288: Oh, the Places You Won’t Go. Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park.

Summary

National Park After Dark - Episode 288: "Oh, the Places You Won’t Go. Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park"

Release Date: March 17, 2025

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Introduction

In Episode 288 of National Park After Dark, hosts Danielle and Cassie delve into the harrowing yet captivating story of André’s Arctic Balloon Expedition of 1897. This episode explores the ambitious attempt to reach the North Pole using a balloon, the challenges faced by the expedition team, their mysterious disappearance, and the enduring legacy that ties into the Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park.

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The Genesis of an Ambitious Expedition

Danielle sets the stage by recounting a pivotal moment on February 13, 1895, when Solomon August André addressed the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. André proposed a revolutionary method for polar exploration: utilizing a balloon to navigate the treacherous Arctic ice fields. Initially met with skepticism, André's confidence and innovative approach ultimately secured funding for his expedition.

Danielle [16:49]: "He left the stage in what we would refer to today as a mic drop moment, and the audience erupted in applause."

Preparation and Team Assembly

Born in southern Sweden in 1854, André was a passionate balloon enthusiast and an engineer. After a series of jobs and significant contributions during the first International Polar Year expedition, he prepared meticulously for his own journey. André, along with meteorologist Niels Ekholm and assistant professor Nils Strindberg, were selected for this daring mission. The team assembled at Danskoya Island in the Svalbard archipelago, where they constructed a hydrogen plant and a five-story balloon house to house the massive balloon named Ornin (The Eagle).

Danielle [24:03]: "Once at the island, a hydrogen plant and a five-story balloon house had been constructed as a means to fill the balloon without interference from the wind."

The Ill-Fated Takeoff

On July 11, 1897, under intense national scrutiny, the balloon was released. However, the ascent was fraught with immediate difficulties. The balloon struck an unknown object, causing it to plummet rapidly. In a frantic attempt to gain altitude, the trio discarded nearly 1,700 pounds of ballast, unintentionally raising the balloon too high and exacerbating hydrogen leakage. The expedition teetered on the edge of disaster from the outset.

Danielle [33:23]: "They tossed nearly 1700 pounds worth of weight. They rose nearly 2,300ft into the sky, which was another problem."

Struggles on the Polar Ice

After drifting for nearly 66 hours and covering approximately 517 miles, the balloon made a precarious landing amidst the Arctic ice. The team quickly realized the severity of their situation as their intended route proved unfeasible. Equipped with sledges, provisions for four months, and carrier pigeons for communication, they embarked on a grueling journey across the ice, facing extreme cold, scarcity of food, and physical ailments.

Cassie [37:35]: "They are like, up, down, up, down. They're almost in the water."

A Year of Hardship and Tragedy

Despite meticulous planning and initial optimism, the expedition encountered relentless obstacles. By September, their attempts to reach pre-arranged cache points failed due to drifting ice and miscalculations in their navigation. The harsh reality set in as temperatures plummeted, food became scarce, and morale waned. Frankel suffered severe injuries, and the men resorted to consuming raw polar bear meat, which likely contributed to their declining health.

Danielle [34:32]: "You know, if something doesn't start feeling, if something is difficult to do... there are certain times where there are indicators that this is not going to be good."

The Mysterious Demise

On October 8, 1897, after enduring nearly four months in the unforgiving Arctic, the expedition met a tragic end. The exact circumstances remain shrouded in mystery, with theories ranging from polar bear attacks to deliberate self-poisoning by André. Initial journal entries suggested strong spirits and hope, but final accounts hinted at desperation and potential foul play.

Danielle [56:15]: "She theorizes that Strindberg was attacked and killed by a polar bear."

Discovery and Legacy

Fast forward 33 years, in 1930, the remains of the three explorers were discovered on Katoya Island. The recovery of their bodies, journals, and artifacts provided crucial insights but left many questions unanswered. Subsequent forensic analysis by author and physician Bea Yuzma introduced the theory of polar bear attacks as the likely cause of their deaths, challenging previous assumptions of disease or exhaustion.

Cassie [46:14]: "Did anyone try and come rescue them after you had mentioned?"

Danielle [56:26]: "She put out a new theory. A polar bear attack."

Memorials and National Mourning

Upon the return of the remains, Sweden held a monumental act of national mourning. Over a hundred thousand people attended the solemn procession, and the explorers were laid to rest with honors befitting their tragic quest. Their legacy is immortalized in the Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park, established in 1973 to preserve the pristine Arctic environment and commemorate the lost expedition.

Danielle [50:17]: "The three men placed in coffins were laid at the feet of King Gustaf V..."

Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park Today

Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park, encompassing the area where André’s expedition endured, is celebrated for its untouched landscapes and rich biodiversity. The park not only protects historical sites related to polar exploration but also serves as a sanctuary for iconic Arctic wildlife, including polar bears, seals, and walruses. Visitors can explore remnants of past expeditions, participate in guided tours, and witness the awe-inspiring beauty of the Arctic tundra.

Danielle [63:46]: "Known as the wildlife capital of the Arctic, Spitsbergen has a vast untouched landscape..."

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Conclusion

Episode 288 of National Park After Dark masterfully intertwines the tragic tale of André’s Arctic Balloon Expedition with the pristine and protected beauty of Nordvest-Spitsbergen National Park. Through detailed storytelling and insightful analysis, Danielle and Cassie illuminate the perils of polar exploration and the enduring human spirit that drives such ambitious endeavors. This episode not only honors the memory of the lost explorers but also underscores the significance of preserving our planet’s wildest frontiers.

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If you enjoyed this summary, consider subscribing to National Park After Dark for more thrilling explorations into the hidden stories of our national treasures.

Transcript

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[Danielle]

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[Danielle]

Loved a good competition. It taps into our innate and primal drive to excel and outperform. Surely firmly rooted in our evolutionary history when competition was key to survival. Today we see competition in our everyday lives everywhere, just in different ways. Like academics, bake off television shows and the perpetual pursuit of keeping up with the Joneses. Overall, competition has made the shift from survival to entertainment. But there are certain points in history that showcase competition on a larger and grander scale. Take the space race, for example, when the U.S. and Soviet Union vied to be the first to make notable leaps in space exploration and travel. It was a competition on a global scale that we are all familiar with. But not so long before that, another great race was underway. One in which countries sent team after team to the most northern and southern reaches of the world, all in hopes to earn the designation as the first to plant their flag on the top and bottom of the planet. Most failed, many died, and others disappeared in their pursuits, leaving the rest of the world disappointed, heartbroken, and left with enduring questions. But some thought to be lost forever were eventually found. And what they left behind hold holds mysteries that have yet to be solved today. Welcome to National Park After Dark.

[Cassie]

Hi everyone. Welcome back.

[Danielle]

This is Cassie and this is Danielle. I just did the intro. Welcome.

[Cassie]

In case you don't know our voices yet or it's your first time listening.

[Danielle]

Yeah. And what if this is your first one? Congrats, because I'm not trying to Set the bar high or anything right off the bat. But this is. I'm gonna say this is like top two or three episodes I've ever researched.

[Cassie]

Wow. Okay. Unexpectedly, I'm excited because I don't know too much about what you're doing today, but you have told me how much you've been working hard on this episode and your intro already has me with a lot of questions.

[Danielle]

Okay, well, I started with intentions of. Because this is coming out when we are actually going to be physically in Antarctica. So if you're listening to this on the day it's released, Cassie and I are freezing somewhere at the bottom of the world and I'm thriving.

[Cassie]

But yeah, hopefully and not seasick.

[Danielle]

I think by now you'll. You'll be like, have your sea legs a little bit. Hopefully. But yeah. So when I was pre planning doing this, I was thinking of like, let's do some sort of Antarctic story to correlate with that. And that was my intention. But I wound up on the other side of the world and the other pole. So we're going to be in the Arctic region today for this story. And it was one that I thought was gonna be kind of like a quick and lighthearted and fun and quirky episode, but it is far from that. And I am so excited with the way it turned out. So we can get right into it. But the only announcement is really, we have no new episode next week. Sad.

