. You can live the lives of those far more courageous and bold than you without having to get up off the couch - a nice way of confronting cowardice without actually fixing anything or taking a real risk.
In the past while I have read three books that have to do with true stories of extraordinary circumstances: Into Thin Air, Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage, and Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors. All three are tremendous (all five-star ratings on my Goodreads account, enough to make any author swoon) and all three tell incredible stories, true stories with none of the Hollywood flair or alterations - these are real, historical accounts. But which one of the three events was the most incredible feat of survival? Which of the three had the most difficult circumstance? We'll take a look.
The Story:
1. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors
A rugby team takes an ill-fated plane trip over the Andes and crash lands in the snowy peaks. Rescue attempts prove futile, and they're all believed to be dead. Over half survive the crash, but left with no food, inadequate shelter, and little hope for rescue. As a last resort, the survivors resort to the cannibalism of their friends and family to stay alive. Seeking a way out means trudging through the mountains in hopes of reaching a town.
2. Into Thin Air
A team of climbers attempt to reach the peak of Mount Everest, led by a few experienced guides which do this for a living and a number of sherpas to help them along the way. Snowstorms and blizzards assault them savagely, and with dwindling oxygen, they have to fight to get down the mountain to safety. It's cold. It's blinding. It's Everest.
(I tried to make the last part sound like a movie promo.)
3. Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
Back in 1914 when men were men, a team of twenty-eight set out to conquer the Antarctic. Their ship gets caught in the ice (surprise surprise) and they must find their way back with little in the way of navigational tools and supplies. It's cold. It's wet. It's the Antarctic.
Deaths:
1.
Of the initial fourty-five that were on the plane, twenty-seven survived the crash, which feels like a miracle in and of itself. However, not all were in the best of shape, and a few would succumb to their injuries within just a few days. Later, an avalanche would claim more. In the end, sixteen eventually made it back to civilization.
2.
All told, there were eighteen people that went on the expedition to Everest. Eight of them would not make it back. If we're speaking strictly of percentages, the Everest climbers lost the highest number (if we count the initial survivors of when the plane first went down in the Andes). It's eerie to think that with the lack of decomposition on the mountain, they would still be fairly well preserved still up near the peak. The book details the author's climb and how on the way up he would find the occasional corpse of a climber who met his end doing exactly what he was doing.
3.
Somehow - SOMEHOW - not a single man died on this expedition. If you read the book, you will recognize just how incredible that number is. I believe you can chalk that up to some 1914 hardiness and strength of will.
Difficulties:
1.
All three stories have certain aspects in common: extreme cold and the frostbite and limb damage that comes with it. Shackleton's and theirs adds hunger to the mix. What the Andes survivors had to endure was something else entirely; a level of mental anguish that I don't believe is comparable in the other two. Having to resort to cannibalism, and cannibalism of those they were speaking with only moments prior, is as trying a circumstance in and of itself as anything else.
As for physical difficulties, their way to rescue was sending two men to climb through the Andes with little more than a few pieces of human meat and whatever clothing they could find. It was a shot in the dark through mountainous regions without climbing experience, and it's the best they had - and it worked.
2.
Aside from the obvious difficulties associated with the cold, the climbers on Everest had to deal with being deprived of oxygen. They were frequently delirious, making the account of the expedition sometimes somewhat spotty and having to be backed by multiple sources. Some memories of the climbers seem to have been entirely hallucinations. Pair this with the sudden panic and desperation (a short, unbearable time rather than a stretched out unbearable time) would make decision making near impossible.
3.
Not only were they dealing with freezing cold, a lack of navigational equipment and low supplies, what they did have was from 1914. Their trek back should have been near impossible; they had to battle through not having set foot on land for the entirety of the expedition (they were living on icebergs that occasionally broke), finding their way through sheets of ice while freezing water poured onto their hands and into their boats, and upon finally reaching dry land the few men they sent out for rescue had to climb across a mountain range. That same mountain range hadn't been climbed ever before, and wasn't again for another fifty years. And considering they were planning on a boat trip and crossing flat Antarctic surfaces, you can imagine their climbing equipment (hint: they didn't have any).
Expectations and Risks:
1.
The Andes survivors were simply going on a plane. They had no preparation, no plans, no equipment, food, shelter, know-how, or anything beyond what you and I have right now. There was no contingency plan if they crashed, because a plane going down just isn't something you consider happening. There was no legitimate risk in their choice, not like the other two who actively decided on an expedition. These were regular folk put into an extraordinary position.
2.
Some say the reputation of Everest has been tarnished by the fact that any rich guy with even moderate physical ability can be practically carried up the mountain defeats the purpose. It's a fair point. However, Everest still claims the lives of climbers each and every year, reminding us that while we have conquered much of nature, she still has a few tricks up her sleeve. The climbers had every bit of equipment and knowledge of what to do. Their leaders were prepared and well-versed in climbing, having made it to the peak countless times. Yes, they ran into some bad weather (and some bad luck) but they knew the risks. They knew this could, technically, happen.
3.
Shackleton and crew were the most prepared for a catastrophe. Well, at least acknowledging that it may happen. The ad that was placed for Shackleton's voyage read as follows: "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success." They knew what they were getting into. However, being 1914 where the concept of safety was some newfangled idea, preparation for catastrophe was pretty scarce.
Hope of Rescue:
1.
The people in the Andes always had hope. Search parties went out on occasion, and having found a radio and managing to get it to function, they heard when planes were meant to be passing near or looking for them. Even when they heard they were stopping the searches (later restarting them) they knew Chile and civilization lay somewhere to the west. As for a plan - well, it was basically send their best and hope.
2.
They did have the right gear, that's for sure. You don't go to Everest without packing the right stuff. However, when you're completely snow-blind in a blizzard on top of the world, having it and using it are two entirely different things. A lack of communication and cognizance caused by oxygen deprivation and lack of sight spun everything wildly out of control. How are you supposed to find your way down a mountain when you can hardly see ten feet in front of you?
3.
I cannot describe the chances of rescue for Shackleton's group without going into very lengthy detail. Their journey was long and arduous, and perhaps the least possible of the three - in spite of not losing a single man. One guy even had a heart attack, and another had to have his foot cut off with only the medical supplies they had taken from the boat, but even they toughed it out. They travelled the farthest distance through ungodly conditions, and pulled off some feats that no man should reasonably be able to do. However... they knew what they were getting into, and Shackleton himself was an experienced explorer.
Time:
1.
From the day the plane crashed to the day they were rescued was a full seventy days. Months on a snow-capped mountain with blizzard conditions and no food seems like certain death, and by all means it should have been.
2.
From what I can tell, the actual catastrophic event of the blizzard that caused the deaths of the climbers seemed to occur over two days. However, you could argue that those two days were worse than two days any of the others experienced, as if they had to continue in those conditions they likely wouldn't have lasted much longer. A day or two at the most.
3.
Here's the topper for the Shackleton expedition. They set out on December 5, 1914 and returned on August 30... 1916! That's a whole year and a half surviving off whatever supplies they could carry and pilfer from their sinking boat, hunting seals and penguins in a frozen wasteland that not even the light of the sun survives in for long. They were so long forgotten no one was even considering their survival - especially since the war had taken the public eye.
Geez. Can we just call it a three-way tie?
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For more info, check out my three-part blog on Shackleton's voyage on my history blog.
http://idiothistorian.blogspot.ca/2015/06/shackletons-endurance-setting-sail.html
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