AN UNEXPECTED ENDING TO OUR NORTH POLE CRUISE

This cruise is definitely not turning out like we thought it would. Ten days ago, we boarded this icebreaker ship in the northernmost city in the world with one goal. To go to the North Pole. And after five straight days of breaking through Arctic ice, we finally made it. After spending 24 hours on top of the world, we turned around to head south again. But this isn't your typical cruise. There's no land to get off and explore each day this far north in the Arctic Ocean. So we've spent a lot of time on board, which has been fabulous. This is a luxury cruise. No complaints there. And the view out the window is constantly changing, yet pretty much always the same. It's a lot of ice. But yesterday, after staring out at the empty ice for days on end, we finally spotted our first polar bear. Do you see it? Yeah, it already fouled away. Where is it? I don't see it. Oh my gosh, there it is! It's a polar bear! I just stole your binoculars, I'm sorry. So crazy! He's looking at us. Wow, wow, wow. Just thinking about how clumsy I was in my boots trying to walk on ice yesterday. This trip to the North Pole and back was originally supposed to take 16 days. However, we made such good time that after only 10 days at sea, we are quickly approaching the Svalbard Archipelago. And we still have six full days left on board. Which means we are basically getting a free cruise around Svalbard. This was not part of the plan. Instead of going straight back to Longyearbyen where we started like we expected, we get to spend the next few days exploring the wild and rarely visited eastern islands of Svalbard looking for arctic wildlife. I can't believe it. And spoiler alert, we found it. The dinghies are being lowered into the water for the first time on this entire cruise and we are getting our first glimpse of land in almost two weeks. We are just off the coast of an island called Kitoia, which is 95% glacier. But what makes it really special is that this is where female walruses and their calves congregate. I might be more excited about this than I was to see polar bears. I don't know why. There's bears in North America, but there's nothing like a walrus. Like a walrus is an animal that doesn't seem like it should exist. It's so warm. Right ahead. Hi guys. Apparently they can go up to 37 kilometers an hour underwater, so we are keeping our distance because if a mama walrus felt threatened by us, they would not be able to. They're surprisingly graceful. No way this is happening. We think we see a polar bear. I am staring at the biggest land-based predator on planet earth. A couple of fun facts I just learned. Polar bears have the best nose in the entire world, so he can definitely smell us over here. He can also smell seals more than one kilometer away and under a meter thick of ice. Wow. That one, whoa, is going to be hard to beat. It feels so different waking up and seeing land after waking up to nothing but ice for the last 10 days. Yesterday when we woke up, we were still in the ice flows looking at a polar bear, and today it kind of looks like we're floating on a lake that's located somewhere on the moon. We have a very active day ahead of us. We're going to start the morning with a big hike, and then this afternoon we're getting back in the Zodiacs again. Thank you. Bonjour à tous and welcome everyone. Land. The first time in almost two weeks, dry ground. It feels even more like the moon now that we're out here. We're starting our morning with a long hike on the second largest island in the Svalbard archipelago, but I'm just going to refer to it as the moon because like most Norwegian names it's extremely hard to pronounce. This plant is only found here in Svalbard, so these can be a bit yellow or whitish. Here we're really in the habitat that we call the polar desert because it's really, really dry. There's less than 250 millimeters of precipitation every year. Okay, I'm going to say it one more time. Now it really feels like we're on the moon. This is where a glacier used to be, and there are just all of these loose rocks that it's picked up and moved with it, and now that the glacier has melted, it's just left all the rocks that it picked up along the way behind. One of the reasons I've really enjoyed this morning is that there's no designated walking trail. It's just this giant, untouched island. I feel like an explorer. You were probably the first person to step on this rock. Probably. Since it melted out of the glacier. Whoa. One other observation I've had is there are so many rocks that it looks like someone has taken a knife and just perfectly sliced them down the middle. Oh, that was my boo. I cannot believe how curious this reindeer is. We've just learned that polar bears rarely ever eat reindeers, so they basically have no natural predators up here, which makes them super curious of a big group of humans walking around. This one has just been following our group from about 100 yards away, and he looks young. He's just like bouncing around like a puppy. Sting. Mance, Mancey. All right, now it's back on board for a quick lunch. The ship is going to move to a new location, and we're getting back on the Zodiacs this afternoon. Before we go any further, let me say a quick thank you to Athletic Greens for sponsoring this video. If you've been paying any attention in the last couple years, then you already know that Nate and I don't go anywhere without our AG1. We try really hard to eat a healthy, balanced diet the majority of the time, but sometimes we're on a 16-day cruise to the North Pole with a heavy emphasis on champagne and caviar. It's times like these that we're extra thankful that AG1 is part of our daily routine. AG1 by Athletic Greens is so much more than just greens, and it's not just for