During a Survival situation it’s often your mindset that ultimately determines your fate. The will to survive is powerful, and it’s exactly what helped these real-life survivors survive against all odds. Check out these real- life survival stories.
Shackleton’s Endurance – Surviving Antarctica
Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic expedition was probably one of the greatest survival stories of all time.
In December 1914, Shackleton and his 27-man crew set sail with the goal of being the first to cross the Antarctic continent. His crew was some of the toughest men ever assemble, in fact it’s said that many of the crew responded to Shackleton’s recruitment notice:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success. —Ernest Shackleton.”
Shortly after setting sail, the crew of the Endurance got locked in ice and drifted for 10 months before their ship was finally crushed by pack ice. Shackleton then led his crew on an amazing journey across some of the roughest terrain in the world. The crew survived for over 6 months on Elephant Island while Shackleton braved the treacherous sea in a makeshift lifeboat.
Read more about Shackleton’s amazing journey:
- Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage
- The Endurance: Shackleton’s Legendary Antarctic Expedition
- Shackleton – The Greatest Survival Story of All Time (3-Disc Collector’s Edition)
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
How many people could amputate their own arm with a pocket knife to save their life? Just the thought of having to do something like that is almost unthinkable.
For one man, this survival scenario became all too real. On May 1, 2003, Aron Ralston was forced to do the unthinkable. After an 800-pound boulder fell and trapped his arm to a canyon wall, Aron was trapped for five days with the little food little water and no hope of rescue.
Find out how he managed to break free by sawing away at muscle with a pocket knife.
Adrift: Seventy-six Days Lost at Sea
After the sudden sinking of his sailboat, Steve Callahan is forced onto a leaking raft. He finds himself alone in the vast Atlantic Ocean, with little food and even less supplies. What follows is a seventy-six day trial of survival, and a truly amazing story.
Steven Callahan’s dramatic story of survival at sea is one for the books. With few supplies he survived for seventy-six days in a leaking inflatable raft. Steve had to learn how to collect water using a solar still, fix his leaking raft, catch fish, and overcome incredible obstacles. His story of survival is truly amazing .
I am not going to try to get lost when i’m in the woods!
right…………………………………..
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The 1970 story of Julian Ritter and his two crewmates who were adrift in the South Pacific for 87 day – 40 days without food – is another great story of survival. When they were rescued 400 miles off-course by the US Navy combat stores ship, USS Niagara Falls, they were in days of dying. Ritter’s companion, Laurie Kokx, was in especially bad shape and the ship’s doctor literally spent the night at her bedside convinced that she would not survive but unwilling to not do everything possible to keep her alive.
Much more information on the artist and adventurer, Julian Ritter, is available at JulianRitterCentral (http://www.julianrittercentral.com) including excerpts from his journal during their days lost at sea.
There is a complete biography, photo scrapbook and a growing gallery of Julian’s art. There are also forums to engage with others interested in this larger-than-life personality.