Leaving the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard behind, bound for the North Pole, feels like departing civilisation’s last outpost.
Well above the Arctic Circle, birds wheel across dark fjords scattered with glacial ice, while surrounding cliffs reach dizzying heights. As we ease into the Arctic Ocean, gradually crossing each degree of latitude, watchful passengers around me scout the horizon for the first sighting of the Arctic ice cap – finally discovered at 86 degrees North. At this liminal place, the extraordinary capability of our equally extraordinary chariot becomes apparent.
