1 00:00:29,897 --> 00:00:32,432 This is your captain speaking from the bridge. 2 00:00:33,634 --> 00:00:35,802 North Pole just ahead of us. 3 00:00:41,542 --> 00:00:43,577 I ain't no professional diver, 4 00:00:43,710 --> 00:00:46,013 but this don't seem like dive weather. 5 00:00:49,449 --> 00:00:51,818 Hey, so how many people have you taken out 6 00:00:51,952 --> 00:00:54,154 to dive in this kind of weather? 7 00:00:54,288 --> 00:00:55,956 Oh, you are the first one. 8 00:00:56,089 --> 00:00:58,058 Oh. Ah, I'm the first. 9 00:00:58,191 --> 00:00:59,960 There's no way this is a good idea. 10 00:01:14,341 --> 00:01:16,510 - Okay. - Good to go? 11 00:01:24,685 --> 00:01:26,954 Come on, Will. Come on, Will. 12 00:01:39,066 --> 00:01:40,734 We got one shot at this. 13 00:01:57,117 --> 00:01:58,719 Wow. 14 00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:05,459 For 100 days, 15 00:02:05,592 --> 00:02:08,628 I'm gonna cross the seven continents 16 00:02:12,099 --> 00:02:16,636 and seek out some of the most extreme places on Earth... 17 00:02:19,873 --> 00:02:22,376 to see our planet 18 00:02:22,509 --> 00:02:24,878 as it's never been seen before. 19 00:02:26,146 --> 00:02:28,015 That's insane. 20 00:02:29,016 --> 00:02:31,485 I'll sail the high seas, 21 00:02:31,618 --> 00:02:36,656 trek vast deserts, and scale towering forests. 22 00:02:39,726 --> 00:02:44,865 I'll reach new frontiers, discover new species... 23 00:02:48,535 --> 00:02:50,937 and embrace new ways of living. 24 00:02:56,777 --> 00:02:59,513 To truly understand our planet, 25 00:02:59,646 --> 00:03:02,082 I'm stepping into the unknown. 26 00:03:02,849 --> 00:03:05,419 A journey to the edges of our world... 27 00:03:07,154 --> 00:03:10,657 to see it from Pole to Pole. 28 00:03:47,060 --> 00:03:48,962 Whoo! 29 00:03:52,899 --> 00:03:55,102 There it is! 30 00:03:55,235 --> 00:03:56,937 Antarctica. 31 00:03:57,738 --> 00:03:59,439 Look at that down there. 32 00:03:59,573 --> 00:04:04,211 No trees, no birds, like, nothing. 33 00:04:04,344 --> 00:04:06,746 Just snow and ice. 34 00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:15,388 It is a frozen continent, 35 00:04:15,522 --> 00:04:17,991 and nobody lives down there 36 00:04:18,125 --> 00:04:21,995 except for a few explorers and scientists. 37 00:04:22,762 --> 00:04:24,631 This about to be crazy. 38 00:04:26,099 --> 00:04:27,567 When I was a little boy, 39 00:04:27,701 --> 00:04:30,070 I always wanted to be an explorer. 40 00:04:30,937 --> 00:04:34,574 I had a mentor named Dr. Allen Counter. 41 00:04:35,275 --> 00:04:39,346 He was a brilliant scientist and fearless explorer. 42 00:04:39,479 --> 00:04:42,182 I called him the Black Indiana Jones. 43 00:04:42,315 --> 00:04:45,986 And he was always going on these amazing adventures, 44 00:04:46,119 --> 00:04:48,688 and he would invite me to go along. 45 00:04:49,489 --> 00:04:51,224 But I never went. 46 00:04:51,358 --> 00:04:54,261 I'd always tell him, "Hey, I'll catch you on the next one." 47 00:04:54,995 --> 00:04:58,732 He used to say, "The answers to everything important 48 00:04:58,865 --> 00:05:01,802 are out there at the edges of our world." 49 00:05:03,970 --> 00:05:06,706 He passed away a few years ago. 50 00:05:07,541 --> 00:05:10,544 Ever since, I've wondered what was out there 51 00:05:10,677 --> 00:05:13,113 that he wanted me to discover. 52 00:05:15,415 --> 00:05:17,984 I've decided to go see for myself. 53 00:05:18,818 --> 00:05:21,555 I'm gonna begin my journey by trying to touch 54 00:05:21,688 --> 00:05:24,624 the absolute farthest extreme, 55 00:05:24,758 --> 00:05:28,094 the very bottom of the planet, the South Pole. 56 00:05:34,501 --> 00:05:37,437 Dr. Counter, this one's for you. 57 00:05:58,258 --> 00:05:59,326 Hey. 58 00:06:00,227 --> 00:06:02,796 Oh! What's up, man? 59 00:06:02,929 --> 00:06:05,031 Jeez. 60 00:06:06,666 --> 00:06:08,435 - Richard. - Will, awesome to meet you. 61 00:06:08,568 --> 00:06:10,070 - Pleasure, man, pleasure. - Welcome... 62 00:06:10,203 --> 00:06:12,739 - Thank you. - ...to the seventh continent. 63 00:06:12,872 --> 00:06:14,040 Dude. 64 00:06:15,642 --> 00:06:17,611 It's freezing. 65 00:06:17,744 --> 00:06:19,679 And you brought good weather with you as well. 66 00:06:19,813 --> 00:06:21,815 Yeah-- oh, this is good weather? Okay, cool. 67 00:06:21,948 --> 00:06:24,050 Come on, let's head up to base camp. 68 00:06:26,019 --> 00:06:29,823 My name's Richard Parks. I'm a polar athlete. 69 00:06:31,658 --> 00:06:35,028 Over the last decade I've skied more solo, 70 00:06:35,161 --> 00:06:37,898 unsupported, and unassisted miles in Antarctica 71 00:06:38,031 --> 00:06:40,000 than anyone else in history. 