[Cassie]

Oh, yeah, I know. Each year we take two weeks off. How dare we?

[Danielle]

First of all.

[Cassie]

How dare we. First of all. And yeah.

[Danielle]

Yes.

[Cassie]

And we're sorry.

[Danielle]

Apologies.

[Cassie]

But we're also excited because.

[Danielle]

Bye.

[Cassie]

A week off is great. Yeah, we'll miss you dearly. And there are so many episodes. Like, if you are first tuning in, we have a backlog of so many episodes that go back. Listen to them if you haven't heard them yet. Also, if you're not on our Outsiders page, if you're not part of our Patreon or outsider subscription on Apple, we have a ton of bonus content on there, from trail tales to monthly bonus episodes. So if you're gonna miss us next week, you have options, we're for sure.

[Danielle]

In perpetuity, unfortunately. Like, our voices will live on for.

[Cassie]

All time as long as Spotify and Apple exist. Thanks. All the stupid things we said will always be on.

[Danielle]

So think about that. You're fortunate if you don't have a podcast anyway. Okay, so this. Let's get into it. That was it, right?

[Cassie]

Yeah, I don't have anything.

[Danielle]

Alrighty. If Anyone was to get stage fright, this would be the place for it. It was February 13, 1895, and 40 year old Solomon August Andre was standing in front of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, a group founded in 1739 and comprised of the world's foremost leaders in science, engineering, mathematics and exploration. Squeaks of the wooden chairs could be heard as everyone settled into their seats. Silence fell over the group of men as they gathered to hear what Andre had to say as the tall, blonde, strongly built man took the stage. Clearing his throat, he began. The history of geographical discovery is at the same time a history of great peril and suffering. He went on to describe the obstacles explorers face while on expeditions in various places around the world, and also all of the means by which they overcame said obstacles, usually relying on the land for food, water and shelter. However, he noted, in the Arctic, circumstances were very different. The cold kills, there are no places to rest, no vegetation, no fuel. He described the Arctic ice fields as an inviting journey, but one fraught with imposing challenges. This information was not new to the academy. The earliest explorations of the Arctic dated back to the Vikings. And by the late 19th century, newspapers around the world had carried stories of European and North American countries all venturing to the polar regions of the world for decades. All in a race to map and leave their mark on the top and bottom of the world. Of course, today we recogn that the Arctic was home to dozens of groups of indigenous peoples for thousands of years prior to that point in time. But that was ignored largely at this time in history for most, if not all of the countries involved in this great race, such as Denmark, Russia, England, Finland and the United States. Sending expeditions to the most northern and southern extreme locations on the planet was almost a rite of passage and a great source of national pride, especially if they were the first to reach an uncharted destination or map an unknown corner of the world.

[Cassie]

This is kind of reminding me of a podcast episode that I listened to and I know this is going in a totally different direction, but just the way that you're talking about exploring the north and the South Poles. I listened, it was on Dirtbag Diaries and they did an expedition to find the southernmost tree in the world. And so they went off of the coast of Argentina and they started heading off to islands south of there, going towards Antarctica. And I don't remember the name of the island that they went to, but the whole expedition was just to find the southernmost tree, to see where that tree could grow that far south. And they did find it. I don't remember the island, but it was a really interesting. I listened to it years ago, so I don't remember the full details, but it's reminding me of just these explorations to find just things that people haven't seen before and haven't touched before. And. And that episode in particular was, I thought was really interesting.

[Danielle]

Do you remember what, like species of tree it was by chance?

[Cassie]

No. No. If I knew I was going to be talking about this, I would have looked it up, I guess.

[Danielle]

Yeah. So you're gonna just leave a hanging?

[Cassie]

Let me look it up real quick.

[Danielle]

You're like, I don't know where it was or what it was, but it's out there.

[Cassie]

I know there's a picture of it. Oh, here it is. It is. The world's southernmost tree is a Magellan's beech tree on Islay Ornos, also known as Cape Horn in Chile or what?

[Danielle]

Probably Magellan, right? Because Magellan is famous explorer. Yeah, yeah.

[Cassie]

What did I say?

[Danielle]

Magellan.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Danielle]

Speaking of having a podcast and being wrong a lot being wrong.

[Cassie]

Yeah, yeah. It says Magellan beach tree in Isla Ornos and Cape Horn, Chile.

[Danielle]

Cool.

[Cassie]

The tree is about 42 years old, 2 meters long and bent horizontally and at 57 centimeters above the ground.

[Danielle]

Well, now everyone has a trivia question. Answer.

[Cassie]

Now you all know.

[Danielle]

Yeah. Now you know.

[Cassie]

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[Danielle]

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[Danielle]

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[Danielle]

Despite the various expeditions sent to the Arctic, one country was falling a bit short on gaining wealth ground, and that was Sweden. They had sent some smaller teams and they did have some involvement in other countries. Expedition teams like individuals from Sweden would join them, but their designation as a northern country and the success of their neighbor Norway had really pushed them to want to make their own unique mark. So that's why when Andre described a totally new revolutionary way of mapping, photographing and reaching locations no team had ever been to, namely the geographic North Pole, they all paid attention. Sled teams led by dogs or men had only gotten so far. And ships had a tendency to be slow moving, get trapped and crushed by sea ice, or go missing entirely. Glances were thrown around the room. Without having to name it explicitly, the group knew to which expedition Andre was referring. Nearly 50 years prior, an expedition team led by British explorer Sir John Franklin had vanished. All 129 men and their ships had disappeared and no one had heard from them since. Andre had set the scene and laid out the problems, only to offer a solution. Quote, the time has come, gentlemen, to seek out other means of transport. We need not pursue the investigation very far to discover such a means, one that appears to be created for the purpose in question. I refer to the balloon. The crowd reacted with mixed emotions. Some scoffed while others sat forward, intrigued. Balloons were, at the time, cutting edge technology.

[Cassie]

Like a hot air balloon.

[Danielle]

Yes. Hot air balloons were first demonstrated in front of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by the Montgolfier brothers, who sent a sheep, a duck and a chicken into the air. Months later, satisfied and confident with their invention, two men and. I am so sorry. I do have a French Canadian last name. However, I do not know French, so. Or Swedish or Danish, for that reason, or for that matter. So, just a heads up for the rest of this episode.

[Cassie]

Okay, I apologize in advance.

[Danielle]

I apologize. My apologies. Jean Francois Pelletier de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis of Ardelans, climbed aboard the Montgolfier balloon and took to the skies. And then, in that moment, the dream of human flight had become a reality.

[Cassie]

Oh, Laurent is Al's last name.

[Danielle]

Maybe they're related. You could be Marrying into royal blood.

[Cassie]

I'll have to do a DNA test.

[Danielle]

Yeah. It's like, did you know your great, great, great, great, great, great something. Was the first person in the air.

[Cassie]

Via hot air balloon after the ducks and the chickens?

[Danielle]

Well, the first person human, yeah. Okay. From there, balloon fever spread throughout the globe. George Washington observed the first North American balloon flight. Balloons were sent into war to be used as methods for spying and for communication reasons.

[Cassie]

Spying in a hot air balloon?

[Danielle]

Yeah, super copy. Don't look up there. It's a slow moving giant.

[Cassie]

It's a plane. It's a giant hot air balloon with people with binoculars from other countries.

