The Man Who Crawled Back Across Antarctica

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]After both his companions died, Douglas Mawson was left alone in Antarctica.

[00:00:05]In 1912, Mawson set out with two men to map unknown Antarctic territory.

[00:00:10]Then Belgrave Ninnis vanished into a crevasse taking their best dogs, tent, and most of the food.

[00:00:16]Mawson and Xavier Mertz turned back with almost [music] nothing.

[00:00:20]To survive, they ate their remaining dogs not knowing the liver could poison them.

[00:00:25]Mertz became violently ill and died.

[00:00:28]Mawson kept moving alone, frostbitten, starving, and barely able to walk.

[00:00:33]At one point, he fell into another crevasse saved only by the rope to his sledge.

[00:00:38]When he finally reached base, the rescue ship had left only hours earlier.

[00:00:43]Douglas Mawson survived, but Antarctica made him pay for every step.