Follow the public number: Planet Holiday
In the days when Omicron was blooming everywhere, how many people missed the summer of 2022 in such a trance.
From the occasional warm breeze at home at the beginning, to dehumidifying and cooling instead, the change of seasons has come as unexpectedly as a mutated virus.
If the body is not moving, the heart can be far away. At home, I chased the drama and read the book, comforting myself that "I have seen it and I have been there.".
During the coldest hours of the night, their breath solidified in the air into a shining cloud floating to the ground, and according to the local tribesmen, it made a faint and crisp metallic sound when it landed, which they called "the whisper of the stars."
- "Ice Kingdom"
"Ice and Snow Kingdom" - Douban gives a documentary epic with a high score of 9.3. After reading this book for two days, it seems that there has always been a small theater playing a large movie in my mind, and I sat in the audience and followed the film back to the era full of unknowns and explorations.
NO. 1
On the world map of the 1870s, the Arctic was blank. The endless Arctic Ocean, with no end in sight.
What is the end of this ice floes ?
At the end of the ice floes was the ice floes, a world where there was nothing but ice and snow, but people didn't know it at the time.
They speculate about the possibilities at the end of the Arctic, and the most highly regarded is —
“”
Scientists and navigators have gathered evidence that two major warm currents in the ocean go all the way north and eventually converge in the center of the Arctic, carrying heat and nutrients that warm the center of the Arctic without ice, forming "".
Open polar seas are not only land, oases, but even unknown human races and novel creatures.
▲ Janet
"Our little boat is as beautiful as a dream, and can do anything but talk" — these are the words Delong wrote during his last Arctic expedition.
This time, he commanded the American warship Janet and led 32 other crew members from San Francisco on July 8, 1879, with a map that they thought was accurate but was actually full of mistakes, all the way to the imaginary Open Polar Sea...
▲ Long March on Ice
From being trapped on the long ice to the sinking of the Janet;
From arduous ice marches to island landslides;
From fighting storms at sea in broken boats to trekking through hunger and frostbite...
Cold, sick, helpless...
On ice, at sea, on land...
They traveled 1,000 miles...
If you count the distance between the round-trip and the towing of tons of food and medicine and other supplies, it is even more miles, almost equivalent to walking from the northernmost part of China to Hainan.
In the ice and snow, they are all in good order
They sing, play cards, tell jokes, and organize Christmas and New Year's parties.
Chinese chef Ah San and flight attendant Dong Xing like to fly kites on the ice, they are "ignorant and carefree, seemingly neither worried about the future nor nostalgic for the past."
Faced with the trap of ice floes that have not improved day after day, Captain Delong also wrote in frustration - "Man is, in the final analysis, just a more advanced machine... After starting and winding, he has to run monotonously and non-stop, no different from clocks";
But most of the time — "in the face of setbacks, he seems to be able to straighten out and live better... He almost always finds a little reason for optimism in the cracks"...
NO.2
Affection, love, friendship...
Courage, faith, perseverance...
Tired, powerless, lonely...
There is everything in this epic story, but there is no happy ending.
In the Arctic expedition, janet may be a failure;
But for those who aspire to explore the unknown, it's hard to say that "surviving, returning home, grilling in the oven, and drinking coffee" is a success day after day.
Life cannot be defined by conclusions such as "success or failure";
As it's written in the book —
"The more we see, the more we want to discover and understand. Success is only relative. ”
When I finished reading this thrilling story and its heartbreaking results, I was reminded of the words at the beginning of the book —
"Not everyone can receive grace... You must first experience suffering, go through hardships, and understand the misery of the world. That way, your eyes can see grace. ”
▲ The Delong family
NO.3
In addition to the story of human conquest of nature, nearly half of the book tells about various character portraits, background insiders, geographical environmental protection, cultural psychology, and many impressive parts, such as -
- It turns out that newspapers can also "tease you". In 1874, American newspaper headlines recorded fake news of lions and tigers and other beasts fleeing from the zoo and brutally attacking pedestrians, and although the prank once caused panic in New York, it eventually became a popular joke of the public.
- It turned out that it was not until 1876 that the United States ate ketchup and bananas for the first time. At this year's World's Fair in Philadelphia, visitors ate bananas wrapped in tin foil with forks and marveled at the Remington typewriter, Bell phone, and Edison lights.
- It turns out that the negative effects of modern civilization have been around for a long time. The U.S. fleet penetrated deep into the Arctic Circle, nearly 130,000 walruses were hunted to near extinction in the 1870s, and indigenous islanders fell into severe famine and even mass death due to prey shortages and addiction to American wine.
- It turns out that the consequences of "centrifugation" can be comparable to disaster. Captain Hall, who had set out earlier than Delon, was killed by his subordinates for mutiny—"If discontent begins to spread, it is a backbone that bulges out of displeasure." Small character flaws are magnified, and insignificant mistakes are seen as unforgivable crimes. Complaints become justice and occupy all the minds of people."
- By the way, the Janet also carried with her 40 sled dogs—stories of dogs, some happy, some heartbroken; and all kinds of Arctic animals, like polar bears—"It is a noble-looking beast, infinitely powerful, bravely living on the eternal ice field." ”
- The book also includes many letters from Delong's wife, Emma, who misses her lover and wishes for love...
Finally, a wave of five-star praise from Douban netizens:
Nothing to do at home in the afternoon,
Follow the words like this,
It's not a waste of time.
Reading is not a burden,
It doesn't have to be something,
Feel the experience, let go of the imagination, enjoy the process,
Every holiday can be a book day.
Follow the public number: Planet Holiday
Written by | True
Image | Ice Kingdom