72 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:43,470 And very proudly, I'm the first person of color 73 00:06:43,603 --> 00:06:47,908 to ski solo to the geographical South Pole. 74 00:06:48,842 --> 00:06:51,077 It's arguably one of the toughest... 75 00:06:51,945 --> 00:06:54,381 human endeavors on the planet. 76 00:06:56,583 --> 00:06:59,252 The environment doesn't support life. 77 00:07:00,287 --> 00:07:03,290 I've experienced winds in excess of 70 mile an hour 78 00:07:03,423 --> 00:07:05,959 and temperatures -52. 79 00:07:08,595 --> 00:07:13,066 Any exposed flesh will be susceptible to frostbite... 80 00:07:13,967 --> 00:07:17,103 one of the most painful injuries I've ever had. 81 00:07:18,872 --> 00:07:21,508 It's a very dangerous place. 82 00:07:21,641 --> 00:07:26,112 So, my job with Will is to keep him alive. 83 00:07:27,914 --> 00:07:29,215 Welcome to base camp. 84 00:07:29,349 --> 00:07:31,952 As you can see, we've got a bit of a thing for maps here. 85 00:07:32,085 --> 00:07:34,020 Man, this is cool. 86 00:07:34,154 --> 00:07:37,490 One of the most critical things when you do a map scene 87 00:07:37,624 --> 00:07:39,392 is how you place your hands. 88 00:07:39,526 --> 00:07:40,660 Okay. 89 00:07:40,794 --> 00:07:43,029 Mm-hmm. 90 00:07:43,163 --> 00:07:44,497 Mm-hmm. 91 00:07:44,631 --> 00:07:45,665 This isn't happening fast enough. 92 00:07:45,799 --> 00:07:47,801 We need to get those people outta there. 93 00:07:47,934 --> 00:07:50,203 All right. 94 00:07:50,337 --> 00:07:51,371 Seriously though, Will, 95 00:07:51,504 --> 00:07:55,375 this is the most hostile environment on the planet. 96 00:07:55,508 --> 00:07:57,510 The risk to life is really serious. 97 00:07:58,345 --> 00:08:00,914 There is very little margin for error. 98 00:08:01,047 --> 00:08:02,248 So, we're gonna have to look after each other 99 00:08:02,382 --> 00:08:05,885 and be absolutely dialed on everything we do. 100 00:08:06,019 --> 00:08:08,922 All right, so I'm gonna stop fooling around. 101 00:08:09,055 --> 00:08:10,023 Okay. 102 00:08:10,957 --> 00:08:12,492 We're in West Antarctica at the moment. 103 00:08:12,625 --> 00:08:14,761 - Mm-hmm. - And we're nestled 104 00:08:14,894 --> 00:08:17,197 in the Heritage Range, part of the Ellsworth Mountains. 105 00:08:17,330 --> 00:08:20,800 - Mm-hmm. - And this little cross here 106 00:08:20,934 --> 00:08:23,036 marks the geographical South Pole. 107 00:08:23,169 --> 00:08:26,773 And out there, that is the very, very bottom of our planet. 108 00:08:28,608 --> 00:08:30,543 And how far is that? 109 00:08:30,677 --> 00:08:33,079 About 700 miles from here. 110 00:08:33,213 --> 00:08:34,247 Wow. 111 00:08:35,582 --> 00:08:37,984 That'll be as far from anything 112 00:08:38,118 --> 00:08:40,920 and everything I will have ever been in my life. 113 00:08:41,054 --> 00:08:42,822 - Yeah, yeah. - Yeah. 114 00:08:47,927 --> 00:08:50,930 Antarctica is bigger than America, 115 00:08:51,064 --> 00:08:54,267 and the South Pole sits in the center of it. 116 00:08:55,402 --> 00:08:59,739 So, first, we begin with a trek through the Ellsworth Mountains 117 00:08:59,873 --> 00:09:01,508 to a remote airbase, 118 00:09:01,641 --> 00:09:06,413 then fly to a vast ice sheet called the Polar Plateau... 119 00:09:07,547 --> 00:09:11,484 where we'll continue on skis to the South Pole. 120 00:09:12,652 --> 00:09:15,688 Apparently, this frozen continent 121 00:09:15,822 --> 00:09:18,825 holds some of the planet's deepest secrets. 122 00:09:19,926 --> 00:09:22,495 Why couldn't they just be in the Bahamas? 123 00:09:24,831 --> 00:09:26,699 I know that you're keen to meet 124 00:09:26,833 --> 00:09:29,436 the scientists that do pioneering research 125 00:09:29,569 --> 00:09:30,804 in Antarctica. 126 00:09:30,937 --> 00:09:34,808 So, before we get to the pole, we're gonna stop here 127 00:09:34,941 --> 00:09:38,478 at a tiny research outpost called Criosfera 1. 128 00:09:38,611 --> 00:09:40,113 So, who's out there? 129 00:09:40,246 --> 00:09:42,348 There are three Brazilian scientists out there, 130 00:09:42,482 --> 00:09:46,219 who are some of the most remote people in the whole world. 131 00:09:46,352 --> 00:09:48,288 And they're out there by themselves? 132 00:09:48,421 --> 00:09:49,489 Yeah. 133 00:09:50,256 --> 00:09:52,292 All right, so they might be a little crazy, 134 00:09:52,425 --> 00:09:54,794 and we need to be prepared for that too. 135 00:09:55,495 --> 00:09:56,863 All right. 136 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:03,303 So, when was the last time you skied, Will? 137 00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:05,438 Uh, about a decade ago. 138 00:10:07,140 --> 00:10:10,376 Okay. Well, you know what they say? 139 00:10:11,911 --> 00:10:13,913 Yeah, just like riding a bike. 140 00:10:17,183 --> 00:10:19,185 Hey, I got a joke for you. 141 00:10:19,319 --> 00:10:23,022 How do you find Will Smith in Antarctica? 