These are British explorers standing at the South Pole in January 1912.

這些英國探險家們在 1912 年一月時站上了南極點。

The photo marks the finish line of a race into the unknown.

而這張照片見證了一場向著未知賽跑的終點。

Two teams, one British, one Norwegian, trekked 900 miles into brutal territory and had to get back to safety before winter hit.

兩個分別由英國人與挪威人所組成的團隊，在這個嚴酷的土地上遠征了 900 英里，並必須趕在冬季來臨之前安全回歸。

And at first glance, this looks like a victory photo for the British.

乍看之下，這張照片似乎是見證英國隊伍勝利的慶祝照。

Except that is the Norwegian flag.

除了那面挪威國旗。

And it only gets worse from here.

而事態還會在之後每況愈下。

Robert Falcon Scott was a meticulous planner, and his dream was to be the first person to reach the South Pole.

Robert Falcon Scott 是一位心思縝密的計畫者，而他的夢想是要成為第一個踏上南極點的人。

He and his English team of explorers and scientists had been conducting research in Antarctica, and collected years of data on seasonal cycles on the continent.

他與他所帶領的由探險家與科學家們所組成的英籍團隊已對南極進行過了研究，並收集了大陸上數年分的季節循環資料。

These lines show what they estimated average temperatures would be throughout the year,

這條線代表的是他們預計一整年下來的平均溫度，

with summer ranging from around 30 to negative 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and huge drops beginning around April.

夏季的氣溫約在華氏 30 度到負 10 度上下，並會在四月時顯著下降。

Remember this chart because later, it will help us understand Scott's decision-making.

請記住這張表，因為它能幫助我們之後了解 Scott 的決策過程。

Scott planned to use pony transport for the first 425 miles across the Ross Ice Shelf, shoot them at the base of the Beardmore Glacier, and finish the rest of the journey on foot.

Scott 計畫利用小馬來為跨越羅斯冰架的前 425 英里進行運輸，在比爾德摩爾冰川的基地上射殺牠們之後，徒步完成之後的旅程。

Which included a 125-mile hike across the top of the glacier, 350 more miles to the pole, and all the way back again, all while hauling hundreds of pounds of equipment.

而這包含了跨越冰河頂部行走 125 英里，然後向著南極點再走上 350 英里，接著再從原路返回，途中還得搬運著數百磅重的裝備。

Using ponies and brute strength made sense to Scott at the time: British explorers had used this method to haul equipment during an earlier attempt on the South Pole.

而單純利用小馬與人力在當時對於 Scott 而言是合理的選擇：英國探險家們曾在之前嘗試抵達南極時，使用過相同的方法。

Plus, the English didn't have experience with the other good option: dog teams.

另外，英國隊也沒有操作另一個更佳選項：狗拉雪橇的經驗。

And they believed man-hauling was the surest way to make the tricky climb up the glacier and on to the Polar Plateau, where the South Pole sits.

牠們相信人力會是在爬上陡峭的冰河，以及極圈高原，也就是南極點的所在地時，最穩妥的方式。

It was hard, slow work, but the route they were on had reached the plateau before, and it seemed to be worth the effort.

這種方式艱難且緩慢，但是依循著之前曾經抵達過高原的路線，他們似乎確實有所斬獲。

But Scott's team wasn't alone.

然而 Scoot 的團隊並不是孤單的。

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was camped nearby, and he wanted to get to the pole first.

挪威探險家 Roald Amundsen 也在附近紮了營，並也想著要先抵達南極點。

The Norwegian team, all of them expert skiers, knew how to travel in cold conditions.

挪威隊的成員們全都是滑雪好手，熟知在寒冷氣候中移動的訣竅。

And to make matters worse for the English, Amundsen had dogs—and he knew how to use them.

而對英國隊來說更糟的是，Amundsen 還有狗兒們的幫助，而且他知道該如何運用牠們。

News of the Norwegians' last-minute bid worried Scott, but he was still optimistic.

得知挪威隊在最後一刻的加入讓 Scott 有些憂心，但他仍然保持樂觀。

Amundsen had started about 60 miles closer to the pole but was taking a route not yet proven to be passable.

Amundsen 開始的距離比英國隊更靠近極點 60 英里，但必須踏上一條尚未被證實可以通過的路徑。

Coming against an unknown obstacle or falling into an unmarked crevasse could end his attempt prematurely.

要是碰上了未知的障礙，或是掉入了尚未標記出的冰河裂隙，可能就會提早結束他這次的嘗試。

But that's not how it happened.

然而最後這樣的事情並沒有發生。

By the time Scott reached his goal, Amundsen's flag was there waiting for him.

在 Scott 抵達目的地後，便發現 Amundsen 的旗子已經在當地等著他了。

The Norwegians and their dogs had comfortably reached the pole five weeks earlier, and were almost back to their starting point by the time the English arrived.

挪威人與他們的狗兒們在五個星期前便愜意地抵達了南極點，而在英國隊抵達時，他們早已快要返回到起點了。

Scott and his team were heartbroken.

Scott 與他的團隊感到心碎不已。

They took this photo outside of Amundsen's tent the day they started their long journey back.

