Anyone who has ever travelled in the Arctic, is familiar with the stories of Fridtjof Nansen, one of the greatest polar explorers of all time. In 2006, Norwegian polar explorer Børge Ousland and I made a dream come true. We travelled to Franz Joseph Land by foot, following Nansen’s footsteps. We started out from the North Pole on May 1st. Our first goal was to reach the northernmost point, where Nansen and his partner Johansen arrived in 1895 – 86,4 degrees North latitude.
From there, as the others had done in the past, we fought our way towards Franz Joseph Land. But when the ice conditions became sketchy, we fully understood Nansen’s relief as we finally sighted land on the horizon. To this very day, the crossing over the remote ice remains in my mind as an unrepeatable, magical spell. We arrived in Cape Flora after 85 days, the same place where Nansen and Johansen were rescued. From there, we boarded a sailboat waiting to take us back to Norway.
National Geographic Magazine sponsored this expedition. Furthermore, Børge and I received the award Adventurer´s of the Year 2008.
Facts
Franz Josef Land
- 1500 kilometers
- 113 days
- 180 kg luggage
- 40 polar bears
Photogallery