142 00:10:23,857 --> 00:10:25,725 You follow the fresh prints! 143 00:10:28,394 --> 00:10:31,865 First time on the continent of Antarctica. 144 00:10:31,998 --> 00:10:37,070 I am now officially a polar explorer. 145 00:10:37,203 --> 00:10:39,138 That's right, y'all know what it is. 146 00:10:40,140 --> 00:10:43,476 - Where you headed, buddy? - Up. 147 00:10:44,344 --> 00:10:46,946 I think everyone on the continent 148 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:49,516 should go through essential training. 149 00:10:49,649 --> 00:10:51,284 How you feeling, Will? 150 00:10:52,218 --> 00:10:55,655 So, the first leg was a chance to put Will through his paces. 151 00:10:55,788 --> 00:10:58,892 I do sure hope we're going around that mountain. 152 00:10:59,025 --> 00:11:02,061 Oh, jeez. 153 00:11:03,296 --> 00:11:04,631 Everything in Antarctica 154 00:11:04,764 --> 00:11:06,199 is working against you. 155 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:11,204 And even the simplest of functions, like breathing, 156 00:11:11,337 --> 00:11:13,873 is a challenge in Antarctica. 157 00:11:14,007 --> 00:11:17,176 So, the air is incredibly dry out there. 158 00:11:18,411 --> 00:11:22,315 So, just breathing means that we're dehydrating. 159 00:11:26,219 --> 00:11:28,421 Stop and have something to drink. 160 00:11:29,656 --> 00:11:31,724 You know, hydration is so important out here. 161 00:11:31,858 --> 00:11:37,163 You know, Antarctica holds like 60% of the world's fresh water. 162 00:11:37,297 --> 00:11:38,331 Mm-hmm. 163 00:11:38,464 --> 00:11:41,100 Yet, it's the world's largest desert. 164 00:11:42,068 --> 00:11:45,305 So, this is a desert. 165 00:11:46,506 --> 00:11:49,042 Yep. It's nuts, isn't it? 166 00:11:49,175 --> 00:11:51,044 I don't feel like I'm in a desert right now. 167 00:11:51,177 --> 00:11:53,146 Different to what we imagine, isn't it? 168 00:11:53,279 --> 00:11:56,416 In your mind, when you see snow, you assume water. 169 00:11:56,549 --> 00:12:00,486 - Yeah, yeah. - A snow desert, that's amazing. 170 00:12:02,422 --> 00:12:06,993 When I think of a desert I think of golden sands. 171 00:12:10,096 --> 00:12:11,431 Intense heat. 172 00:12:13,099 --> 00:12:15,034 Sun beating down. 173 00:12:17,503 --> 00:12:21,307 But deserts are defined by how dry they are, 174 00:12:21,441 --> 00:12:26,145 and Antarctica gets less rainfall than the Sahara. 175 00:12:37,023 --> 00:12:39,692 The snow almost never melts. 176 00:12:40,593 --> 00:12:45,632 So, it's both the coldest and the driest place on earth. 177 00:12:47,967 --> 00:12:49,268 What do you think, Will? 178 00:12:49,402 --> 00:12:52,438 Oh, man, this is spectacular. 179 00:12:52,572 --> 00:12:55,174 - It's big, isn't it? - This is spectacular. 180 00:13:06,552 --> 00:13:08,288 You know, most of the time I'm out here, 181 00:13:08,421 --> 00:13:11,024 - I'm on my own. - I know, that's crazy. 182 00:13:11,157 --> 00:13:12,759 You know, so it's so nice to have someone 183 00:13:12,892 --> 00:13:15,028 to talk to that's real. 184 00:13:15,161 --> 00:13:20,133 I want to know, how did you do this, 185 00:13:20,266 --> 00:13:24,804 by yourself, for almost a month, 186 00:13:24,937 --> 00:13:27,940 for 12 hours a day? 187 00:13:28,074 --> 00:13:30,109 - Like, how? - Sixteen, actually, Will. 188 00:13:30,243 --> 00:13:32,545 Oh, 16 hours? 189 00:13:33,479 --> 00:13:34,647 The biggest challenge for me 190 00:13:34,781 --> 00:13:38,051 has always been the kind of emotional state. 191 00:13:38,184 --> 00:13:40,953 Some days would be easy, some days would be a real grind. 192 00:13:41,087 --> 00:13:44,223 - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - And for me, it was music 193 00:13:44,357 --> 00:13:46,626 that got me through that, you know, help me regulate. 194 00:13:46,759 --> 00:13:48,194 Oh, wow. 195 00:13:49,062 --> 00:13:52,098 So, you have an Antarctic playlist? 196 00:13:52,231 --> 00:13:54,300 I do. 197 00:13:54,434 --> 00:13:56,903 Actually, I've got it right here if you wanna listen to it. 198 00:13:57,036 --> 00:13:58,304 Oh, absolutely. 199 00:13:58,438 --> 00:14:00,306 - There you go. - What you got? 200 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:02,809 Let's see what you got. Hit me. 201 00:14:02,942 --> 00:14:05,278 - ♪ Baby, baby ♪ - Okay. 202 00:14:05,411 --> 00:14:08,381 - ♪ Baby, don't leave me ♪ - Okay, okay. 203 00:14:09,782 --> 00:14:12,318 Ah, there you go. 204 00:14:12,452 --> 00:14:14,887 Ahh... 205 00:14:16,823 --> 00:14:19,425 ♪ I've got this burning, burning yearning ♪ 206 00:14:19,559 --> 00:14:21,828 - ♪ Feeling inside me ♪ - There you go. 207 00:14:24,530 --> 00:14:25,832 Break it down. 208 00:14:26,866 --> 00:14:28,701 Unh, unh! 209 00:14:28,835 --> 00:14:30,403 Oh! 210 00:14:31,337 --> 00:14:33,673 You know, they say, "Dance like no one's watching." 