athletes. It's an all-in-one nutritional supplement that covers all of our nutritional bases. So now we have peace of mind that our bodies are getting the nutrients it needs no matter where we are in the world. Just one scoop of this stuff contains 75 vitamins and minerals and this whole gigantic list of whole food source ingredients. It's pretty amazing. This 8-ounce drink is literally the easiest thing I do that makes the biggest difference in my life. I promise I would never say these things if I didn't truly love it. I think everyone can benefit from AG1, so if you haven't tried it yet, I hope you will now. If you click our link in the description below, your first purchase of AG1 will include five free travel packs, which I don't go anywhere without, and a whole year's supply of these immune-supporting vitamin D drops, which we also take every day. Give it a try. I know you'll love it. Now back to the video. Polar bear time. You don't have my card. I don't think I have my card. 12 days, and you still can't remember your cabin card. Sorry. It's part of my thing. You know the thing. I wanted to press the button. Don't do it. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Yay. The polar bears are done eating. Dang, the birds have taken over the garden. One of the bears is standing up. I can't believe my eyes. Even though it's probably the size of a Labrador retriever, it looks so tiny compared to the mom. You always want to see the animals up and active and doing something cool, but at the same time, it is kind of beautiful just to watch them lay there, just comfortable and enjoying their natural habitat. Can't get close because we don't want to disturb them, blah, blah, blah. I want to see them closer. His neck is this big, and he's just standing there with his nose up, sniffing. Can you show me his butt? It truly does feel like we're on a completely different cruise. For 10 days straight, we had just gotten so used to looking out the window and seeing the exact same thing every day, and it was amazing. But now, the landscapes are already changing so quickly. There are polar bears. It's just crazy that it's the same trip. Where are we right now? We've already gone out on the Zodiacs twice. Oh my goodness, it's rolling around on its back. No, it's not. The babies are getting up and balancing on their mom's back. No, they're not. Oh, they found a ball on the beach. It's spitting it on its nose. I was trying not to be super jealous. Mom is walking to dad. She's saying, you do nothing for this family. Baby's up. Oh my gosh, baby's stretching his back. I'm not kidding. I wonder if I can see through this with the camera. What do you think? I don't want you to try. Come on, give the people what they want. Can you see? Yeah, but nobody's up. Are you kidding me? You lied to me. We came out here to get a closer look at this beautiful glacier and these cliffs, but also to look at the huge amount of birds that are out there. And we just learned the two most important rules of traveling in the Arctic. One, don't eat yellow snow. Two, never look up at the birds and say, wow, because they could bite your mouth. 250,000 birds on this tiny island. Everyone should be able to see him, no problem. He's very busy eating. Looks like a dead seal. Another one. He's very busy. Today is polar bear day. Polar bear, polar bear. He's just right next to the water eating a seal. What's even crazier is we weren't even looking for polar bears. We were out here to see birds and we just happened to see it. I can't believe this is happening. While we are watching the bear feed, we got word that there is a Arctic fox along. Whoa! Gosh, it's climbing up this super steep cliff. The fox eats the birds and their eggs. So that's why it lives here. Woo! That, for me, behind polar plunging at the North Pole, was the highlight of the trip so far. And the funniest part is, I thought we were going to look at birds, which was fine. The birds were actually amazing. It was like the cliffs were alive. It was just the unexpectedness of both the bear eating seals. Oh my goodness. And two Arctic foxes. I feel like that was the first bear that I've truly been able to capture. And he wasn't just lying there. Just how incredible they are. He was ripping open that seal. And the cliffs. This is some of the most dramatic and most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. What is this right now? What are we doing? Okay, we're going to go enjoy a four-course meal cooked by a French chef. And then wake up and do it all again tomorrow. So, dear passenger, I hope you enjoyed this very active day. It was also nice to see there was a polar bear. Obviously, there's a lot of polar bears in this area. A vertebrate. This is large. So, in addition to hundreds of walruses, there are also reindeer all over the place. And they are so darn cute. There are subspecies of reindeer called the Svalbard reindeer. And they're the smallest reindeer in the world. And they've been a protected species for longer than the polar bear. So, now they have no natural predators. And they're just the cutest, most curious animals. It's the off-season. So, Santa lets them just roam freely. We made it to the top. The ship is somewhere down there. It's not that it was that hard of a hike. We just have way too many clothes on. We're in a cloud. It sounds like he's blowing his nose. I thought yesterday was going to be unbeatable. But this morning is off to a pretty strong start. We just climbed all the way up to the top of that mountain. And now we're sitting by the beach overlooking hundreds of walruses. The noises that they make. And their tusks make them look so goopy. And they're way more active than I expected. I mean, the majority of them are just laying there like a big blob. But then you've got other ones swimming