[Danielle]

I didn't even think about that. It's so funny. They were the subject of stories and publications, most notably Jules Verne's around the world in 80 days. And they were considered as a potentially realistic method of widespread travel. There were shifts and changes to the practices of flying them with hot air versus hydrogen gas. But by and large, ballooning was the it girl of the time. Andre went on to discuss the details of his proposed expedition via balloon, down to the description of the balloon itself, his proposed route, the scientific instruments, supplies and gear he would need, and the support crew he would require, both for the initial build of the balloon and for the expedition itself. And it was not going to be cheap. Various members of the crowd, who were Arctic explorers themselves, objected to his proposal, almost immediately, pointing to the holes in his plan and the potential issues that may arise. This was a new method to explore an unpredictable and not fully understood place. And although he was only recruiting two other team members to accompany them, and although he was only recruiting two other team members to accompany him on the actual expedition, concerns were raised at the lives that he was putting on the line with such a preposterous idea. Andre listened and took notes of their apprehensions before standing up and pointing right at General Adolphus Greeley, an American explorer who had lost 18 of his 25 men in an Arctic expedition of his own 10 years earlier. And he said, when something happens to your ships, how did you get back? I risk three lives in what you call a foolhardy attempt. And you risked how many a shipload? Witnesses to his presentation noted that he left the stage in what we would refer to today as a mic drop moment, and the audience erupted in applause. The guy had confidence and it showed. Although that confidence would later result in tragedy, for the time being, it won over the group and he received full funding for his expedition. And. And he was off to the skies. So let's Talk a little bit about who this guy is and how he ended up having such a unique idea.

[Cassie]

Yeah, I'd love to. I'm very intrigued. I mean, you preface this that this probably isn't going to go well. So I'm very intrigued on why this was the choice.

[Danielle]

He is crazy about balloons, this guy. I'll just say that he loves a balloon.

[Cassie]

I mean hot air balloons are pretty.

[Danielle]

Cool, but I've only been in one once and it was pretty cool because it was over Egypt. But like I'm good now.

[Cassie]

I think it's like one and done.

[Danielle]

Yep. It's like I don't know if I need to see things. I'm good from that way. Andre was born in southern Sweden, about 300 miles south of Stockholm in 1854. Growing up, he was known for his intelligence, his tendency to ask hard hitting questions and his stubbornness. He was extremely close to his mother, especially following his father's death when Andre was just 16 years old. That same year, he began attending the Royal Institute of Technology and dove into his studies. He graduated with a degree in mathematical engineering and shortly thereafter, at the age of 22, embarked on a journey that would change his life forever. He boarded a steamer to America in hopes of seeing the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, a World's Fair, the first held in the United States to showcase all of the various industrial, scientific and cultural achievements of various nations across the globe. And I had to make note here, Cassie actually covered not this particular World's Fair, but one of the World's Fair in your episode about the segment of General Noble, a giant sequoia that was put on display in the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

[Cassie]

Yes, that was a episode I did a while ago. But the World's Fair were really interesting and they're kind of a fun part of history.

[Danielle]

Yeah. And I looked it up. Tying into if you miss us and you want to hear an episode next week, you can go back. It's episode 160.

[Cassie]

Oh, cool.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

I say fun part of history, but there's also some pretty dark parts of history with the World Fair, but very interesting.

[Danielle]

Yeah, I. Maybe I should listen to it because I kind of forget. But I do know that there was a tree involved and people thought it was fake because they couldn't believe that trees could be that big.

[Cassie]

Yeah. This is before people were heading west easily.

[Danielle]

On his journey to America, Andre had brought a book titled Laws of the Wind and while reading was inspired. Perhaps winds could be used to carry balloons for long journeys. Once in America, he gained employment as a janitor at the Swedish Pavilion. But when not at work, he sought out visits with John Wise, a Philadelphia resident and pioneer in the balloon industry. He had been working with and building them since before Andre was born and had developed the first balloon to carry mail in 1859. In time, he became a mentor for Andre who absorbed all the knowledge that he could for him. Andre eventually returned to Sweden and opened a machine shop. It didn't last long, and within a couple years, Andre grew tired of the business and was heavily in debt. He was frustrated that the work kept him from his true passions, stating, quote, the constant striving for money killed interests, which I valued very highly and which I wanted to keep alive.

[Cassie]

Speaking to the choir man, I know.

[Danielle]

It'S like we all can relate to that.

[Cassie]

I think we all feel that.

[Danielle]

He worked a couple of other odd jobs before catching a break when he landed a job as a data collector as a member of the Swedish delegation of the first International Polar Year. And this was a scientific expedition to Spitzenberg in the Arctic, undertaken by 11 countries with the goal of studying polar weather. Not only did he get to travel to the Arctic, but his work, his resourcefulness and his observations made him stand out amongst this group. Everyone thought his work was really exemplary and they took notice of him. He began making a name for himself in the scientific community and was not happy about having to return back to work after the expedition was over. But his fire had been lit and he was making big plans for a trans Arctic expedition of his very own. He didn't climb aboard a balloon himself until 1892 at the age of 38, and he found himself right at home after making several more flights with other people, bolstered by his newfound credibility earned on that first International Polar Year expedition, and backed by an elaborate plan aimed to not only further science, but also the public good, he secured funding for his very first balloon, which he dubbed Sphaya. He conducted nine test flights covering roughly 900 miles over 40 hours, testing the maneuverability of the balloon, the elevation he could reach and the use of ropes. And he even dropped messages and instructed the finders of them, wherever they picked up the messages, to send him a note, where they ended up picking it up so he could track the exact route that he was actually going in the skies.

[Cassie]

Interesting.

[Danielle]

He deemed his test runs a success, but the SPHA would not be suitable for his grand journey to the Pole. In fact, the North Pole wasn't even his primary interest. One of the factors that set him Apart from other of the time who had intentions of reaching the North Pole or the South Pole or any place really that has yet to be charted, was. Andre was an engineer, not a rugged outdoorsman. Yet he set his sights on that location primarily because it attracted attention and attention yielded money. Money which would prove his true ambition, which was to prove balloons could sail to places that otherwise could not be reached. So he's like, I don't even really care where we go. I just need to show the world that travel via balloon is feasible and doable and is something that has a future, right?

[Cassie]

And he wants the money and the fame from being the person who discovers that.

[Danielle]

And the geographic North Pole is something that everyone's vying for. So there's like this big competition to get there. So he's like, okay, I guess I'll. We'll go there.

[Cassie]

I'm personally happy that this doesn't take off for people. I mean, imagine if instead of flying in a plane, everyone hopped in balloons, like giant balloons that didn't have any cover.

[Danielle]

I mean, I think eventually we would have moved away even if this was successful.

[Cassie]

Spoiler alert. Balloons are the hot air balloons. And no blimps. Blimps are the way of travel.

[Danielle]

You're slow and steady through the air.

[Cassie]

For weeks to get somewhere.

[Danielle]

I hate to say this because we're recording early and God knows what is going to unfold in the future, but plane travel isn't doing so well right now any either.

[Cassie]

So you don't say that.

[Danielle]

You don't say that. Okay. When his idea for balloon travel first struck him aboard the ship en route to America, his original thought was to fly across the Atlantic. But no one was too interested in that. Rather, going to the North Pole, one of the world's last unvisited places, aboard a balloon that had never been used in that way before. Now that was interesting. And that would secure funding.

[Cassie]

It is interesting.

[Danielle]

Circling back to the talk that he gave at both the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the 6th International Geographic Congress a year later, he presented his case. Aside from what I previously mentioned, he added that Arctic summer weather would provide the ideal window for the expedition, as round the clock sun would be ideal for scientific observation station. If he was successful, it would be revolutionary for travel would allow mapping the North Pole by aerial photography yet to be attempted, would acquire a greater knowledge of the geographical region than would otherwise be obtained in centuries, would make leaps in the current understanding of the natural world and, and probably most enticing to funders, would mark him and his team for Sweden, the country of Sweden, the first documented people to reach the North Pole. And that's kind of what a lot of people cared about.

[Cassie]

It's exciting.

