THE BRITISH-AUSTRALIAN explorer leading the team attempting to recreate a famous Antarctic expedition was stranded on a plateau only hours before completing his voyage after a blizzard forced the evacuation of the majority of his support team. 
 
 Tim Jarvis and mountaineer Barry Gray “hunkered down” in a tent at Shackleton’s Gap in order to avoid the extreme weather conditions, including wind gusts of 45 knots and a mixture of rain, sleet and snow causing zero visibility. Jarvis and Gray assured their support team on Saturday that they would continue their expedition when conditions improved, ultimately completing their epic journey during a small break in the adverse weather conditions on Monday morning. 
 
 Upon arrival at former whaling station Stromness, Jarvis said: “These early explorers were iron men in wooden boats and while modern man mostly travel around in iron vessels, I hope we’ve been able to emulate some of what they achieved. There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone has a Shackleton double in them and I hope we’ve inspired a few people to find theirs.” 
 
 Jarvis’s team had been attempting to replicate the famous expedition of British adventurer Ernest Shackleton, who was shipwrecked while attempting to cross Antarctica from coast-to-coast in the 1910s. After his ship sunk after being frozen in an ice floe, Shackleton and a small crew were forced to navigate dangerous waters and trek 51 kilometres over mountainous terrain to reach a whaling station and seek help. 
 
 Shackleton was ultimately able to arrange the rescue of his crew members after they had endured almost five months of isolation in the harsh Antarctic terrain. Despite their struggle to survive, Shackleton’s team did not incur any casualties and the explorer’s intense mission to find help became a staple part of Antarctic folklore. 
 
 Jarvis’s expedition had already completed the dangerous crossing of the Southern Ocean before being stranded by the adverse weather. After resuming their voyage they faced a two-day climb through the mountainous region of South Georgia before completing their expedition. 
 
 The expedition had endeavoured to recreate Shackleton’s experience as authentically as possible, only using mountain-climbing gear and navigation equipment that the original team would have utilised in the early 1900s. Jarvis and Gray were resupplied at their position in Shackleton’s Gap over the weekend by members of their crew, who were forced to use modern equipment in order to safely access their colleagues. 
 
 Jarvis and Gray were the only remaining members of the original six-person team that set out on the journey. Several of their teammates were forced to withdraw from the expedition after contracting trench foot – a debilitating rotting of the feet – while on the 19-day sea voyage to South Georgia Island from the site of Shackleton’s shipwreck. 
 
 Jarvis, inducted as a Member of the Order of Australia in 2010, is a prominent environmental scientist that advises agencies such as the World Bank and AusAID on issues of sustainability and conservation. He recently completed another re-enactment of a historical Antarctic expedition, tracing the path of Australian explorer Sir Douglas Mawson’s ill-fated 1912 voyage across the continent. ||||| What do you think? 
 
 A team of exhausted but elated explorers successfully recreated Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic survival journey Monday, completing a three-day climb across mountains despite a treacherous blizzard. 
 
 Expedition leader Tim Jarvis and Barry Gray reached the old whaling station at Stromness early Monday (2245 GMT Sunday) after a 900-metre (2,950-foot) climb over the mountainous interior of South Georgia. 
 
 "It was epic, really epic, and we've arrived here against the odds," said Jarvis, who with Gray completed the climb using the same kind of clothing and gear that Shackleton and his men would have worn in 1916. 
 
 "The ice climb at the Tridents is a serious thing and Shackleton didn't exaggerate -- with ice at 50 degrees, with one wrong foot, we could have careened down a crevasse." 
 
 Jarvis, 46, said he and Gray, 38, had more than 20 crevasse falls up to their knees during the climb with the latter plunging into one up to his armpits, requiring their one-man support crew to help pull him free. 
 
 "These early explorers were iron men in wooden boats and while modern man mostly travel around in iron vessels, I hope we've been able to emulate some of what they achieved," he said. 
 
 "There's no doubt in my mind that everyone has a Shackleton double in them and I hope we've inspired a few people to find theirs." 
 
 The crossing follows a 12-day re-enactment of Shackleton's 800 nautical mile journey in a spartan lifeboat from Elephant Island to South Georgia, along with four other members of the British-Australian team. 
 
 Jarvis and Gray had planned to make the mountain crossing within 24 hours but were held up by an extreme storm. 
 
 They were forced to hunker down on the mountain, resorting to using a modern tent and sleeping bags to stay alive as snow and sleet and 50 knot winds pounded them on Saturday. 
 
 "We've had to adapt just as Shackleton and his men did and we had to survive," said Jarvis, adding there were times they thought they might not make it. 
 
 Shackleton's 1916 journey to raise the alarm about the sinking of his ship the Endurance is considered one of the greatest-ever survival tales. 
 
