Intro

A little over 100 years after the famous loss of the Endurance to Antarctic pack ice and the rescue of its entire crew of 28 more than a year later, Ernest Shackleton remains the archetype for heroic leadership under extreme duress. He kept his men alive through months of polar darkness and a major crossing in open lifeboats of some of the wildest seas on earth, then sought rescue by sailing another 720 miles and crossing the glaciers of South Georgia Island with screws driven into his boots and a 50-foot length of hemp rope. His reputation is well-deserved.

There’s more to the Shackleton story, though. At home, he could be a tyrant to his family. He was an easy mark for cons and get-rich-quick schemes. He racked up a ton of debt. He had lady friends. He promised his wife he wouldn’t return to Antarctica, but he did. Shackleton, it turns out, was human.

John Muir had deep friendships and was devoted to his two daughters.