Thanks to Tom J for suggesting "The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk" as a good book to read. I picked it up at the library and spent some time diving into it. It is the story of an arctic voyage in the early 1900's to find land under or near the north pole. The expedition leader did a crappy job of putting the trip together (not using the right tools and not being prepared) and did a poor job of leading the group. Yes, it sounds like a typical software development project. The ship eventually got stranded in the sea ice and drifted until it finally got crushed. At that point the people on the ship (both scientists and crewmembers) had to make the long and dangerous trek over the sea ice to Wrangel Island. From there the captain and one of the eskimos made their way to the Siberian mainland and then from there they finally made it back to Alaska (civilization? not really...) and sent word to the Canadian government that there were survivors so they can start a rescue operation. Some of the people on the island died while others survived to see the rescue. The ordeal lasted for over a year. They made the guy that crashed in the Sierras and walked out seem like a mere mortal. On top of the harsh environment they found themselves in they also saw that some of the people in their group were not exactly upstanding citizens. Overall it made for a very interesting book.
Posted by troutm8 at June 8, 2007 11:08 AM