Control: Getting Back from the Last Place on Earth
October 10th, 2002 by GregThe race to the South Pole is a great story — but the real race was getting back. I was raised on the myth of Robert Scott, the leader of the English expedition of 1911, and his heroic race to the South Pole against Roald Amundsen leader of Norwegian team. Scott struggled against fierce odds and died 11 miles from safety among brave companions. By contrast, Amundsen seems to have cheated. He traveled light and fast on skis and with dogs. But his real edge was less in technology and more in his approach to control. Scott was at heart a motivationist — success for him was a matter of will. Real men pulled their own sleds. Amundsen was a learner who won the 1500 mile race to the pole, and the more important one back.
They each started at about the same time but from different places. On the way out, both carried poles to mark the path where landmarks failed. Both stopped and marked the path at regular intervals. Scott placed one pole to mark the path. Amundsen placed at least three, one in the center and the others well to the left and right. Each was marked with colored bands to locate its position& placing poles on both sides of the track slowed his progress on the way out.
Coming back, both Scott and Amundsen struggled against the coming winter weather and limited visibility. Each had developed techniques for recording distance traveled and each relied on their poles to guide them back. Amundsen could be right or left of track and still find a pole, and adjust his track back toward the center for the next leg. His targets were wide so he rarely had to stop. Scott was forced to stop and send out searchers. Once the pole was found, the expedition had to be gathered before they could begin again. Point-to-point progress was slow when days mattered and rations were short. Amundsen moved so quickly in his wide path that he bypassed cached rations. He did not have to stay on or find the center of the track. Precise location wasn't required. Knowing he was in the track was enough.
Scott's system would have worked fine if it were hardly needed. Amundsen accepted that he would not be able to navigate with great precision and built a control system that led him back. If yer gonna be dumb, ya gotta be tough. (For more read "The Last Place on Earth" by Roland Huntford.)
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