In the summer of 2022, American climber and writer Mark Synnott led a 6,736-mile expedition through the Northwest Passage—a sea route in the Arctic that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The journey began in Nuuk, Greenland, and ended in Nome, Alaska, taking 112 days. The purpose of the expedition was to follow the same route as British explorer Sir John Franklin, who vanished along with 128 crew members in the 1840s while trying to cross the passage. Synnott aimed to learn more about the mystery by stopping at the same locations and observing the Arctic environment. The project was backed by National Geographic and served as both a scientific mission and a tribute to one of the Arctic’s greatest mysteries.

Synnott’s experiences were published in his 2023 book, Into the Ice, which mixes storytelling, historical research, and personal insight. While parts of the book explore deeper analysis, the expedition’s more intense and visual moments are featured in the National Geographic documentary Explorer: Lost in the Arctic. In 2015, Canadian researcher Tom Gross reported possible grave markers on King William Island, but their exact locations are still unknown. Although the team faced extreme conditions and centuries-old clues, the expedition offered new findings and renewed interest in polar exploration and human survival.