[Danielle]

Andre may have been the balloon expert in Sweden, but other leaders in the field, from places such as Germany and France were doubtful and skeptical of his methods and plan. In the end, his presentations worked and his proposal was approved. The new balloon, dubbed the Ornin, or the Eagle, was built in Paris by hand from layers and layers of varnished silk and was largely funded by Alfred Nobel from the Nobel Prize and by Oscar ii, King of Sweden, who was very, very excited at the potential of a Swede to be the first at the top of the world. Funding was quickly allocated to the balloon build supplies and gear. The balloon itself was about 100ft tall and 70ft in diameter, designed to fit three men and all of their gear and instruments, food supplies, emergency equipment and even small beds. In all, it was about 6,000 pounds fully loaded. In the summer of 1896, after nearly a year of planning, Andre waved goodbye to Sweden, who had all eyes on this expedition and sailed for Densko, or Danish island, within the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. With him were 47 year old Niels Ekholm, a meteorologist who led the first international polar year expedition. So he was actually Andre's boss on that first expedition that they took years prior.

[Cassie]

Gotcha.

[Danielle]

And with them, Nils Stringberg. So there's two Nils right now at the moment, so I'll be going by last names to make it a little easier. And strindberg was a 23 year old assistant professor of physics. They were selected from a large pool of eager qualified candidates for these coveted spots alongside Andre. Once at the island, a hydrogen plant and a five story balloon house had been constructed as a means to fill the balloon without interference from the wind. When it was ready for liftoff, the front wall of this five story building would be torn down to allow the balloon to take off once they arrived. It was a waiting game. The conditions had to be perfect and the winds had to be blowing just right in order for them to begin their journey. So they waited. And waited and waited. And during that time, Eckholm conducted tests of his own on the balloon. And his conclusions were very worrisome. Based on his calculations, the balloon would only be able to stay afloat for 17 days, not the 30 that the expedition required. Despite efforts to stave off any leaks, the balloon had been hand stitched and there were millions of tiny puncture holes. During the stitching of the Silk panels during construction. And all of those added up accumulated to a significant amount of gas. Escaping. For nearly three weeks, the group awaited favorable conditions. But none came. Their seasonal window had closed and Andre reluctantly announced that the expedition would be delayed an entire year. At Combs, doubt that the balloon could retain sufficient hydrogen to make the length of the. To make the length of the trip only worsened. On their boat ride back to Sweden, the hydroge plant's chief engineer informed Eckholm that he had witnessed Andre secretively refilling the balloon. And this served as the nail in the coffin for Eckholm and only worsened his already deep concern. Because this proved that the balloon was even less capable than he had originally thought.

[Cassie]

Because he was basing his findings off of not knowing that he secretly re. Secretly refilling these. Why would you do that? Either this is your expedition and you're sabotaging yourself.

[Danielle]

It's like you're, you're setting yourself up for some trouble and the people you're going with right at home confronted Andre about this and essentially gave him an ultimatum. Get a new balloon or find somebody else. Back in Sweden, the public who had been really eagerly anticipating this extraordinary expedition, almost immediately lost faith and interest in the venture. Andre spent the following months torn between scrapping the entire plan or trying again. The following summer, based on archival newspaper accounts, it was apparent that there was an immense pressure for him to try again. This was Sweden's first true and only attempt to the North Pole. Sponsors were likely pressuring him a lot and you know, like the, the media and the country was kind of like, oh, you're backing out. Like what is, what's going on? Ultimately he wasn't ready to give up and he decided to try again. Refusing to invest in another balloon at home was replaced by 27 year old civil engineer and avid outdoors nut Frankel. In the spring of 1897, Andre's mother died unexpectedly and that sent him into a spiral of grief. Although he presented differently, he was destroyed by her passing writing, quote, the only thread which bound me to the wish to live is cut off. He had no family of his own and would intentionally distance himself from anyone that he began developing feelings for once stating, quote, I don't want to run the risk of having a wife to ask me with tears to, to desist from my flights because at that moment my affection for her, no matter how strong, would be so dead that nothing could call it to life again. So this expedition was his, everything his. Both his parents are gone, he has no other siblings. And he has no romantic partner or real interest in getting one because he doesn't want anyone interfering with his passion for balloons.

[Cassie]

Yeah, he's really putting his all into to this.

[Danielle]

They arrived back, so. Okay, sorry. So a year has gone by at this point, and they're back to the island. It was May, and they were delighted to see that the balloon house and the hydrogen plant had fared well in the weather and that the wind conditions were now in their favor. Strindberg penned a letter to his brother saying in part, quote, with a fairly strong wind, we will reach the pole or a point near it in 30 to 60 hours. Once having reached the northernmost point, we don't care where the wind takes us. Of course, we would rather land in Alaska near the Mackenzie river, where we would very likely meet American whalers who are favorably disposed towards the expedition. It would really be a glorious thing to succeed so. Well. But even if we were obliged to leave the balloon and proceed over the ice, we shouldn't consider ourselves lost. We have sledges and provisions for four months. Guns and ammunition, hence are just as well equipped as any other expedition as far as that is concerned. I would not object to such a trip.

[Cassie]

Okay, so they're prepared.

[Danielle]

Yes.

[Cassie]

To be stuck there for a while.

[Danielle]

Yeah, they have emergency supplies. And this expedition is.

[Cassie]

This could be four months, right?

[Danielle]

Yeah, they're really. They're really well prepared in that regard. On July 11, Andre sent a telegram to King Oscar II and the Swedish newspaper that purchased the press rights to the expedition, indicating their departure. Ground crew unleashed the tethers, releasing the eagle and its three occupants into the sky. Kind of as it was leaving the balloon house, it struck something. And the last thing Andre was heard to say was, what was that? Before the balloon drifted away into the sky, rising 300ft into the air before rapidly descending to the point where the basket was striking the water. The weight of the basket and the inadequate lift being generated by the balloon caused it to plummet. Onlookers watched as the trio tossed nine bags of sand, roughly 450 pounds worth, over the sides of the basket and into the ocean. Wind gust pushed the balloon further out over the sea, still dangerously close to the choppy waters below. In the chaos, two of the three steer ropes were torn free, which was a bad thing in the long run, but kind of a good thing in the immediate because it gave a much needed buoyancy to the balloon. But it wasn't enough. The men, realizing their predicament, started throwing off more items, including heavy gear in A desperate attempt to gain altitude. Within the first minutes of this expedition, they tossed nearly 1700 pounds worth of weight. They rose nearly 2,300ft into the sky, which was another problem, because now they were way too high. The intended plan was to hover at an altitude somewhere around 820ft below the clouds. But above the fog, at this higher altitude, there was greater atmospheric pressure. The hydrogen was escaping at an even higher rate. So after some more adjustments, they finally got it right. And traveling at about 20 miles an hour, their balloon traveled into the horizon until onlookers only saw a tiny speck in the sky before they disappeared from sight. They're all over the damn place.

[Cassie]

So many questions. Why would you continue? You're still in safety. Your people are right there. You know, you just threw out half of your provisions, maybe more, and then you're like, that's fine, we're just gonna go for it.

[Danielle]

30 to 60 hours.

[Cassie]

And what, just new balloon? New try. Sorry, that sucked.

[Danielle]

But just imagine they're like, up, down, up, down. They're almost in the water.

[Cassie]

They're way up there sick just thinking about it. Sickness? No. This is like, I feel like that was a bad omen from the beginning. I don't even know where this is going. I know it's not somewhere good, but I feel like that was a bad omen of, hey, maybe this is the universe telling you this is not a good idea.

[Danielle]

Well, we say it all the time and especially, you know, like if something doesn't start feeling, if something is difficult to do, not saying don't do it because is thing. Life is difficult and you have to face things, but there are certain times where there are indicators. And like you said, it's the universe saying either like, hey, pay attention to this or maybe adjust something or like listen to the signs of like in this plan.

[Cassie]

This isn't, this isn't the right way to go about this.