 During his third visit to the region the explorer's boat became trapped in 1915 and sank 10 months later as it was crushed by the advancing ice. 
 
 After living on the floating ice until April 1916, they set off in three small boats for Elephant Island. 
 
 From there, Shackleton and five crew made the voyage to South Georgia, reaching their destination 16 days later to face the mountainous trek to the whaling station at Stromness to raise the alarm. 
 
 All members of the Endurance were eventually rescued. 
 
 Shackleton is considered among the great Antarctic explorers, along with Norway's Roald Amundsen, the first man to reach the South Pole in 1911, Australian explorer Douglas Mawson and Briton Robert Falcon Scott. 
 
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 http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130210/explorers-complete-shackletons-epic-antarctic-journey ||||| Three months ago Henry Worsley set out to pay the ultimate tribute to Sir Ernest Shackleton by completing the epic Antarctic crossing his lifelong hero was forced to abandon in 1916. 
 
 The former SAS officer, operating solo and unaided, managed to drag himself and his equipment 913 miles across the ice, but despite the benefit of modern technology he discovered, to his cost, that Antarctica remains the same perilous and unforgiving place it was a century ago. 
 
 Like another of his idols, Robert Falcon Scott, he found himself trapped by exhaustion, illness and extreme cold when he was within touching distance of safety, and having been airlifted to hospital on Friday his “heartbroken” wife announced yesterday that the expedition had cost him his life. 
 
 As his friend the Duke of Cambridge led tributes to him, fellow explorers suggested Mr Worsley’s “extraordinary” journey would place him in the Pantheon of Antarctic pioneers alongside the men he was trying to emulate. 
 
 Sir Ernest Shackleton's granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton said Mr Worsley's death was a "huge loss to the adventuring world", while the polar explorer David Hempleman-Adams said his attempt to make the first solo, unaided and unassisted crossing of the continent was “absolutely phenomenal”. 
 
 Father of two Mr Worsley, 55, set out to cross the Antarctic via the same route that Shackleton had planned, aiming to raise money for the Endeavour Fund, one of the Duke of Cambridge’s charities. A descendant of Frank Worsley, the captain of Shackleton’s ship the Endurance, he was a veteran of two other Antarctic expeditions. 
 
 • Henry Worsley obituary 
 
 From the very beginning, however, he began to experience the sort of ill fate and appalling weather his heroes had battled against, frequently having to stop for days at a time to wait out blizzards and storms. He encountered “hellish soft snow”, countless white-outs, temperatures of -44C and lost one of his front teeth in an accident. 
 
 Last week, just 30 miles from the finish line and after 71 days of relentless slog, he found he could go no further. His last despatch from the Antarctic evoked the courage and stoicism of the great Edwardian explorers when he said “a gradual grinding down of my physical endurance finally took its toll today, and it is with sadness that I report it is journey’s end – so close to my goal”. 
 
 Having called for help on his satellite phone, he was airlifted to hospital in Chile, where he was found to be suffering from exhaustion, dehydration and bacterial peritonitis, an inflammation of the abdomen that can cause sepsis. He underwent surgery and his wife Joanna flew to South America, but before she got to the hospital in Punta Arenas on Sunday he had died from complete organ failure. 
 
 Joanna Worsley, 56, said it was with “heartbroken sadness” that she announced her husband’s death on “his courageous final challenge”, adding: “Henry achieved his Shackleton Solo goals: of raising over £100,000 for the Endeavour Fund, to help his wounded colleagues, and so nearly completing the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic landmass… under exceptionally difficult weather conditions”. 
 
 Photo: Kensington Palace @KensingtonRoyal 
 
 The Endeavour Fund, managed by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, supports injured veterans who want to take up an adventurous challenge as a way of helping their rehabilitation. 
 
 His death has led to a surge of donations to the fund he set up, which have more than doubled to £205,000, of which around half has come in to Mr Worsley's fundraising page since his death was announced. 
 
 Mr Worsley had known the Duke of Cambridge since 2011 when the Duke agreed to be patron of the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race, in which Mr Worsley led a team of six soldiers along the original 1912 route taken by Roald Amundsen when the Norwegian became the first man to reach the South Pole. 
 
 At Christmas Prince William phoned him to say he was doing a "cracking job" and wished him luck for the rest of his trip. 
 
 Yesterday the Duke said: "Harry and I are very sad to hear of the loss of Henry Worsley. He was a man who showed great courage and determination and we are incredibly proud to be associated with him.” 
 
 Praising his “selfless commitment” to his wounded colleagues, he added: “We have lost a friend, but he will remain a source of inspiration to us all.” 
 
