Locked in Ice: Nansen's Daring Quest for the North Pole

by Peter Lourie

Overview

A spellbinding biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the pioneer of polar exploration, with a spotlight on his harrowing three-year journey to the top of the world.

An explorer who many adventurers argue ranks alongside polar celebrity Ernest Shackleton, Fridtjof Nansen contributed tremendous amounts of new information to our knowledge about the Polar Arctic. At a time when the North Pole was still undiscovered territory, he attempted the journey in a way that most experts thought was mad: Nansen purposefully locked his ship in ice for two years in order to float northward along the currents. Richly illustrated with historic photographs, this riveting account of Nansen's Arctic expedition celebrates the legacy of an extraordinary adventurer who pushed the boundaries of human exploration to further science into the twentieth century.

Christy Ottaviano Books

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250137647
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	01/29/2019
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.70(h) x 1.30(d)
Age Range:	9 - 14 Years

About the Author

Peter Lourie has written many award-winning nonfiction books for young readers. A true adventurer, he has traveled all over the world to research his subjects—from the cloud forest of Ecuador in search of Inca treasure, to Lake Turkana in northwestern Kenya on the Ethiopian border, to Tierra del Fuego, and the jungles of Rondonia, Brazil.

He is the author of several books about the Arctic: The Polar Bear Scientists, Whaling Season, and Arctic Thaw. He lives in Vermont with his family.

Table of Contents

Introduction XVII

Part 1 Fridtjof Nansen and His Dream 1861-1893

Young Skier 3

The Viking and First Arctic Ice 4

Bergen and a Daring Trek Over the Mountains 8

Greenland 10

Eva 19

Nansen Sets His Sights on the North Pole 20

The Plan: Follow the Jeannette 22

Building An Ice Ship 28

A Crew of Twelve 28

Part 2 The Journey North June 24, 1893-March 14, 1894

Leaving Home 35

The Fram Locked In Ice 40

Life Aboard the Fram: The Adventure and Monotony of Being Stuck in Ice 45

Science Aboard 59

Decision to Leave the Ship 64

Part 3 Outfitting for a Two-Man Dash February 1895

Preparations 75

Tent 78

Clothing 78

Double Sleeping Bag 80

Sleds, Kayaks, and Guns 81

Cook Kit and Medicine 85

Instruments for Navigation 86

Part 4 Onto The Ice March 14-April 6, 1895

Each Mile A Mew Record 89

The Cold 96

First Dog to Die 99

The Ice, The Routine, The Dogs 101

Cracking Ice and Opening Leads 103

Desperate Work 105

Farthest North 107

Part 5 Turning South April 8-May 31, 1895

Calculations 113

Thin Ice and Burning the Third Sled 116

Birthday, Narwhals, and Bear Tracks 120

The Birds Come Back 122

Part 6 To The Kayaks June 1-July 22, 1895

Mending the Kayaks 127

Water Sky, The Color of Hope 128

One Dog Left For Nansen, Two For Johansen 129

Salvation is a Seal 132

Seal-Blood Pancakes and Tent On Fire 134

First Bear 135

Departing Homesick Camp 138

Part 7 Land at Last July 25-August 15, 1895

"We Shall Reach It Today!" 141

Polar Bear Attack 143

Following Along Glaciers 146

Rogue Walrus 149

Feet on Dry Land 150

Part 8 Franz Josef Land Beats, Walrus, and a Winter Home August 16-September 30, 1895

But What Land? 153

Cold Closing in, Time to Winter Over 154

Harvesting Walrus for Winter 156

Building a Winter Dwelling 158

Part 9 Polar Night October 1-December 31, 1895

Bear-Meat Soup and Blubber Cakes 165

Thieving Foxes 166

Dwelling Comfort 167

Idle Arctic Days and Nights 167

Leaden Darkness Outside 169

Christmas and New Year's Eve 171

Part 10 Preparing to Move Again January 1-May 18, 1896

The Tromsø Sloop 177

The Return of Bears 180

Final Preparations for the Journey South 182

Part 11 The Journey Southward May 19-June 16, 1896

Departure and a Note 187

Near Disaster 190

A Life-Or-Death Swim 192

Walrus Revenge 197

Part 12 Rescue Cape Flora, Northbrook Island June 17, 1896

A Sound Like the Bark of a Dog 201

Getting Johansen 205

Jackson's House 208

Part 13 Norway June 18-August 12, 1896

Vanishing Cavemen 213

Time with Jackson 214

The Windward 216

Return to Vardø 217

Part 14 Home August 13-September 9, 1896

Vardø 221

Eva and Liv 222

Tromsø Reunion 225

What had Happened to the Fram? 226

Kristiania 232

Epilogue 1896-1930 235

Author's Note 249

After Matter 253

Appendix 255

Sources 303

Selected Bibliography and Resources 304

Websites 306

Image Credits 307

Index 309

Editorial Reviews

"Lourie has done a superb job of recreating an epic, little-known story of white-knuckled adventure and survival. Well written, the story sets a brisk pace and is enlivened by a generous selection of photographs and Nansen’s own well-executed sketches."—Booklist

"A vivid account of Norwegian scientist, explorer, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Fridtjof Nansen's 1893-1896 try for the North Pole . . .Colorful, exhausting, compelling reading. The highly informative appendix includes a wealth of information."—Kirkus Reviews

"The book is spellbinding and well researched . . .The narrative is fast paced with rich detail. This is a solid choice for readers who enjoy history, adventure, and biography."—VOYA

"[This] harrowing journey through the brutal Arctic landscape—documented here through black-and-white photographs, line drawings, and journal entries—became legendary. Lourie provides an intriguing portrait of the man and his journey."—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

2019-02-17

A vivid (sometimes all too much so) account of Norwegian scientist, explorer, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Fridtjof Nansen's 1893-1896 try for the North Pole.

Though the Nansen expedition was possibly even more meticulously planned than Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic venture, both had similar results—neither reached their goals, but both endured weary months of such wild mischances that it seems miraculous that neither lost a man. Lourie (Jack London and the Klondike Gold Rush, 2017, etc.) draws generously from Nansen's detailed records to describe the special gear and provisions he, in many cases, invented or improvised ("meat-chocolate," yum, giving way in later, more desperate, times to "cold boiled bear and a few ounces of bread"), to introduce his human and canine crews (the latter eventually becoming their own food supply), and to retrace the trek's route. The highly informative appendix includes a wealth of information, including conversations with modern polar explorers that present a picture of what being out on the arctic ice is like…highlighted by guidelines for pooping outdoors in subzero temperatures. Though the many sepia-toned maps and photographs are too often dim and foggy, the images add both flavor and immediacy to the narrative. Only glancing mention is made of all Nansen learned from the Inuit residents who aided him.

A thorough recounting of Nansen's unfairly half-forgotten achievements—colorful, exhausting, compelling reading. (author's note, aftermatter, appendix, sources, bibliography and resources, websites, image credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-15)

Kirkus Reviews