VUE

Kannstadter said. While there are certainly many reasons to forego your standard trip to Europe or the Tropics and opt for something a little colder, it seems these are the three major attractions of the Arctic region. Traveling to certain regions of the Arctic is a historic feat all on its own. While the Antarctic is relatively accessible and well-visited, only an estimated 1,000 people a year make it to the North Pole. This can be attributed to the fact that there are far more barriers that exist in the north preventing ease of travel. In order to get there successfully you need specialized equipment and a unique understanding of the terrain; you need the help of a company like Quark Expeditions. A trip to the North Pole requires the use of a nuclear-powered icebreaker, a special ship built exclusively in Russia that is typically used to aid shipping in the frozen waters north of Siberia. A nuclear-powered icebreaker is the only ship strong enough to cut through the 6-to-15-feet of ice in the Arctic. For this reason, Quark has partnered with a nuclear facility in Murmansk, allowing them to charter the Russian icebreaker for their northern expeditions. "We spend the first four days making our way straight up to the North Pole. We don't make any stops because we never know what we're going to run into in terms of ice conditions. While on the ship, we have lectures from glaciologists, marine biologists and historians whose expertise is specific to polar exploration," Kannstadter said. As the ship draws closer to the North Pole, passengers begin to experience the sounds and vibrations of ice crushing beneath them. Standing on the bow, they see chunks of ice, roughly the size of a Volkswagon, being tossed to either side of the ship. The bow of the icebreaker is less like a wedge or an ax head, as you might expect, and more bulbous and spoon-shaped. The front of the ship rides up on top of the ice and crushes it with an incredible amount of force. The captain of the ship gets as close as he or she can to the coordinates of the North Pole before riding entirely onto the ice, parking and letting the gangway down. The passengers then step off the gangway to make their way to the North Pole on foot. "Once we're there, we set up a picnic, a hot air balloon and a classic, red, British telephone box. Everyone is allowed to make a free call for two minutes. Then we have a big celebration at the North Pole. We pop champagne, talk about what it's like to be there, how difficult it is to get there, and how few people have been there before us," Kannstadter said. From the North Pole, the group heads south to Franz Josef Land, an archipelago of islands owned by Russia. This region is comprised of fjords and inlets that are covered in ice most of the year, an ideal habitat for polar bears, seals and walruses. Park rangers aboard the ship tell tales of shipwrecks and explorers as the captain sails around the islands in search of wildlife. On other voyages to the Arctic, there is an opportunity to visit indigenous communities—including the Greenlandic and Canadian Inuit—socialize with them, and engage in a remarkable kind of cultural exchange. A mutually beneficial relationship has been forged between Quark travelers and these villages through a combination of mindfulness, respect and charitable giving on both sides. Quark contacts a village a year in advance to ask whether or not they're interested in accepting visitors from an upcoming trip. If the answer is yes, Quark inquires as to whether there are any items the village would like the group to bring with them. In the past, travelers have brought books, school supplies, soccer balls and jerseys with them to the hosting village. Just one generation ago it was very difficult, if not entirely impossible, to travel to regions like the North Pole. Even now that we have the technology and the know-how to do so, very few people have actually traveled there. This region of the world is still characterized by mystery and a raw, untouched landscape. There is still much left to be explored. " H I S T O R Y, G E O G R A P H Y A N D P O L A R B E A R S , " V U E N J . C O M 105

• Cover