211 00:14:33,806 --> 00:14:35,141 - Oh! - Whoa! 212 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:36,943 No one's watching. 213 00:14:37,076 --> 00:14:39,078 Ah, I'm back! 214 00:14:41,547 --> 00:14:43,683 See how easy it is, though, to feel so happy? 215 00:14:43,816 --> 00:14:45,118 Yeah, man. 216 00:14:51,724 --> 00:14:56,396 Antarctica is unlike anything I have ever seen. 217 00:14:56,529 --> 00:15:01,834 The beauty and sheer ferocity of the landscape, 218 00:15:01,968 --> 00:15:03,369 it's otherworldly. 219 00:15:04,170 --> 00:15:10,410 You can be walking on ice that's like three miles thick. 220 00:15:10,543 --> 00:15:15,148 The snowflakes sparkle like diamonds. 221 00:15:16,749 --> 00:15:20,553 And in places, it feels like the ground 222 00:15:20,686 --> 00:15:23,656 could just swallow you up whole. 223 00:15:34,667 --> 00:15:36,869 Oh, my God. 224 00:15:39,372 --> 00:15:41,240 It's impressive, isn't it? 225 00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:48,314 - Wow. - Yeah. 226 00:15:49,715 --> 00:15:51,517 We're gonna rendezvous with the plane 227 00:15:51,651 --> 00:15:53,452 the other side of those mountains. 228 00:15:53,586 --> 00:15:55,788 But first, we gotta climb this ice wall. 229 00:15:55,922 --> 00:15:57,490 - Really? - Yeah. 230 00:15:57,623 --> 00:15:59,592 That's tall. 231 00:16:00,359 --> 00:16:02,028 Yeah, it's big. 232 00:16:02,795 --> 00:16:05,498 We're gonna climb it straight up there. 233 00:16:08,067 --> 00:16:09,435 What are you thinking? 234 00:16:09,569 --> 00:16:11,237 Yeah, I'm thinking I don't like that at all. 235 00:16:11,370 --> 00:16:13,439 - I wanna test you, Will. - Mm-hmm. 236 00:16:13,573 --> 00:16:15,708 I want you going into the next stage 237 00:16:15,842 --> 00:16:18,377 of this expedition hardened and ready. 238 00:16:19,145 --> 00:16:20,413 Okay. 239 00:16:21,247 --> 00:16:22,348 It'll be scary though. 240 00:16:22,482 --> 00:16:23,549 Show me the way. 241 00:16:23,683 --> 00:16:26,786 Awesome. See you at the top. 242 00:16:26,919 --> 00:16:28,254 All right. 243 00:16:30,756 --> 00:16:31,724 All right. 244 00:16:35,995 --> 00:16:39,031 The climb is about 300 vertical feet 245 00:16:39,165 --> 00:16:40,333 of hard ice. 246 00:16:41,434 --> 00:16:44,403 And that's quite scary because, you know, 247 00:16:44,537 --> 00:16:45,838 you're on a slippery slope. 248 00:16:49,575 --> 00:16:51,344 There you go, Rich, good job. 249 00:16:51,477 --> 00:16:53,579 Thanks, Will. 250 00:16:53,713 --> 00:16:55,314 Whoa! 251 00:16:55,448 --> 00:17:00,219 You don't want to take a fall off a 300-foot ice wall. 252 00:17:00,353 --> 00:17:02,822 Whoo! 253 00:17:05,358 --> 00:17:07,226 Okay, now it's your turn, Will! 254 00:17:07,360 --> 00:17:09,228 I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. 255 00:17:09,362 --> 00:17:11,797 Now, it's your turn! 256 00:17:11,931 --> 00:17:13,532 Okay! 257 00:17:14,433 --> 00:17:18,471 We had had virtually no wind, bluebird skies. 258 00:17:19,438 --> 00:17:22,141 But the weather can be unpredictable 259 00:17:22,275 --> 00:17:23,776 and incredibly volatile. 260 00:17:26,646 --> 00:17:30,917 And things can escalate and go wrong very, very quickly. 261 00:17:42,962 --> 00:17:46,032 Will! Let's get moving, mate. 262 00:17:48,935 --> 00:17:52,338 You know the wind is blowing now too, right? 263 00:17:53,673 --> 00:17:56,542 There was no wind when you went, Rich. 264 00:17:57,677 --> 00:18:01,547 Everybody knows the wind blows in the afternoon. 265 00:18:02,782 --> 00:18:04,584 I'm coming! 266 00:18:17,296 --> 00:18:21,167 Will! The wind's picking up! 267 00:18:26,872 --> 00:18:28,507 Oh, my God. 268 00:18:32,278 --> 00:18:34,447 It's like a frickin' hurricane. 269 00:18:42,989 --> 00:18:44,323 Oh, jeez! 270 00:19:03,909 --> 00:19:06,312 I'm gonna sit down for a couple minutes. 271 00:19:06,445 --> 00:19:08,514 The wind is blowing in my face. 272 00:19:10,282 --> 00:19:12,518 I don't quit a lot. 273 00:19:14,220 --> 00:19:17,056 I generally don't, you know, give up. 274 00:19:20,726 --> 00:19:24,430 The wind is-- it's cutting like a knife. 275 00:19:25,731 --> 00:19:27,566 I really can't feel my lips. 276 00:19:28,601 --> 00:19:31,570 But in Antarctica, 277 00:19:31,704 --> 00:19:33,305 you have that moment where you're like, 278 00:19:33,439 --> 00:19:37,643 "Ooh, mother nature's actually in charge." 279 00:19:38,411 --> 00:19:39,912 Ah! 280 00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:35,668 My guy! 281 00:20:35,801 --> 00:20:38,404 - Awesome work! - Ahh! 282 00:20:38,537 --> 00:20:40,406 - Yeah. - Awesome work. 283 00:20:41,240 --> 00:20:43,843 Before we go deeper into the continent, 284 00:20:43,976 --> 00:20:46,746 I needed something to push Will. 285 00:20:46,879 --> 00:20:51,283 It was terrible down there, but I love that! 286 00:20:51,417 --> 00:20:53,652 And Will's reaction to it... 287 00:20:55,754 --> 00:20:57,523 was more than I expected. 