Land Of White Death

I've been doing some reading lately, pursuing my long-favorite adventure/ survivor motif. It's easy to get wrapped up in Russian navigator Valerian Albanov's extremely well-written page-turning account of his escape from an icebound ship, in 1914, into the wastes of the Arctic.

This exceptionally interesting tale, originally published in 1917, tells the tragedy of a doomed Russian Arctic expedition. After 2 winters locked in the ice, he and a group of ill-prepared and poorly equipped men left their stranded ship to journey without a map into the frozen arctic. Only 2 emerged 3 months later. Why do some survive, others not, under similar circumstances? At a time where we complain of parking too far from the mall entrance on a cold day, this quick-reading book is enjoyable not only because of the amazing description of a harrowing journey, but also because Albanov's conviction and determination are a lesson for our time. He shows that your will determines your future. My favorite passage is about the effort:

...to kindle some energy and bring back the will to survive at any price. The mind must command the limbs and convert itself into a force that controls the body, even if part of that body refuses to obey. Those who let themselves go in these circumstances quickly fall prey. There is no way out, other than remaining master of one's body, down to the last muscle. Every temptation must be repressed. When exhaustion temps one to rest, the legs give up. It is vital not to give in. One must continually urge the mind to victory in its overwhelming struggle against the body. The seductions of lethargy gradually creep in, ready to take over, and that is where the danger lies.

A remarkable book for its story of endurance and suffering, the will to survive, and its glimpse into human nature. Good training for long-distance bicycling.