 Mr Worsley, of Fulham, west London, left the Army in October as a Lt Col after a 36-year career in which he was awarded the MBE for service on operations in Northern Ireland and the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service while commanding 2nd Bn The Royal Green Jackets. He leaves his widow and children Max, 21, and Alicia, 19. 
 
 The head of the Army, General Sir Nick Carter, a close friend of Mr Worsley, told the BBC: "He is an extraordinary combination because on the one hand he is very compassionate, he has huge humanity, he appreciates things like art and beauty and he is wonderful with the young. 
 
 "At the same time he is a remarkable, brave man - a hard man with extraordinary traits of courage and determination and tenacity to try and achieve his goal, but he does all of it with the most extraordinary modesty and humility. 
 
 "You'd never know - like really brave men - how brave he really is." 
 
 David Beckham also paid tribute to him after Mr Worsley met the former England captain in Antarctica, where he was playing a football match as part of an epic fundraising drive. He said “no words can describe the sadness of the loss of Henry Worsley”. 
 
 Paul Rose, base commander for the British Antarctic Survey for 10 years, described Mr Worsley's expedition as "unheard of", adding: "It's a tremendous journey... the conditions haven't changed from Scott and Shackleton's days. The Antarctic is still an incredibly hostile place. 
 
 "I thought he would cruise the last little bit but when the system gets that run down then all kinds of things begin to happen." 
 
 Photo: PA 
 
 Harry Holt, chairman of the Endeavour Fund and a close personal friend who served with Mr Worsley in the Army, said: "We are devastated by the loss of Henry Worsley. The Endeavour Fund is very proud to have been associated with Henry's tremendous achievements but we mourn his sacrifice. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this dark hour." 
 
 Sir Ernest Shackleton's granddaughter Alexandra Shackleton said Worsley's death would be a "huge loss to the adventuring world". 
 
 "This is a day of great sadness. Henry will be a huge loss to the adventuring world and the fact that he very, very nearly made it - only 30 miles short of his goal - makes it in some way seem worse," she told the BBC. 
 
 "He was very energetic, very keen on testing himself, seeing how far he could get with his endeavours." 
 
 She added: "The whole point of this one was that Henry was doing it on his own. I suppose you could say he was doing more and more adventurous and interesting things. In this case sadly it was just a bit too taxing." 
 
 We have lost a friend, but he will remain a source of inspiration to us all The Duke of Cambridge 
 
 David Hempleman-Adams, the first Briton to walk solo and unsupported to the South Pole, said: "I think any Briton should be very proud of what he's achieved and what he's done and shown the rest of the world. 
 
 "We live in a society of health and safety and putting our kids into cotton wool boxes. He was contrary to that. He was going out pushing the limits to the extreme. He showed you could do extraordinary things if you put your mind to it.” 
 
 Speaking of the dangers faced by Antarctic explorers, he said: “You never ever think it's going to happen you. 
 
 "Of course, the history of Scott and others is always in the back of your mind, but you think it's a bygone age. 
 
 "I've been down there many times and but for the grace of God something could happen. It's just unfortunate his luck ran out." 
 
 So sad to hear that Antarctic explorer Henry Worsley @shackletonsolo has passed away. An inspiration to us all. — Ben Fogle (@Benfogle) January 25, 2016 
 
 Explorer died trying to emulate his heroes 
 
 Henry Worsley had a lifelong interest in the three great polar explorers of the Edwardian age: Capt Robert Falcon Scott, Roald Amundsen and Sir Ernest Shackleton. 
 
 In 2008/9 he recreated Shackleton's "Nimrod" journey to Antarctica, and in 2012 he led a team of six soldiers in a race along Amundsen's 1912 route to the South Pole. A century earlier, Amundsen had beaten Scott to the Pole and made it safely back; Scott got there 35 days later and on his return journey, 150 miles from base camp and 11 miles from the next supply depot, he and his team died from exhaustion, starvation and extreme cold. He became an instant hero with the British public. 
 
 No words can describe the sadness of the loss of Henry Worsley. I was lucky enough to have met Henry on my way out to... Posted by David Beckham on Monday, January 25, 2016 
 
 Scott’s route was a return journey of 1,766 miles; further than Land’s End to John O’Groats and back. 
 
 Mr Worsley died trying to complete the 943-mile journey that Sir Ernest Shackleton was forced to abandon in 1916 when his ship, Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and was slowly crushed before the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition could make a start. 
 
 The 28-man crew of the Endurance drifted on the ice for more than a year before the ice broke up enough for them to launch their lifeboats and make it as far as Elephant Island off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. 
 
 Shackleton then embarked with five other men on a 720-mile voyage across the Antarctic Ocean in an open 20-ft lifeboat, the James Caird, reaching the inhabited island of South Georgia 16 days later. It is regarded as one of the greatest feats of ocean navigation ever completed. 
 