288 00:20:57,656 --> 00:20:59,325 Do I have explorer beard? 289 00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:01,026 I feel like I have explorer beard. 290 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:03,095 A little bit? 291 00:21:11,504 --> 00:21:13,672 Whew! 292 00:21:15,608 --> 00:21:17,209 It's a rough environment out there. 293 00:21:21,080 --> 00:21:27,019 I just keep asking myself, like, how did you end up here? 294 00:21:28,988 --> 00:21:30,823 It's hard out here. 295 00:21:32,858 --> 00:21:35,995 You know, the self-doubt that goes through your mind 296 00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:39,064 is torturous, right? 297 00:21:44,503 --> 00:21:49,608 There's always a moment where you get asked... 298 00:21:51,911 --> 00:21:56,582 a deeper question, and you just get asked the question, 299 00:21:56,715 --> 00:21:59,118 you know, what is your will to continue? 300 00:22:03,522 --> 00:22:05,124 Um... 301 00:22:13,265 --> 00:22:14,366 You-- sorry-- where... 302 00:22:14,500 --> 00:22:16,435 I felt like you were about to go someplace, 303 00:22:16,569 --> 00:22:18,137 and you decided not to. 304 00:22:18,270 --> 00:22:19,805 Um... 305 00:22:23,842 --> 00:22:26,645 As a younger man, I used to be a professional athlete. 306 00:22:26,779 --> 00:22:28,781 I played rugby for a living. 307 00:22:31,450 --> 00:22:33,752 Played for Wales, won trophies 308 00:22:33,886 --> 00:22:36,021 with Pontypridd, then Leeds. 309 00:22:37,890 --> 00:22:39,925 But I injured my shoulder. 310 00:22:44,396 --> 00:22:46,699 Basically, tore the cartilage out of my right shoulder, 311 00:22:46,832 --> 00:22:51,070 and doctor said that I would never play again. 312 00:22:54,773 --> 00:22:56,609 And it sent me into a period of depression, 313 00:22:56,742 --> 00:22:59,878 and you know, I... 314 00:23:00,012 --> 00:23:01,747 But I still find it difficult to talk about, 315 00:23:01,880 --> 00:23:05,284 but I-- I thought the worst thoughts. 316 00:23:12,491 --> 00:23:13,993 Uh... 317 00:23:16,195 --> 00:23:17,896 We maybe should have put something stronger 318 00:23:18,030 --> 00:23:20,799 in these, should we? 319 00:23:26,672 --> 00:23:28,474 From the moment I set foot on this continent, 320 00:23:28,607 --> 00:23:31,710 it... it took hold of me. 321 00:23:31,844 --> 00:23:34,346 It was my way out of a dark hole. 322 00:23:35,547 --> 00:23:38,817 I deeply understand that. 323 00:23:38,951 --> 00:23:41,620 I've had different types of experience 324 00:23:41,754 --> 00:23:45,658 to lead me to that place 325 00:23:45,791 --> 00:23:50,930 where you're in the center of the storm. 326 00:23:51,063 --> 00:23:52,531 Hmm. 327 00:23:52,665 --> 00:23:54,733 I've had a couple of really big storms 328 00:23:54,900 --> 00:23:58,037 this past, you know, couple of years, 329 00:23:58,170 --> 00:24:03,442 and people feel like they will be destroyed by the storm. 330 00:24:03,575 --> 00:24:06,679 It's in those moments of adversity 331 00:24:06,812 --> 00:24:10,182 that we kind of find out who we are. 332 00:24:11,784 --> 00:24:14,353 - The key is keep moving. - Mm-hmm. 333 00:24:14,486 --> 00:24:16,455 It's keep moving forward into it. 334 00:24:25,831 --> 00:24:30,436 Richard has walked a journey that most of us 335 00:24:30,569 --> 00:24:32,905 will never venture. 336 00:24:36,108 --> 00:24:40,846 He's earned his wisdom through adversity. 337 00:24:42,781 --> 00:24:46,652 And it made me wonder, what's out there 338 00:24:46,785 --> 00:24:48,821 waiting for me to discover? 339 00:24:56,662 --> 00:25:00,099 ♪ Oh, Father, tell me ♪ 340 00:25:00,232 --> 00:25:04,870 ♪ Do we get what we deserve ♪ 341 00:25:05,838 --> 00:25:11,110 ♪ Oh, we get what we deserve ♪ 342 00:25:13,979 --> 00:25:19,785 ♪ And way down we go, go, go, go, go ♪ 343 00:25:19,918 --> 00:25:23,956 ♪ Way down we go, go, go... ♪ 344 00:25:24,089 --> 00:25:26,058 How much further? 345 00:25:27,159 --> 00:25:30,028 We're not far now. How you doing? 346 00:25:31,030 --> 00:25:32,631 Yeah, I'm good, I'm good. 347 00:25:32,765 --> 00:25:35,234 ♪ Way down we go ♪ 348 00:25:38,003 --> 00:25:39,204 There it is. 349 00:25:39,338 --> 00:25:44,209 ♪ Oh, you let your feet run wild ♪ 350 00:25:45,744 --> 00:25:48,847 My mentor Dr. Counter used to say, 351 00:25:48,981 --> 00:25:52,151 “To truly understand our world, 352 00:25:52,284 --> 00:25:56,321 we must be willing to step into the unknown." 