在準備踏上歸途的漫長旅程前，他們在 Amundsen 的帳篷外面拍了這張照片。

Scott wrote: "Left a note to say I had visited the tent with companions. Bowers photographing and Wilson sketching.

Scott 寫下：「我留下了張紙條，寫說我和伙伴們拜訪了帳篷。Bowers 拍了照片，Wilson 畫了素描。

We have turned our back now on the goal of our ambition and must face our 800 miles of solid dragging—and good-bye to most of the daydreams!"

我們得背對我們朝思暮想的目的地歸去，並必須面對接下來長達 800 英里的嚴酷長征－然後對那些夢想說再見！」

This is where the trouble really begins.

而這才是問題真正開始的地方。

It's mid-January in this photo—still the height of the Antarctic summer. Told you this chart was coming back.

這張照片的拍攝日期是一月中旬，正值南極洲的夏季。我就說這張表會再回來的吧。

According to their research, the team had about 3 months left before temperatures on the Ross Ice Shelf, the last leg of the journey back, would drop to deadly levels.

根據他們的研究，在作為歸途的最後一段旅程的羅斯冰架上的溫度下降至致命等級之前，團隊仍有三個月的時間。

That left plenty of time to make the long trek on foot.

他們仍有許多的時間可以徒步走完這個漫長的路途。

But this isn't what happened in 1912.

但 1912 年時的實際狀況卻並非如此。

This is that average line again, and these are the temperatures Scott's party endured that summer: consecutive days of temperatures around minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

這條線是平均溫度，而這條線則是 Scott 的團隊在那個夏天所經歷的溫度：連續好幾天華氏零下 40 的氣溫。

Those conditions, at prolonged exposure, are not survivable.

人類無法長期在這樣的氣溫條件下存活。

The first man died here—he collapsed and soon went comatose following several falls on the glacier.

第一名隊員在此處死去－他摔了下去，並在冰河上摔了數次之後陷入昏迷。

The next man died about a month later, after crippling frostbite in his hands and feet began hurting the team's progress and their chances of survival.

下一名隊員在一個月後死去，而在那之前他手上與腳上逐漸蔓延的凍傷拖延了整個團隊的進度，並降低了他們的存活機率。

Nearly unable to walk, he left the tent and sacrificed himself to a snowstorm.

幾近無法行走的他，最後自行離開了帳篷，投身至暴風雪中自行犧牲。

The last three, including Scott, made it here before getting trapped in their tent by a blizzard, just 11 miles from the supply depot that would have saved their lives.

最後包含 Scott 在內的三名隊員抵達了這裡，並被一場暴風雪圍困於帳篷之中，距離本來能夠救他們一命的補給站僅 11 英里。

The tent, along with the bodies, journals, and photographs, was found 8 months later by a search team.

他們的帳篷，以及在內的屍體、手札與照片在 8 個月後由一個搜索隊尋獲。

As time went on, Scott's legacy vacillated between fearless explorer and bumbling fool who tried to take ponies into the Antarctic.

隨著時間演進，Scott 的名聲不斷在無畏的冒險家，以及嘗試要用在南極洲上用小馬的莽撞笨蛋之間徘迴。

But the thing is, his plan should have worked.

但實際上，他的計畫其實本來是能成功的。

Measurements from modern weather stations along his route show the predictions he was relying on were impressively accurate.

由現代氣象站所沿著他的路線所做出的氣溫量測，發現其實他所仰賴的預測驚人地準確。

What Scott couldn't have known is that 1912 was an anomaly—the temperatures his party suffered through occur roughly once every 15 years, turning an already risky venture into a hopeless one.

但是 Scott 不知道的是，1912 年是個特例：他的團隊所承受的酷寒約每 15 年會出現一次，讓本就充滿風險的旅途變得更加無望。

The photo they took outside of Amundsen's tent was meant to be a gentlemanly admission of defeat at the end of a long race.

他們在 Amundsen 帳篷外拍下的照片本來是對於一場漫長賽跑的結束，一種紳士般的認輸表現。

But instead, it was the starting line of a race they didn't see coming: a desperate attempt to escape from the coldest place on Earth.

然而這其實是另一場他們沒有預料到的賽跑的開端：一個必須逃出地球上最寒冷地點，與時間的賽跑。

Darkroom is a new series I'm working on where each episode tells a story based around a single photograph.

「暗房」是個我正在製作的全新系列影片，在每一集中我都會從一張照片開始，講述關於它的真實故事。

Here's a quick look at some upcoming episodes.

以下是之後集數的一些照片。

And you should also check out our new YouTube membership program, the Video Lab.

然後也歡迎你看看我們全新的 YouTube 會員計畫：Video Lab。

For a monthly fee, subscribers get access to tons of special features.

只要每月付上費用，訂閱者便能查看多不勝數的特別內容。

I'll be sharing stuff there that I come across while making Darkroom, so if you're interested, head on over to Vox.com/join and sign up.

我會在那分享我在製作暗房影片時碰到的一些趣事，所以如果你有興趣的話，就前往 Vox.com/join 註冊吧。

See you there.

在那裏見囉。