[Danielle]

You know, it's like it was delayed. One of your boss and an expedition prior who is extremely knowledgeable is saying, hey, this is, is really not good. To the point that I don't even want to be involved because I'm so worried that this is not going to be good. And like there's just all of these little things that are like, hey, maybe, maybe hold off and readjust. But they didn't. And off they went. Conditions studied. For a time, all three men kept detailed journals intended to be logs for their various observations to record data points on weather events. But they also served to capture their feelings and day to day routines that first night. Andre, who kept the most detailed diaries, wrote, how wonderful that first night was, remarking, quote, the snow on the ice, A light dirty yellow across great expanses. The fur of the polar bear has the same color. Pleasant feelings prevail. The following morning, they had coffee as they traveled through the mist as temperatures hung right above freezing. By the afternoon, the fog thickened and the basket repeatedly bumped into. Dumped onto the ice like they're like.

[Cassie]

Kind of barely above. Yeah.

[Danielle]

Despite the literal ups and downs into the air, then slamming onto the ice, spirits were still relatively high. But by the following evening, Strindberg was seasick and none of the men had gotten any rest. They elected to throw more ballast out to raise the balloon, which rose about 100ft. And while doing so, a large polar bear swam directly below them to evade the rope guidelines. Dangling onto the ground, the animal took off running. Once he got up and onto the ice, the rising and falling of the balloon was impossible to gain steady control of. They were reluctant to keep throwing out important items. And to make matters worse, the balloon was starting to develop a coating of ice, weighing it down even more. On the morning of July 14, they decided enough was enough. Disappointed and exhausted, the men jumped out of the balloon, which had made a soft landing after being afloat for nearly 66 hours and which had traveled 517 miles, but in reality, only about 300 miles from where they first started. With no way to refill the balloon, they shifted gears. They had landed amidst hundreds of miles of ice broken into large blocks, which were being forced together by the current. They took a week to regroup and to take stock of their remaining gear and supplies. Despite having to ditch some of it, they were still pretty well off. They had guns, ammo, two large sleds, snowshoes, a boat frame, food, tents, and they also had several carrier pigeons. The men were under the impression, given how rough of a takeoff that they had just had a couple days prior, that a rescue operation was likely already underway for them. They're like, everyone saw that, right? Like.

[Cassie]

Like that.

[Danielle]

Are they worried for us?

[Cassie]

They must be. They must know that this was dumb and we're. And they're gonna come get us.

[Danielle]

But for extra insurance, the birds were all sent out with messages containing detailed information as to their exact location and detailed information as far as as longitude and latitude readings and the day and, you know, just pertinent information like that. They also had a camera, especially equipped with a water and weatherproof case to document their journey. And it was decided that they would head southeast towards one of the two cache locations that they had pre arranged this one off Franz Josef Land, an archipelago in Russia, and would stay put there until rescue arrived. The two sledges, both weighing roughly 450 pounds, were difficult to pull. They would all grab ropes and haul one a distance before stopping and going back to re to repeat the process with the other one. They would have to build bridges between ice floes, navigate the uneven surfaces, use axes to make tracks in the ice and snow for the sledges, and at times had to pull the sledges and themselves out of the frigid water when the ice gave wet.

[Cassie]

So much for not liking the not wanting to be in the outdoors. Like I'm not really that into the outdoors. I just want money. And now you're full on expedition surviving in the Arctic.

[Danielle]

Yep, for the time being the temperatures were forgiving, typically hovering around 32 degrees. But the progress they were making was very slow. Banking three miles a day was a fantastic day.

[Cassie]

Oof.

[Danielle]

Like the best day that they had.

[Cassie]

That, that's rough travel.

[Danielle]

They did have food but in attempts to ration it supplemented their diets by hunting anything they that they could find. And shoot they did. Seals, walruses and polar bears were killed and consumed along the way. Journal entries detailed their creations with this food, including blood pancakes made of bear blood mixed with oatmeal which was then fried in butter or algae soup made from whatever algae was found clinging to the ice floes mixed with melted snow. Despite the difficulties, Strindberg wrote to his fiance Charlier in his journal saying quote, we have just stopped for the day after judging and pulling the sledges for 10 hours. I am really rather tired but must first chat a little. First and foremost I must congratulate you for this is your birthday. Oh how I wish I could tell you now that I am in excellent health and that you need not fear for us all. We are sure to come home by and by. He and Anna had gotten engaged the autumn before their departure, originally bonding over their love of music. Anna was Strindberg's great love. He carried a small heart shaped locket with her portrait and a lock of her hair around his neck and a photo of her in his pocket with him at all times on his journey and he wrote to her frequently in his journal, although he had nowhere to post his letters.

[Cassie]

This makes me want to start a fight with Al, doesn't it?

[Danielle]

Yeah, I'm like I want to fight out.

[Cassie]

Did you, did you wanna. Are you going to put a lock of my hair around your neck? Or is there a photo of me in your pocket?

[Danielle]

Or.

[Cassie]

Or do you have a locket with me in it? Like, what's, what's going on?

[Danielle]

Yeah. Well, I will definitely back you up.

[Cassie]

Thank you.

[Danielle]

Romance is dead, everyone.

[Cassie]

Why doesn't anyone do this anymore?

[Danielle]

After a week of struggle, including issues with snow blindness and bowel issues, they made the decision to ditch some of the weight hampering their progress. Days later, they made a very discouraging discovery. Using astronomical measurements and the movement of the ice, they calculated that they had drifted west with the ice further than their progress to the east. So they're basically walking in place.

[Cassie]

Oh, no.

[Danielle]

By August 4, unable to beat the movement of the ice, they had given up their journey of walking east and decided instead to head southwest to the other cache that was located in the northern most regions of the Svalbard archipelago. Because so think of it kind of like a triangle. So they were at the top of the triangle where they crash landed, and then going down to the two lower points of the triangle is a cache each. So they decided to go to one. It wasn't working, so they're going to backtrack and go to the other point. Okay, I know it's kind of confusing, but they're just tldr it ain't working and they have to try something else. The going got tougher, and they were growing weaker and colder as the temperatures dropped. Food was becoming scarcer, and at times they resorted to eating polar bear meat raw. By the end of the month, Frankel had injured his knee, was experiencing bad bouts of diarrhea and stomach pains, and was being treated with morphine and opium. August bled into September, and morale was still high despite the challenges. And the men continued to document the wonder that they witnessed alongside the struggles that they faced. However, a September 17th journal entry by Andre noted how things had changed. They had found that they had traveled 81 miles southeast when they were trying for southwest.

[Cassie]

Why do they keep going in the wrong direction?

[Danielle]

It's. It's a combination of them fighting the current because they're on ice floes, they're on giant, you know, like. So there's that, that they're battling and they're based on historical reflection on their entries and their, their calculations and stuff, they were slightly off. So that contributed to all of this as well.

[Cassie]

Gotcha.

[Danielle]