353 00:25:57,790 --> 00:25:59,558 Well, you can't get more out there 354 00:25:59,691 --> 00:26:01,260 than where we're going next... 355 00:26:02,661 --> 00:26:04,997 to meet three scientists... 356 00:26:06,265 --> 00:26:11,203 who are some of the most remote people on Earth. 357 00:26:13,605 --> 00:26:15,774 I think we've just flown into airspace 358 00:26:15,908 --> 00:26:17,476 over the Polar Plateau. 359 00:26:18,510 --> 00:26:20,646 It looks infinite. 360 00:26:20,779 --> 00:26:22,548 It just goes on forever. 361 00:26:22,681 --> 00:26:25,117 - It's incredible. - Yo, man. 362 00:26:26,151 --> 00:26:30,522 The Polar Plateau, this huge glacial ice sheet 363 00:26:30,656 --> 00:26:32,257 as big as Australia, 364 00:26:32,391 --> 00:26:34,326 it's where the coldest temperature on the planet 365 00:26:34,460 --> 00:26:39,231 has been recorded, close to -100 degrees Celsius. 366 00:26:39,364 --> 00:26:43,168 That's ice on the inside of the window. 367 00:26:44,203 --> 00:26:47,239 Richard, he didn't write anything on his window 368 00:26:47,372 --> 00:26:49,475 'cause he's mature. 369 00:26:49,608 --> 00:26:52,611 Landing lights are on. We're good to go. 370 00:26:52,744 --> 00:26:55,013 All right, here we go. 371 00:27:10,095 --> 00:27:11,897 There you go, Will. 372 00:27:12,030 --> 00:27:14,166 - Yo. - Have you seen that? 373 00:27:17,336 --> 00:27:19,905 A lot of what you're looking at 374 00:27:20,038 --> 00:27:22,975 has probably never been touched by a human. 375 00:27:24,176 --> 00:27:25,844 Oh, my God. 376 00:27:26,845 --> 00:27:29,281 This feels like landing on another planet. 377 00:27:30,015 --> 00:27:31,917 There's nothing. 378 00:27:32,050 --> 00:27:33,585 I know, its wild. 379 00:27:33,719 --> 00:27:36,622 What kind of secrets are gonna be out here? 380 00:27:42,294 --> 00:27:44,796 What's our evacuation plan if they start trippin'? 381 00:27:44,930 --> 00:27:47,499 You're okay. Yeah. 382 00:27:47,633 --> 00:27:49,034 All right. 383 00:27:51,970 --> 00:27:55,541 There's... nobody. 384 00:27:59,278 --> 00:28:00,579 Nothing. 385 00:28:02,381 --> 00:28:05,150 It's a full horror movie set-up. 386 00:28:05,284 --> 00:28:07,319 It's the Black dude in the horror movie, 387 00:28:07,452 --> 00:28:09,288 that's exactly what's about to happen. 388 00:28:18,697 --> 00:28:20,265 Brasilia! 389 00:28:22,868 --> 00:28:24,102 All right. 390 00:28:25,904 --> 00:28:28,574 All right, there it is! 391 00:28:28,707 --> 00:28:30,375 Criosfera 1. 392 00:28:31,410 --> 00:28:34,012 This dude better have some real secrets. 393 00:28:34,146 --> 00:28:39,418 His name better be Obi-Wan, Yoda, Morpheus, 394 00:28:39,551 --> 00:28:41,386 Gandalf, Oracle the Third. 395 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:42,955 This is crazy. 396 00:28:43,789 --> 00:28:47,226 I can put a foot on the ladder, 397 00:28:47,359 --> 00:28:49,962 and then, other foot on there. 398 00:28:53,765 --> 00:28:55,734 - Hello! - Jeez! 399 00:28:55,867 --> 00:28:56,835 How are you, sir? 400 00:28:56,969 --> 00:28:58,337 Yeah, great! 401 00:28:58,870 --> 00:29:00,606 Oh, man. 402 00:29:01,773 --> 00:29:04,676 Sir Heitor. Absolute pleasure. 403 00:29:04,810 --> 00:29:06,378 Good to have you come. 404 00:29:06,511 --> 00:29:08,680 - Very happy to be here. - Welcome to Criosfera 1. 405 00:29:08,814 --> 00:29:10,015 Thank you. Thank you. 406 00:29:17,823 --> 00:29:19,625 So, what is this place? 407 00:29:28,867 --> 00:29:31,103 Why all the way out here? 408 00:29:31,236 --> 00:29:37,142 Like, there's nothing for a long way! 409 00:29:40,679 --> 00:29:41,747 Yeah. 410 00:29:48,286 --> 00:29:49,655 Wow. 411 00:30:19,151 --> 00:30:21,420 All right, so, this is crazy. 412 00:30:21,553 --> 00:30:25,090 So, you can track global history 413 00:30:25,223 --> 00:30:27,225 through the layers... 414 00:30:28,527 --> 00:30:30,228 - Of snow and ice. - That's true. 415 00:30:30,362 --> 00:30:31,763 How do you do it, though? 416 00:31:26,885 --> 00:31:28,920 So, it's like the rings of a tree. 417 00:31:29,054 --> 00:31:30,522 - It's like a layer cake. - Yeah. 418 00:31:30,655 --> 00:31:34,326 You could see when the internal combustion engine came on. 419 00:31:34,459 --> 00:31:36,928 You can see the proliferation of coal? 420 00:31:37,062 --> 00:31:38,430 Yeah, for sure. 421 00:31:40,465 --> 00:31:41,500 Wow. 422 00:31:51,643 --> 00:31:53,278 That's beautiful. 423 00:31:54,980 --> 00:31:59,985 All this time, I was seeing the ice as the obstacle. 424 00:32:00,752 --> 00:32:05,524 Something to ski across, climb, conquer. 425 00:32:06,458 --> 00:32:09,327 But it turns out, right under my feet 426 00:32:09,461 --> 00:32:14,699 was the history of our planet frozen in time. 427 00:32:14,833 --> 00:32:20,038 The ice is the hard drive of the Earth and of us. 428 00:32:29,347 --> 00:32:32,117 So, how many years have you been doing this? 429 00:32:35,487 --> 00:32:36,855 How do you do it, though? 