David Welky

Following explorer Robert Peary's 1905-1906 Arctic expedition, he maintained that he had spotted a landmass unknown to science northwest of Canada's Ellesmere Island, which he dubbed "Crocker Land." His assertions inspired Donald MacMillan, a teacher and exploration enthusiast who had accompanied Peary on that journey, to secure funding and launch a followup trek with the goal of confirming the existence of this potentially new and exciting geographic discovery. Author David Welky has researched this second expedition and presented here the detailed story of adventure, accidents, discoveries, surprises, disappointments, murder, and lots of cold, cold weather.

Although not as gripping as I'd hoped – I was expecting decidedly more serious situations in which I'd be left wondering "Oh, no! Will they survive?!" – I'd never heard of MacMillan nor his Arctic journey prior, so it was rather fascinating to learn of the amount of sheer work, determination and supplies that went into an endeavor like this, and the number of things that have to go exactly right in order not to delay plans by days, if not months or years. Definitely recommended for fans of adventure and exploration.… (meer)

This is the most pathetic polar expedition I've ever read about. The characters are portrayed as foolish or incompetent, there are so many false starts it's hard to keep track of what's happening, the amount of time spent exploring is minimal and not particularly interesting, and there is a mass of tangential and trivial information like a kitchen sink the author includes it all. Needless to say, I did not enjoy this book. There are some interesting if dark side-stories, such as Green's crime and Perry's lie, but they didn't discover anything noteworthy in the Arctic and it's one stupid mistake after the next, but without the heroics and literary art of another contemporary bumbler, Scott. The book is sufficient as a history and unsurprisingly the only modern account of this forgettable expedition, which even the participants wished had never happened.… (meer)

It was not all that long ago when explorers first penetrated the Arctic. A curious history professor's interest in that effort resulted in this fascinating book. David Welky's work, A Wretched and Precarious Situation: In Search of the Last Arctic Frontier, looks at the exploration of what was then a brand new frontier.

One of the early treks into the far north led to a belief that there was a continent called Crocker Land. The mistaken assumption was born because of an illusion that was conveyed as fact by famed explorer Robert Peary. When the American Museum of Natural History in New York decided to finance an expedition to probe the supposed continent, this became big news.

The continent that didn't exist was named in honor of George Crocker, a financial backer of the failed 1906 Peary attempt to reach the North Pole. The hubbub was heard loud and clear after Peary related what he thought he had seen on the trip. Prospects of finding Crocker Land sparked continued interest in Arctic exploration until the fascination waned because of the First World War.

Explorers of this time scarcely more than a hundred years ago were a hardy bunch. Peary himself lost eight toes, amputation necessitated by frostbite. Murder was committed by an explorer who later failed to come clean with what really happened. There were times of severe lack of ample food to keep the explorers properly nourished. After going months without bathing many became infested with lice.

The book is spellbinding, and very well written. It must have been hours of painstaking research to uncover the interesting details. Welky deserves high accolades. It's one of those works that is difficult to put down. If you are like me you probably will be looking for more online facts about the people and places mentioned. You will love this piece of excellent non-fiction if you have a passion for adventure.… (meer)