It was now impossible for them to reach the cache in time, and wintering on the ice was now a reality that they had to face. With plans of hunkering down until spring. They built a house on the ice by heaping up snow and pouring water over it, and moved their belongings inside. They had hopes that perhaps they'd have a chance of getting rescued early from maybe a passing whaler or or whaling or fishing vessel. But that was quickly dashed when the ice below their hut began breaking. Less than a week after building the ice house, the large ice floe fractured beneath their hut, sending the hut and their belongings plunging into the water. The trio managed to retrieve a majority of what was swept away and began building another hut when they noticed some birds flying towards a distant island. The island Katoya, or White island, was normally really difficult to access because it's really remote and typically surrounded by a very thick belt of polar ice and surrounded by large ice floes. The island itself is so named because it's mostly covered with thick layers of ice. But the trio spotted a narrow strip of exposed land and made a move for it. Under the brilliance of the northern lights, they moved ashore and set up camp, which they dubbed Mina Andre's place, in memory of Andre's mother. Friday, October 8th. Andre made a note of the poor weather that day, which forced them to stay inside, but commented on how they were all happy to be on land versus the drifting ice. He also stated when the weather let up, they would go off to harvest driftwood and whale bones. And it was the last entry he ever penned. Fast forward 33 years. A Norwegian ship dubbed the Braavag was sailing the Arctic Ocean on a part scientific, part sealing mission. During an unseasonably warm summer, the ship pulled up to the island of Cotoya, normally inaccessible within the Svalbard archipelago, to take advantage of the abundant population of walruses horses on the island. Following animals around a strip of land on the southern tip of the island, Some of the men had come back carrying a diary, heavy and logged with water, with, quote, The Sledge Journey 1897 legibly written on the first page. Intrigued, the scientific expedition leader, Dr. Gunner Horn, and the ship's captain, Peter Alessian, rode to shore. The pair met up with some of the crew members who were out on the island in search of fresh water when they discovered an aluminum lid and continuing forward, a dark object sticking out from a nearby snow drift. It was a canvas boat and in it a boat hook stamped Andres Pol exp. 1896. Continuing the sweep of the area, not far from the boat, they discovered a body leaning against a rock. The body was frozen, feet still in boots, but not much else remained other Than bones of the torso and the arms. The head was missing, and clothing was scattered around the area. Area suggesting bears had likely disturbed the remains. Carefully opening what remained of the jacket horn revealed a large monogrammed a. Two more sets of remains were soon located nearby, and what they had suspected became clear. They had just discovered the remains of SA Andre's expedition. Wow.

[Cassie]

And so I have to ask, did anyone try and come rescue them after you had mentioned?

[Danielle]

They.

[Cassie]

Their takeoff was really bad. And then they had sent carrier pigeons, and they had been waiting and thinking someone would rescue. Did anyone ever do that?

[Danielle]

Yes, we'll get to that.

[Cassie]

Okay.

[Danielle]

In the years between 1897. And it's literally the next sentence. In the years between 1897 and 1933, several searches had been conducted but produced nothing. Messages, either by pigeon or concealed in water buoys and sent off by the party were not discovered until well after their disappearance and the discovery of their remains. So to be clear, they sent at least four passenger pigeons with messages, and only one was ever recovered. And it was like.

[Cassie]

It was much later, like, the messages were never recovered.

[Danielle]

The. The animal, the pigeon. Pigeons and the messages they were carrying. And then one of the pigeons that they had sent out was discovered on a fishing vessel. It landed on a fishing vessel, but it wasn't a distress message. That one just carried, like Andre's expedition this day. Here's our longitude and latitude all as well.

[Cassie]

Oh, okay. Those pigeons didn't do their job.

[Danielle]

They probably died somewhere.

[Cassie]

But they were like, it is cold up here. Why'd you bring.

[Danielle]

Why am I in the Arctic?

[Cassie]

Yeah, I'm a pigeon.

[Danielle]

And then the. In case you haven't noticed, I'm a pigeon. And then the water buoys that they would. They kind of like, message in a bottle type thing. Some of them were discovered in, like, the 40s and 50s, like, way after their bodies were discovered. So they didn't have much, they didn't help much. And in all likelihood, there are probably some messages that he had sent out or he or one of the other men had sent out that have yet to be discovered at all.

[Cassie]

I dream of being one of those people who's just minding my own business, walking on a beach, and suddenly I see a bottle in the sand, and I'm like, what is this? I'll pick up this trash. And I pick it up, and there's this ancient letter in it, And I open it.

[Danielle]

It's a scroll. You're like, it's a scroll.

[Cassie]

And it unveils the location of $2 million and a love letter.

[Danielle]

Oh, you want treasure? Okay.

[Cassie]

Love letter. Yeah.

[Danielle]

Yeah. That means we have to go to the beach. We are never on a beach. I know.

[Cassie]

We never go to beaches. It's always freezing.

[Danielle]

I know.

[Cassie]

I guess technically Antarctica has beaches, ice beaches. It's on the water.

[Danielle]

The definition of a beach, I guess will be on, but not. I just want to be warm at something.

[Cassie]

I don't know if it's even the definition of a beach, but I think it is. Is. Is it?

[Danielle]

Yeah. It doesn't have to be warm to be a beach.

[Cassie]

That's true.

[Danielle]

The expedition, which had gained national attention before, had turned into an international story once news broke that they were missing. And the headlines ran rampant, asking the same question in many different ways. Where is Andre? Following the discovery of the camp, further discoveries were made by other vessels shortly thereafter. And they recovered more artifacts from their expedition, including more log bombs, books. Log books and diaries, maps, clothing, medicine, tools, uneaten food rations, fuel, ammunition and weapons, and over 40 rolls of camera film. All fines were handed over to the scientific commission of the Swedish and Norwegian governments for further analysis. Almost 33 years to the day of their last journal entries, on October 5, 1930, escorted by five destroyers and five airplanes, planes, the remains of the three explorers arrived in Stockholm on the same exact ship that had brought them to the island that they took off on their grand balloon expedition 33 years prior.

[Cassie]

That's a somber full circle moment.

[Danielle]

Yep. The procession passed through Norway and Denmark, and as the ship approached the harbor, more boats joined in until nearly 200 of them trailed the vessel. They docked, and a procession of over a hundred thousand people gathered in what was later described as one of the most solemn and grandiose manifestations of national mourning that has ever occurred in Sweden. The three men placed in coffins were laid at the feet of King Gustaf V, who proclaimed to the gathered crowd, quote, in the name of the Swedish nation, I here greet the dust of the polar explorers who more than three decades ago left their native land to find an answer to questions of unparalleled difficulty. They were buried in the Northern Cemetery, located outside of Stockholm, and a monument designed by one of Strindberg's brothers sits atop them. It is in the shape of a sail and the front of a ship cutting through water. Engraved on this sail is the route of the balloon's flight. The explorers walk on the ice and a balloon with a dangling basket.

[Cassie]

That's really nice.

[Danielle]

The discovery of the camp, their three sets of remains, and the diaries found in 1930 was reported around the world, and the diaries were published with commentary. As Andre's story. Over the years stretching into present day, historians, scientists, medical professionals and more have scoured their journals and studied all of the belongings left behind at camp for any indication as to what happened to them. Yet it still remains a mystery. Based on the locations and the conditions in which the three bodies were found, correlated and cross referenced with their final journal entries, it was surmised that Strindberg was the first to die. And he was buried as best as they could figure out in the icy conditions. Just kind of had rocks like, it looked like he was intentionally buried, but just kind of haphazardly. His death was quickly followed by Frankel and finally Andre, who had the final entry in his journal on October 18th 8th. But the order of their deaths and the true cause of them have been up for debate for decades. All of the final journal entries indicate no issues of fear, sickness or injury. The main theory for decades was that the men perished from trichinosis, a parasitic disease caused by eating raw or undercooked meat from infected animals, and in their case, likely polar bear meat. Supporters of this theory point to the parasites, larvae found in parts of polar bear carcasses that were found found at their campsite, and the diarrhea that they had experienced here and there. However, critics note that diarrhea hardly needs an explanation beyond their poor diet and their physical hardships that they had been going through. Plus, other telltale symptoms of trichinosis were missing in their accounts. So they're like, this could be contributed to anything, you know, okay, but people.

[Cassie]

Used to die from diarrhea. So even if it wasn't from this parasite, it could have been linked.

