To write about hell, it is not a bad idea to have been there before. Ranulph Fiennes. When Robert Falcon Scott and his men approach the South Pole on January 18, 1912, as the culmination of their inhumanly grueling and deprivation-filled expedition, they catch sight of a black spot just before reaching their goal. As they get closer, it turns out to be a flag – and the worst fears of the Brits are confirmed: the Norwegians, led by Amundsen, have beaten them to it. On the way back to the base camp, Scott and his companions die from hunger, illness, and hypothermia. Until well beyond the 50th anniversary of his death, the naval officer and polar explorer Scott is celebrated as a British national hero, but later, sharp criticism arises regarding his personality, his expedition preparations, his communication, and his understanding of people in some biographies.