430 00:32:36,988 --> 00:32:40,091 Like, all the way out here 431 00:32:40,225 --> 00:32:44,830 detached from the entire world? 432 00:34:01,406 --> 00:34:03,942 That's good. Obrigado, obrigado. 433 00:34:04,876 --> 00:34:06,144 Obrigado. 434 00:34:06,278 --> 00:34:07,913 - Cheers. - Cheers. 435 00:34:11,550 --> 00:34:14,953 You know, I just think that we should all work together. 436 00:34:17,389 --> 00:34:20,892 One more? 437 00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:26,431 Mm! 438 00:34:26,564 --> 00:34:31,269 So, I get how Antarctica can help you study the past. 439 00:34:31,403 --> 00:34:33,805 But you mentioned the future. 440 00:34:33,939 --> 00:34:35,073 What have you discovered? 441 00:34:35,206 --> 00:34:37,842 What has come out of the research? 442 00:34:39,044 --> 00:34:40,312 Well... 443 00:34:48,520 --> 00:34:49,821 Atmospheric rivers? 444 00:34:49,955 --> 00:34:50,989 - Rivers, yes. - Mm-hmm. 445 00:35:28,293 --> 00:35:30,562 What does that have to do with Antarctica? 446 00:35:34,332 --> 00:35:35,700 Oh, wow. 447 00:35:47,879 --> 00:35:52,183 So, the largest freshwater rivers on Earth 448 00:35:52,317 --> 00:35:54,819 are actually in the sky. 449 00:35:56,654 --> 00:35:59,491 They can be thousands of miles long 450 00:35:59,624 --> 00:36:04,863 and carry 15 times more than the Mississippi River! 451 00:36:04,996 --> 00:36:06,798 The ones Heitor discovered 452 00:36:06,931 --> 00:36:09,634 are coming all the way into Antarctica. 453 00:36:10,935 --> 00:36:14,406 But when a river of warm moist air 454 00:36:14,539 --> 00:36:17,842 arrives in a frozen desert... 455 00:36:19,477 --> 00:36:22,814 you can imagine you got a problem on your hands. 456 00:36:34,893 --> 00:36:37,128 All that history in the ice... 457 00:36:38,496 --> 00:36:40,732 dropped into the ocean. 458 00:36:40,865 --> 00:36:44,102 And there are much bigger consequences for our planet. 459 00:37:12,230 --> 00:37:16,935 The idea of how interconnected everything is, 460 00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:20,805 it's landing in a way that it's never landed before. 461 00:37:20,939 --> 00:37:25,510 The planet needs to be cared for if we want to be here. 462 00:37:25,643 --> 00:37:27,712 Yeah, for sure. 463 00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:31,616 What's really amazing to me 464 00:37:31,750 --> 00:37:35,453 is that Heitor has worked out here for 35 years 465 00:37:35,587 --> 00:37:40,158 in this barren place, with nobody around... 466 00:37:41,726 --> 00:37:47,432 but what he's found is something that could benefit all of us. 467 00:37:48,433 --> 00:37:52,403 I'm starting to understand what Dr. Counter meant. 468 00:37:52,537 --> 00:37:55,373 You really have to get out there 469 00:37:55,507 --> 00:37:59,144 to find the answers to what's important. 470 00:38:00,378 --> 00:38:03,748 We are gonna start to make our way towards the pole, 471 00:38:03,882 --> 00:38:06,651 and it's gonna be colder. 472 00:38:06,784 --> 00:38:07,752 Um... 473 00:38:09,020 --> 00:38:10,221 I don't like that. 474 00:38:11,456 --> 00:38:14,692 But I am going to do everything I have to do 475 00:38:14,826 --> 00:38:18,630 to not sound weak in front of Rich. 476 00:38:19,531 --> 00:38:21,065 'Cause he's hardcore. 477 00:38:53,464 --> 00:38:56,968 We are headed to the South Pole. 478 00:38:57,101 --> 00:39:00,538 It is -37 windchill. 479 00:39:01,973 --> 00:39:04,142 It is freezing! 480 00:39:12,717 --> 00:39:14,185 Oh, my goodness. 481 00:39:16,387 --> 00:39:18,189 A whole other planet out here. 482 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:21,259 It's like the surface of the moon. 483 00:39:25,864 --> 00:39:28,366 The Polar Plateau. 484 00:39:28,499 --> 00:39:31,803 It's like, flat... 485 00:39:33,037 --> 00:39:34,973 and endless... 486 00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:40,478 and there's no smells, 487 00:39:40,612 --> 00:39:42,780 no sounds. 488 00:39:46,517 --> 00:39:48,453 Only the noise that you're making. 489 00:39:48,586 --> 00:39:50,054 Hey, Will! 490 00:39:52,824 --> 00:39:55,960 Everything looks exactly the same. 491 00:39:58,363 --> 00:40:00,898 It feels like we're going around in circles. 492 00:40:03,568 --> 00:40:06,704 The sensory deprivation 493 00:40:06,838 --> 00:40:09,173 can definitely make you go crazy. 494 00:40:12,443 --> 00:40:13,978 All right, Richard... 495 00:40:14,746 --> 00:40:16,347 how much farther? 496 00:40:17,382 --> 00:40:19,217 About seven miles. 497 00:40:20,785 --> 00:40:22,120 Okay. 498 00:40:23,888 --> 00:40:27,725 I'm starting to believe, maybe there is no South Pole. 499 00:40:40,972 --> 00:40:43,374 It's horrific out here. 500 00:40:43,508 --> 00:40:45,243 I can't feel my lips. 501 00:40:46,744 --> 00:40:48,980 Richard be leaving me anyway. 