[Danielle]

Vitamin A poisoning from eating polar bear liver was considered as well. But the diary entries reveal that they had been aware of the dangers of doing that and avoided it. Lead poisoning was thrown into the mix from the cans in which their food was stored. But a late 1990s lead test performed on a fingernail that was found in one of their gloves revealed to have a lot of lead, but not a sufficient amount to kill a person. Botulism, scurvy and carbon monoxide poisoning were all considered before falling low on the list of possibilities. Of course, murder suicide was considered, but that seemed pretty unlikely, especially due to the high spirits everyone's journals seemed to leave off on and the ways in which they spoke of each other in their writings, which was consistently always positive. And they even commended and praised one another in their writings, basically saying, like, these are the best people I could be in this situation with, with type of thing. There is the very realistic possibility that they had simply died as a lethal combination of general exhaustion, weakness and hypothermia. Frustratingly, their bodies were cremated in 1930, so any possibility of exhuming them for analysis is impossible. As a result, most of these theories that I just mentioned were based on using the journal and diary entries as the chief primary sources pertaining to the to what could be learned about the fate of the expedition. Over a hundred books were written in Sweden about what their fate was based off of this method of examining the case. However, someone came along and changed that. In the late 1990s, author and physician Bea Yuzma was at a party and pulled a book off the shelf of the Andre expedition. And she was hooked on this story and this enduring mystery. And for the next 15 years, she thought of nothing else. She spent over a decade pouring over every available fragment of evidence from the expedition, including each artifact. Hard to get autopsy reports. She's a physician. She had some ins. So she got her hands on the original autopsy reports before they were cremated, as well as their journals. But this time she examined everything through the lens of a forensic perspective. Rather than make speculations and claims, she let the evidence, evidence speak for itself. Strindberg's long johns were missing a leg and his jacket and vest had slashes that cut through them. Frankel's body was discovered inside the tent without mittens or boots, with a partially used morphine bottle alongside him. Andre's body was located just outside of the tent, sitting in an upright position against a rock, a loaded rifle and empty morphine and opium bottles beside him. Prior to his passing, he had ensured that he carefully wrapped his diary in a wool jumper, jumper and balloon cloth to protect it from the elements. In short, she put out a new theory. A polar bear attack. Surprise. This is a tooth and claw episode.

[Cassie]

Wait, I'm confused because I thought it was going to go a different direction because you're saying they had morphine bottles next to them. And I thought it was going to be intentional. They all got sick of the weather.

[Danielle]

Well, listen to this. So she thinks. And she outlined polar bears, gave them morphine. Polar bears were like, hey, you gotta go. No. So she outlines all this in great detail, actually, in her book that she wrote after 15 years of studying and it was published in 2014, and it is titled the Expedition Solving the Mystery of a Polar Tragedy. And in very simplistic terms, she theorizes that Strindberg was attacked and Killed by a polar bear. He's the one that had the leg missing on his long johns. He had slashes all through his clothing. And he was the one that was buried. So she thinks that he was attacked and killed by a polar bear. And during that attack, Frankl, who was the second to die, was possibly mortally injured in either helping him, trying to save him, whatever.

[Cassie]

Okay.

[Danielle]

And he appeared to have died very, very shortly thereafter inside of the tent. And he was the one that was wearing no shoes or mittens or anything like that. So perhaps Sprenberg got attacked. He was in his tent, not wearing, not prepared to be outside, and had run out and tried to get kept, help him, you know what I mean? And then went back to the tent, died. And Andre would have then found himself on the island, unable to leave by himself. Perhaps the weight of his failed attempt for the Pole, the tragic ends of his friends and the arduous journey and the lack of family to return to possibly led him to the decision to end his own life via morphine and opium overdose.

[Cassie]

And then for the guy who was in the tent, if he was mortally injured, then potentially he was taking medication to try to try to help whatever.

[Danielle]

Pain he was in. Yes.

[Cassie]

Okay, that makes more sense. And it's realistic because they had. They had food again.

[Danielle]

Yes, they had enough food rations, supplies, ammunition, etc. Etc. Etc. To survive longer. It's not like they were running out of food.

[Cassie]

How long had they been surviving for? I know you put dates, but.

[Danielle]

Yeah, so this was the Last entry was October 18th, 8th, which they're guessing. They died shortly thereafter, so early October. And the balloon took off on July 11th.

[Cassie]

Okay, so not. They really weren't out there for super long. Three months.

[Danielle]

There are novels and film adaptations based on various interpretations of what some believe to have transpired on the expedition, along with various books about the journey based solely off historical events and the journal entries of Andre Strindberg and Frankel. There is also a museum whose collection is largely dedicated to this, this expedition. The Jenna Museum is located in Grana, Sweden, and showcases objects recovered from the campsite, along with dozens of photos from Strindberg's camera, which was salvaged 33 years later. So there are, wow, dozens of photos of them. Like when their balloon crashed or quote, unquote, crash, softly landed and they got out. Yeah. And their whole journey across the ice. At their final campsite, there's some photos of them standing over a polar bear that they shot and killed. Like, there's a lot of documentation that is really, really well preserved, they have an extensive Polar expedition collection to include not only objects and photographs from the doomed Andre expedition, but others as well, notably Sir Ernest Shackleton's photo album with a large number of expedition images, including the sinking of the Endurance in 1915. There is also a photo of Anna Strindberg's fiance which was recovered alongside his remains scenes it shows a young woman beaming with a smile, lounging in the grass with both hands behind her head, looking right into the camera. It is crumpled and weathered and I know that is most likely due to its exposure to the elements for over three decades, but I would also like to think that it was worn out with love. As Nils clutched it close in what would become the final months of his life, Anna was devastated by the disappearance of her fiance. Nine years after he failed to return, Nils was officially declared decades deceased two years later. So 11 years total after his disappearance, Anna married a British man and for the next 30 years split her time between the US and the UK. In 1930, when the bodies were recovered and brought back to Sweden, so too did all of the letters that Nils had written to her. They were delivered to her by Nils's brother and it really hurts my heart to think of all of the emotions that she experienced when reading through his work. Words such as, quote, it is strange to be sitting here again this year thinking about how I am engaged to the most wonderful girl on earth. My dearest Anna. Yes, I may well shed a tear when I think about the happiness I have known which may not be mine. Again, that's so heartbreaking. Anna died in 1949 at the age of 78 and just two years prior to her death, Nils's niece visited Anna in her home in England. Later, reflecting on that visit, the niece said, quote, Anna's husband, Gilbert Hawtrey was a wonderful human being who tried in all possible ways to help his sorrow ridden wife to forget. But it was all in vain. Anna could not forget and forget. She didn't. No matter what home Anna was in, she was always sure to hang a portrait of her late fiance and she was sure to communicate a very important final wish. She left specific instructions for her family concerning her wishes for her remains. She was to be buried next to her husband Gilbert or he next to her, depending on who was to pass away first. However, prior to her burial, her heart was to be removed from her body and cremated separately. The cremains were to be placed in a small silver box and placed in the grave next to her lost Love Nils. On September 4, 1949. The day Nil Strindberg would have turned 77, the joint grave of Andrew Frankel and Strindberg was opened and the silver box containing Anna's cremated heart was lovingly placed alongside him.

[Cassie]

That's really beautiful.

[Danielle]

It's heartbreaking.

[Cassie]

It's heartbreaking, but it's really beautiful.

[Danielle]

Yeah.

[Cassie]

And just shows, I mean, the whole story. You were talking about his love for her, but then to hear her love for him that was reciprocated after her.

[Danielle]

Entire life goes by, it just, it gives me. It gives me Titanic vibes. Vibes, you know, like, yeah, this great love that was just lost so soon. And you know, their lives went on. They married, they, you know, lived out the rest of their time without ever truly forgetting and reserving a piece of their love and their heart for the. The one they love. So I just, I think that was really, really special. Danska, or Danish island, the small island in which the faded balloon expedition lifted off from and which the balloon house and the hydrogen plant were built, is right off the coast of Spitzbergen, the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway. Known as the wildlife capital of the Arctic, Spitsbergen has a vast untouched landscape and low visitor numbers that create an idyllic sanctuary for a thriving diverse range of wildlife. Around 65% of Spitzbergen has a protected status to include include six national parks and 22 special protection areas. And Danskoya is now part of the Nordvest Spitsbergen National Park.

[Cassie]

And there's the tie in. I was gonna ask you mid episode, what does this have to do with a national park? But I had a feeling you were gonna tie it in at the end because you do that a lot in episodes. So I was like, I'm just gonna.

[Danielle]

Wait and let me cook.

