Easter in Antarctica
 | Author:
Matt Nelson
MT43 News Correspondent |
Easter in Antarctica Matt Nelson On February 8, 1902, the British ship RRS Discovery landed at McMurdo at Ross Island in Antarctica. Commander Robert Falcon Scott led the British National Antarctic Expedition, and he was accompanied by Ernest Shackleton, Dr. Edward Wilson, Frank Wild, Tom Crean, and George Vince, among several other men. The Discovery was moored in a natural harbor called Winter Quarters Bay, located next to a small hill on a peninsula, where the men erected the pre-fab Discovery hut on top of it. After the hut was built, the peninsula was named Hut Point. The ultimate objective was for Commander Scott, Edward Wilson, and Ernest Shackleton to trek to the South Pole. They didn’t make it that year.
On March 11th Seaman George Vince slipped on the ice and fell to his death in the waters of McMurdo Sound. His body wasn’t recovered, but a memorial cross was placed at the top of Hut Point.
Captain Scott, Dr. Edward A. Wilson, Lt. Henry Bowers, Captain Lawrence ‘Titus’ Oates, and Petty Officer Edgar Evans sailed to McMurdo in the ship Terra Nova in 1911, to make another attempt to go to the South Pole. They all actually made it to the South Pole 800 miles away on January 17, 1912, but were beaten on December 14, 1911 by the Norwegian team, led by Roald Amundsen. All five of Captain Scott’s team died on their return trip to McMurdo. Observation Hill (Ob Hill) is 750 feet above McMurdo. At the peak there is a cross made of Australian jarrah wood, erected in 1913, as a memorial to these British Antarctic / South Pole explorers. Carved into the cross are words from Tennyson’s Ulysses, “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield”.
I have made 9 trips to Antarctica, the first six from 1986 until 1994, each being a month in duration, tracking satellites at McMurdo and the South Pole. Each of these trips occurred in the November to February timeframe. In 1996 I Wintered-Over at McMurdo, meaning I was there from January until November, and again in 2012, from January until August. No planes were in or out for several months. In 2012, 153 people Wintered-over. There were about 4 months of almost total darkness between May and August. I was at the South Pole again from November, 2016 until February, 2017.
Easter Sunday April 7, 1996
For the first time in my life I attended Sunrise Services, this year at the Chapel of the Snows. Calm wind, clear sky, a few glowing clouds, cold air on our faces, we read Words from the Bible, sang a couple of songs, and meditated: "Christ the Lord has Risen today. Come Worship Me, this Sunrise is My gift to you, people of Antarctica".
I was thinking about the Cross on Ob Hill, and wondering just what is the message of the Cross. As if the man behind me read my thoughts, I heard him say, 'Celebration of Life'. I added another word to that statement, 'Celebration of Life, Everlasting'. I thought how painful it must have been for Jesus to carry His Cross, alone. But he had an even heavier load. He was carrying the weight of all of our sins. The Cross is a symbol that if we ask forgiveness of our sins, and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, that we too can celebrate everlasting life.
Just as there were three crosses that day Jesus was crucified, there are three crosses visible at McMurdo – one at Hut Point and one on Ob Hill. Jesus was hung on the center Cross; the center Cross at McMurdo is the Southern Cross constellation, directly overhead. The Southern Cross in the Heavens is God’s gift that says, ‘By following the message of the Cross, we can celebrate everlasting life in Heaven’.
Easter Sunday, April 8, 2012
We had another Easter “Sunrise” Service at the Cross on Hut Point. I read six passages about the Resurrection taken from the last chapters of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to the 18 people who went there. Then we all went to the Chapel of the Snows for more of a traditional Easter service. Although I have been a Christian most of my life, I have never felt such emotion at any Easter services as I did in Antarctica. After lunch I hiked up Ob Hill with some other people. Seeing the empty rugged old cross on Easter Sunday was very powerful, indeed.
About half of the attendees during the Winter church services were Protestant and the other half were Catholic. We all believe in the same God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. We followed the Catholic Missal, taking turns reading passages from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospels. We discussed the readings, and often people talked about how these passages of Scripture were relevant to life at McMurdo. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them”. Matt. 18: 20.
Even at the bottom of the world, one feels the presence of Jesus: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world”. Matthew 28:20
On a hill not too far away, stands an Old Rugged Cross. He has Risen.
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Memorial Cross to CAPT Scott and his men on top of Ob Hill
Image 2 Caption: Vince Cross at Hut Point
Image 3 Caption: Discovery Hut at Hut Point, Royal Society Mountains in background