 Deeply sad to hear about Henry Worsley's death. A brave man, a friend and someone we should all be proud of. — Andy McNab (@The_Real_McNab) January 25, 2016 
 
 When they made landfall on South Georgia, Shackleton and two of the crew made the first ever overland crossing of the island to a whaling station on the other side, where he was able to organise a rescue party. 
 
 The remaining crew members on Elephant Island were finally rescued three months after they had waved off the James Caird. All 28 crew survived their two-year ordeal, though three men on another ship had died laying supply dumps from the opposite side of the continent that were intended to sustain the expedition party once they had passed the South Pole. 
 
 Sir Edmund Hillary said of the great Edwardian polar pioneers: “For scientific discovery give me Scott; for speed and efficiency of travel give me Amundsen; but when disaster strikes and all hope is gone, get down on your knees and pray for Shackleton.” 
 
 Shackleton died in 1922 after suffering a heart attack in South Georgia as he prepared for another Antarctic expedition. He was 47. 
 
 Henry Worsley knew well the dangers of his Antarctic expedition 
 
 Lou Rudd, who completed an 800-mile Antarctic trek with Henry Worsley in 2012, remembers the friend who put his life on the line. 
 
 Henry Worsley will have known well the dangers of his expedition. The trek that claimed his life at the weekend was his third polar expedition and came after a distinguished military career that included many cold weather deployments. 
 
 In that time he built invaluable skills and experience and topped them up with months of hard research. 
 
 Ranged against him was simply the most inhospitable place on the planet. 
 
 For any polar expedition, the worst enemy is the environment. Antarctica is the coldest and the windiest place on earth. 
 
 A message from The Duke of Cambridge following the tragic news about Henry Worsley https://t.co/HRyVWpoLRa pic.twitter.com/w9ncGg6r5A — Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 25, 2016 
 
 Four years ago, Henry and I completed an 800-mile unsupported journey in the footsteps of Roald Amundsen. As we left the coast, the temperature quickly plummeted from -20C to -40C and at one point sank to -53C. It feels far worse, because you are buffeted by winds typically reaching 40 to 50mph. 
 
 Altitude is another enemy. The pole itself is around 9,000ft up. 
 
 Then there is the back-breaking physical demand of hauling a sled packed with supplies. All three journeys that Henry undertook were unsupported treks where he was dropped at the start and then dragged everything he needed to survive for the next two-and-a-half months. With clothes, a tent, food, cooking fuel, the load can come in at about 330lb (150kg). The burden gets lighter as you proceed, but people have no idea what a physical and mental drain it can be day after day. The task means you can be burning up to 10,000 calories each day, but your attempts to minimise weight on your sled means you can’t carry enough food to replace all that. We were eating 6,000 calories each day and still lost three stone each over the course of the journey. 
 
 .@EndeavourFund is devastated by tragic conclusion to @shackletonsolo. We join Henry's family in mourning their loss pic.twitter.com/wkeDqyW0KO — Endeavour Fund (@EndeavourFund) January 25, 2016 
 
 Then there is the isolation. You have a satellite phone, but you are not calling your friends or family all the time. The phone is a safety precaution for brief calls back to the expedition team. For months you are on your own with not sign of human life. 
 
 More than 4,000 people have reached the summit of Everest, but only a handful have made unsupported treks to the South Pole. It’s a journey that takes a man to the limits of his endurance. 
 
 Lou Rudd is a polar expedition leader who in 2012 completed an 800 mile Antarctic trek with Henry Worsley. In November 2016 he will lead a six man team of Army reservists to the geographic South Pole to raise money for ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
– Two explorers managed to finish their re-creation today of Ernest Shackleton's famous survival journey from the Antarctic to South Georgia Island—but only after a blizzard stranded them on a high, icy plateau for hours, reports the Australian Times. Using only period gear and food, Tim Jarvis and Barry Gray had already completed a 12-day, 800-mile sea voyage in a wooden lifeboat from the site of Shackleton's original shipwreck on Elephant Island to South Georgia Island, but tough conditions forced four members of their crew to drop out. The journey then required a 32-mile trek across the island, over mountains up to 2,950-feet high, to reach on old whaling station, which is when rain, snow, and 45-knot winds forced the men to take shelter for 12 hours in a tent—a modern tent with modern sleeping bags, notes Global Post, along with some extra food supplied by their modern support team. But today, Jarvis and Gray completed the arduous journey. "There’s no doubt in my mind that everyone has a Shackleton double in them and I hope we’ve inspired a few people to find theirs," says Jarvis. Some of Shackleton's long-lost Scotch was last month returned to Antarctica.