Post #5

In the beginning of Section 5 the men have finally made it to land. There is excitement and relief but not for long. The men realize that the area on which they set up camp is only sufficient in good weather. Once the tide and storms come in their camp would have no chance in surviving. Shackleton sends a team out to find a better spot and after many hours the team returns with good news of another area for landfall. The following morning the men load the boats and are back out on the water. One of the boats is almost lost during the short journey but all three do end up making it to the second spot. Unfortunately for the men, this new spot was probably just as bad as the first. There was no shelter or rocks to block the wind so the men were perpetually in a wind tunnel. Their tents were barely able to stay up and any time someone put something down there was a good chance it would fly away. Despite the high winds and lack of dry clothing the men were pretty content with their situation. The men were finally able to sleep on solid land without the fear of falling into the water.
 Motivation did not cease to exist even though many of the men suffered from frost bite and Blackboro had to have his toes snipped off. Things begin to become a little dreary in chapters 2 and 3. Shackleton and a team of 5 men prepared for a journey to South Georgia for a chance of rescue. The men in the camp worked to have the Caird ready for such an adventure. I think the saddest apart about these chapters are the letters that Shackleton writes about what is to happen if he doesn't return. The men are obviously aware that this may happen but none openly speak about it. I think it is amazing that the men manage to keep their morale and faith in Shackleton high despite everything that has happened to them. From this point on the men are anxiously playing the waiting game. They try to keep themselves occupied while they wait for the rest of their team to return. They build a shelter out of the remaining two boats and swap ideas about the food they would eat if they could have anything that they wanted. Their endurance level is high but their motivation seems to slip. As the time passes without sight of a rescue ship the men begin to think the worst. The last sentence of chapter 6 is an entry from Orde-Lees' diary. It reads "There is no good in deceiving ourselves any longer." (pg. 215) The men are slowly hope so the next section should be interesting. Hopefully the men will be able to keep themselves together and hold on a little longer.