Shackletons First Nimrod Expedition

On January 23 of 1908 the Nimrod reached the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf where Shackleton intended to set up his base camp in a deep embayment he had discovered 

Shackleton was personally interested in reaching the geographic South Pole and therefore began laying depots for the trek south as soon as the weather permitted in September of 1908. On October 28 a group of four men led by Shackleton (i.e., Jameson Adams, Eric Marshall, and Frank Wild) headed south across the Ross Ice Shelf. They reached the mouth of the Beardmore Glacier and followed it up to the polar plateau. The team continued toward the South Pole by man-hauling on limited rations. On January 9 of 1909, at 88°23 S and 162°E, they were only 97 miles from 

By deciding to turn back when it was not safe to continue, Shackleton failed to reach his goal, but he achieved an even more important goal of bringing his companions back alive. Shackleton is widely admired for taking care of his men at the expense of his personal quest to reach the South Pole. 

A third party consisting of Raymond Priestley, Bertram Army tage, and Sir Philip Brocklehurst explored the Ferrar Glacier and the ice-free valleys of southern Victoria Land west of Ross Island. Both parties were picked up by the Nimrod and, after Shackleton and his men had returned from their trek, the Nimrod headed north and landed safely in Lyttelton Harbor on the South Island of New Zealand. Ernest Shackleton was knighted by the King of England for his achievements in Antarctica, but his career of geographic exploration did not end there. 

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