IRB Media Summary of David Roberts's Alone on the Ice

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Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview: #1 The Australasian Antarctic Expedition was led by Douglas Mawson in 1912. Mawson's tentmates were Belgrave Ninnis and Xavier Mertz, who were both well-liked by the crew. Mertz was nicknamed X by his teammates, who teased him on account of his uncertain English.#2 Mawson was a leader who hated idleness, and he demanded the most from his teammates. He was also very aloof, but his personal charm made up for it. He had no women in his life before the age of 27, when he met Paquita Delprat.#3 The AAE was focused on the stretch of Antarctica that lay directly south of Australia. After wintering over at Cape Denison, Mawson divided his team into three-man sledging parties, and sent them out to explore and map a huge tract of land no one had ever seen before.#4 The men tent-bound on November 12, as a 35 mph wind kept them inside. The next day, despite the wind blowing, the trio pushed on to a camp 18 miles away. The men were constantly fed reindeer meat, but the dogs would not eat Gadget, their pregnant dog, even when they were starving.