Whoever thinks that the Wild West is a thing of the past, doesn’t know about the U.S. Coast Guard’s icebreaker Polar Star and its extreme mission and adventure into the Arctic.

The Polar Star departed from Seattle on December 7, 2020 and headed north. This was the first trip that the Coast Guard has taken to the Arctic, during winter, since 1982.

If the Arctic itself wasn’t cold and daunting enough, just getting there would prove a challenge.

The Polar Star’s commanding officer, Capt. William Woityra said, “The North Pacific and the Gulf of Alaska [and] the Bering Sea in the winter are absolutely treacherous.”