In 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton set out from England on a daring expedition. His goal was the first crossing of the Antarctic continent. The Endurance set sail from South Georgia at 8:45 a.m. on December 5th. On the evening of December 7, she encountered the first pack ice. For the next six weeks, the ship dodged and weaved between loose floes, or particularly under the watch of her high-spirited captain, Frank Worsley rammed through them. Judging from their surviving diaries, a majority of the men seemed to regard thisjourney as at worst inconvenient, at best thrilling.