[Cassie]

Okay.

[Danielle]

Let me do my thing.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Danielle]

Established in 1973 to protect the environment against the growing interest of the mining industry. It's absolutely stunning. It has glaciers, islands and large bays. Arctic tundra spotted with moss and lichen. And the park holds not only the remnants of the Andre expedition, but evidence of others as well. Along with remains of various whaling stations, there is various expedition cruises led by naturalists, biologists and geologists that run through the area and showcase the fuel snow capped mountains and ice floes and glaciers of the park, which boast iconic arctic species such as walrus seals, polar bears, belugas, foxes, reindeer and more. The park has also been identified as an important bird area, is a hibernating area for polar bears and a hot spot for walrus colonies. It is also the location of the northernmost documented hot spring on Earth.

[Cassie]

Ooh, that's cool.

[Danielle]

Visiting the remnants of the expedition camp and memorial requires a permit from the governor. But on these various expedition cruises, they. I watched a lot of YouTube videos of people who have taken these expedition cruises up there and just their footage of being on the Zodiacs and it actually got me really excited for Antarctica trip because I know it's a different region and stuff and we're not going to see polar bears, but just like all of their excitement for just like that type of environment and all of the different wildlife that they were seeing and, and all of that is really cool. Katoya island or White island, where the remains of the three men and their expedition was found, is also accessible, ice conditions permitting, by expedition crews. The headland on the southwestern corner of the island has been named Andre Nessa in memory of this expedition. And there is a simple memorial stone erected there with the names of the three men who died there in the first days of the expedition. With the balloon still high in the air, Andre wrote his thoughts. It is not a little strange to be floating here above the polar sea, the first to have floated here in a balloon. How soon, I wonder, shall we have successors? Shall we be thought mad or will our example be followed? There is a very heated debate as to who was the first documented group to reach the North Pole and when. It has been accepted that the American explorer Robert Peary's team laid claim to that feat in 1909. However, that was almost immediately contested. Another American explorer and former friend of Robert Frederick Cook contested. It was actually he and his team to reach the North Pole first, a year prior, in 1908. And to add more confusion to that, historians cannot with 100% certainty say that either team actually made it to the geographic North Pole on either of those expeditions. Oh, the first consistent, verified and scientifically convincing attainment of the pole was on May 12, 1926 by Norwegian explorer Roland Amundsen. And how he reached it, you ask. An airship. And that is the story of the Andre Arctic balloon expedition of 1897.

[Cassie]

It ended up being an air, an airship, A blimp.

[Danielle]

A blimp. A balloon, if you will.

[Cassie]

Did it, is it me or were blimps really popular when we were kids and now they don't include exist? I mean, I'm sure they exist, but I never see them anymore.

[Danielle]

Where were you seeing blimps all the time?

[Cassie]

I feel like I used to see Blimps all the time when I was a kid.

[Danielle]

I remember the good one, the Goodyear.

[Cassie]

Hood hood had a blimp that was always up in the sky.

[Danielle]

Really? I don't know.

[Cassie]

I think. Right.

[Danielle]

Oh yeah, like the milk.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Danielle]

I don't know. I feel like they got a bad rep when they like caught on fire and there was mass devastation and all that.

[Cassie]

Maybe, I don't know, maybe it was a New England thing. Cuz I just googled hood blimp and it said the Hood blimp is a famous blimp that offers scenic views of the Massachusetts north shore. So maybe I just saw them in New England a lot. I mean, you grew up in New England too though.

[Danielle]

Yeah. I. I don't know. It's not like I was like, blimps were all over the place and now I never see them. But I feel like. Feel like. Yeah, like football games and stuff. Weren't there usually blimps?

[Cassie]

Yeah, always over the super bowl and stuff. There's always a blimp.

[Danielle]

Yeah, well, everything is expensive.

[Cassie]

And it says, here's why you don't see blimps anymore. And this was written in 2024. Today's consensus is that there are about 25 blimps still in existence.

[Danielle]

25?

[Cassie]

Yeah. So only about half of them are still in use for advertising purposes. It goes into the history of them. Why you rarely see airships at all anymore.

[Danielle]

Yeah, well, wasn't it The Lindbergh?

[Cassie]

Only 128 people in the United States are qualified to fly airships and only 17 of them are paid to do it full time.

[Danielle]

What are you doing full time?

[Cassie]

Flying?

[Danielle]

Applying an airship. Where are you going?

[Cassie]

I don't know, but I swear I saw them all the time when I was a kid. And now, Now I haven't seen one in years.

[Danielle]

Yeah, because there's only 25.

[Cassie]

That's why I'd like to see one again. Just for nostalgic purposes. Well, when you see them, you can.

[Danielle]

Think of the North Pole.

[Cassie]

I will. Every time.

[Danielle]

All right, that's it.

[Cassie]

Well, thank you for sharing that story. It was really interesting and it's very timely since we're doing our own South Pole exploration while this is airing, which is exciting.

[Danielle]

And are you going to do the Polar Plan bunch?

[Cassie]

I. I feel like we're gonna say no. On my own. I can be peer pressured into it probably, and I feel like that's gonna happen as I'm sitting here right now. I would say no, but also I.

[Danielle]

Know people are like, well, you're in.

[Cassie]

You're in the Antarctic. Like, where else are you gonna do it? It's like anywhere else. Anywhere that's like a little bit warmer.

[Danielle]

Or not at all.

[Cassie]

Or not at all. It's not a bucket listing of mine. I haven't been training for cold weather. Cold water plunges. It's not really my wheelhouse of things.

[Danielle]

To me, I think it's just like I'm nervous of the shock to my system because, yeah, I've done. I'm not like a. I don't do ice baths all the time. I don't have like an at home ice bath thing. But Nataya got one. Her or her husband got one. And when I was over, they were like, do you want to try it? And I was like, yeah, sure. And they're like, he. Mike's hyping it up. He's like, you're gonna. You got like May 30 seconds and then, you know, whatever. And he's like putting all the ice blocks in and making sure it gets down to temp. And I was really scared and. Because I also hate being cold.

[Cassie]

Yeah.

[Danielle]

But I felt like I had to do it, so I did it. And I was in there for over five minutes like this.

[Cassie]

I'm like, nothing.

[Danielle]

I don't know what. But it was very controlled. Like I could get in slowly and sit down.

[Cassie]

You're not just jumping in. Well, if you can do that for five minutes, then you could probably do the polar plunge. I mean, I have done sauna polar plunge type things.

[Danielle]

Ice cold. Ice hot. Ice hot. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Cassie]

And that's been fun.

[Danielle]

But there is a sauna available. They give you a shot. I don't really want the shot of vodka either. It's like, are you trying to kill me and then make me sick? I don't know if I'll take the shot of alcohol, but you go right into a sauna after.

[Cassie]

So that is really nice. You probably. That's probably a safety thing.

[Danielle]

It's like we. You signed your life away, so we actually. You can't do anything. Your family can't do anything. But yeah, I don't know. I think that I'll probably do it, but. And I'll peer pressure you as well.

[Cassie]

I'm not peer pressured easily, but it can happen.

[Danielle]

So if it was just me, I would. I wouldn't think you would say yes. But there's gonna be so many.

[Cassie]

If it's you peer pressuring me, I would feel very comfortable saying no.

[Danielle]

I also give up really easily. I'm like, hey, do you want to do this? And if someone's like, you're not pushy, I'm like, okay, guess we're not doing it. All right, great. Well, thank you, everyone, for listening again. No new episode next week. We have to be. We have to recover from our own expedition, but we will be back the week after and we'll see you then. In the meantime, enjoy the view, but watch your back. Bye.

[Cassie]

Bye.

[Danielle]

Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark book club, live streams, Discord, and much more. If you prefer to watch our episodes, video episodes are now available on YouTube. If you're enjoying the show, please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe on your favorite listening platform. And to follow along with all our adventures, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X @ National Park After Dark.