in the ocean. This is so cool. I could watch this forever. It has now been 13 days since we have had internet. Which is the longest we have ever gone. We've definitely gone on some long adventures in the past where we were forced to disconnect. And every time, the night before we leave, it's like this super stressful late night where I'm finishing up all the things that need to be done while we're gone. We're emailing people. We're letting people know when we're going to get back. And then we always start the next day super tired. Anyway, as soon as the last drop of internet leaves my phone, it's just... And honestly, I don't miss it. As crazy as it sounds. It's been so great to just be forced to be in the moment this entire trip. Also, I have our awesome editor to thank for this experience. During our Antarctica cruise, in between every excursion, every spare moment that I had, I was working on those videos. Like, we were filming during the day and I was editing at night. I really don't remember being able to just sit and enjoy the views. So, huge shout out to Brooke. I love you. You're the best. Night is running. And I'm going to read my book and we'll see you tomorrow. I feel helpless without a paddle. Thank you very much. Oh, now I have a paddle and I feel safe again. Good morning from the most stunningly beautiful place I have ever sat in a kayak. This fjord is absolutely incredible. There are these huge brown mountains that are just disappearing into the clouds. And then between each mountain, there's a giant glacier just oozing into the water. Birds flying overhead. We're somewhere on the southern tip of Spitsbergen, which is the largest island in this fall barred archipelago. To me, it almost looks like a frozen version of the Hawaiian Islands. Also, there's something about sitting six inches above the water that just completely changes your perspective and makes everything that we've been seeing all week feel so different. I think our rudder is stuck in some weird position. Which way? Pick a way. Pick a way and start paddling. It's an experiment. All right, you want to go right? You want to go left? Apparently, I've never been in a kayak that has a rudder before. Karen and I were just trying to figure out why we couldn't make this thing go straight. And if we're being honest, we were in a bit of a disagreement. There's two pedals underneath my feet, and if I push one, we go right, and if I push the other one, we go left. And I guess I've had my foot resting on the left one the whole time because it's been almost impossible to get the kayak to turn right. When he says we, he means me. I've been trying to steer us while he's back there messing with the camera. Oh, take me to the birds. Oh, take me to that iceberg. And I'm up here sweating, pedaling against the current with our rudder facing the opposite way. I love kayaking. I honestly had no clue you could control the rudder with the pedals. Wow, you're doing so good up there. I would like to go left, please. Left? Yes, we're going to run into this iceberg. I want to go see the iceberg. You just paddle, and I'll have all the control. Feels like it's going to fall on our heads. I know. It sounds alive, too, and look how blue it is underneath. We're going to hit it. I don't have brakes that I know of. Just listen. It's so clear. Put your bed up. As far as you can see, it's on the bed. Good work. Yeah. No problem. Thank you. Okay, we've upgraded from the kayaks back to the ship. We are leaving the fjords behind and sailing out into the open ocean to spend the afternoon searching for whales. Well, yesterday my afternoon nap was woken up by polar bear sightings, and today there are whales. Apparently, we are really close to a whale feeding ground, and there is currently a mix between fin whales, and there aren't. It's about to give us the tell. Here we go, we're going to get it. Here it comes. Boom, and down they go. Whoa, whoa, whoa, baby. That is a polar bear track. The closer I get, you can see. I dress like I've been dressing when we go out and play in the ice. There is no ice here. It's warm. Pretend these people are us. Karen and Nate going on a walk. Karen and Nate up on a lookout spot. The ones in the yellow jacket? Yep, that's us. This is intense. This morning we went on a gorgeous hike to a waterfall, and this afternoon I'm going to get a head start on packing because we leave first thing in the morning. Oh, man, we have really, really settled in. Wow, it kind of looks like it's getting dark outside. Trying to dry all of our soggy stuff before we pack it up. It is our last night of the cruise, and let it be known that we did a 16-day luxury cruise with two evening attire semi-qualified outfits. Two. We dress up every single night for dinner, and we wore the same two things. No one said anything. Over and over. I think they're too nice to say anything. All right, we're going to go enjoy the last four-course dinner that we'll probably have for the rest of the year. The next time we do something like this, who knows when that will be. Before you go, we wanted to say a big thank you to Swoop for helping us plan this adventure and making it possible, and also a thank you to Ponot for inviting us onboard their beautiful ship. If you'd like to travel to the North Pole or if you need help planning your next polar adventure, we'll leave links to both of these companies in the description below. I'm not sure I've ever seen you laugh like this. Pretty amazing, especially when the bears are bouncing on a tightrope. We've done absolutely nothing since we've been here for two hours. No. Dad got up and tried to poop twice, and then it kind of looked like he was regurgitating. I don't know if they do that, but that's what it looked like. And now it looks like he's chewing on something.