502 00:40:50,181 --> 00:40:51,683 Oh. Oh! 503 00:40:54,319 --> 00:40:55,353 Damn skis. 504 00:40:56,454 --> 00:40:58,189 All right, Richard. 505 00:40:58,323 --> 00:41:00,758 Richard, where's the pole? 506 00:41:05,096 --> 00:41:06,898 - How you doing? - Huh? 507 00:41:07,031 --> 00:41:09,567 How you doing? 508 00:41:09,701 --> 00:41:11,703 It could be forever. 509 00:41:11,836 --> 00:41:15,573 This is as far away from away as I have ever been. 510 00:41:15,707 --> 00:41:16,774 I'm gonna look after you. You're okay. 511 00:41:16,908 --> 00:41:18,009 You're okay, we're gonna look after each other. 512 00:41:18,142 --> 00:41:19,410 All right, we're good? All right. 513 00:41:19,544 --> 00:41:20,611 - Yeah. - So, I guess 514 00:41:20,745 --> 00:41:22,146 we're gonna keep going. 515 00:41:23,414 --> 00:41:25,483 Let's get moving. 516 00:41:25,616 --> 00:41:26,851 Let's go. 517 00:41:32,990 --> 00:41:35,960 I guess my biggest worry... 518 00:41:37,328 --> 00:41:39,998 in Antarctica... 519 00:41:40,131 --> 00:41:42,400 was that I was gonna die... 520 00:41:45,770 --> 00:41:47,939 ...and not make it home. 521 00:41:50,808 --> 00:41:52,944 But Dr. Counter used to say, 522 00:41:53,077 --> 00:41:56,314 "If you're not scared, you're not living." 523 00:41:58,116 --> 00:42:00,752 There it is. There it is! 524 00:42:00,885 --> 00:42:01,986 You made it, Will! 525 00:42:02,120 --> 00:42:07,091 We're here! We have arrived! 526 00:42:07,925 --> 00:42:09,660 Richard, you found it! 527 00:42:09,794 --> 00:42:11,829 You found the South Pole! 528 00:42:11,963 --> 00:42:13,498 Oh yeah! 529 00:42:13,631 --> 00:42:15,733 A couple hundred meters away. 530 00:42:16,567 --> 00:42:18,002 The South Pole, baby! 531 00:42:21,105 --> 00:42:23,374 You know, I don't know how many times people 532 00:42:23,508 --> 00:42:25,743 have asked me, "What do you miss on expeditions?" 533 00:42:26,644 --> 00:42:29,414 It's never anything material. It's always people. 534 00:42:29,547 --> 00:42:32,483 Jada. Riri. Trey. 535 00:42:33,518 --> 00:42:34,685 Jaden, Willow. 536 00:42:34,819 --> 00:42:37,155 Mom-Mom, Gee-Gee... 537 00:42:38,189 --> 00:42:40,425 your baby's about to touch the South Pole! 538 00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:44,762 And given who he is, 539 00:42:44,896 --> 00:42:48,866 I imagine he hardly ever has any opportunity 540 00:42:49,000 --> 00:42:50,201 to feel isolation. 541 00:42:50,334 --> 00:42:55,072 I'm stood at the bottom of the entire Earth. 542 00:42:55,206 --> 00:42:57,308 This is for you, Dr. Counter. 543 00:43:03,147 --> 00:43:05,082 You're at the end of your journey. 544 00:43:05,216 --> 00:43:07,618 - You got here. - Thank you, man. 545 00:43:07,752 --> 00:43:10,021 This is really just the beginning, though. 546 00:43:10,154 --> 00:43:11,689 This is Pole to Pole. 547 00:43:11,823 --> 00:43:13,691 So, this is just the start. 548 00:43:14,692 --> 00:43:18,563 So, which... which way do I go for the North Pole? 549 00:43:18,696 --> 00:43:20,665 Anywhere we move is north right now. 550 00:43:20,798 --> 00:43:22,733 Oh, that's right. 551 00:43:22,867 --> 00:43:24,368 Any direction is north. 552 00:43:30,608 --> 00:43:33,411 ♪ Lil Baby on the scene, watch me work and watch me go ♪ 553 00:43:33,544 --> 00:43:35,680 ♪ I'm so fresh and I'm so clean ♪ 554 00:43:35,813 --> 00:43:37,849 ♪ Dragging bags up out the store ♪ 555 00:43:38,783 --> 00:43:40,551 You know, when I first got here, 556 00:43:40,685 --> 00:43:45,890 I was thinking of it as a lifeless place, you know? 557 00:43:46,023 --> 00:43:49,894 But now, I kinda see, this ice world 558 00:43:50,027 --> 00:43:54,132 is central to life as we know it. 559 00:43:54,265 --> 00:43:55,566 I love Earth. 560 00:43:55,700 --> 00:43:57,602 I love living here. 561 00:43:59,103 --> 00:44:01,639 And there's so many more extreme places 562 00:44:01,772 --> 00:44:03,307 out there to explore. 563 00:44:05,543 --> 00:44:11,349 I'm gonna look for secrets in the absolute opposite extreme. 564 00:44:11,482 --> 00:44:15,286 ♪ Ay, watch me do it, watch me do it right ♪ 565 00:44:15,419 --> 00:44:18,623 This bustling little town in the Andes... 566 00:44:20,091 --> 00:44:21,993 is where I'm catchin' a ride 567 00:44:22,126 --> 00:44:24,695 to a place with more life 568 00:44:24,829 --> 00:44:27,465 than anywhere else on the planet, 569 00:44:27,598 --> 00:44:29,033 the Amazon. 570 00:44:29,166 --> 00:44:31,302 ♪ Off the top like it was toupee ♪ 571 00:44:31,435 --> 00:44:32,637 Hola, hola. 572 00:44:33,838 --> 00:44:36,207 Ra-ra-ra-ra! 573 00:44:38,476 --> 00:44:39,510 Here we go! 574 00:44:43,481 --> 00:44:46,951 ♪ Ay, watch me do it, watch me do it right ♪ 575 00:45:09,106 --> 00:45:11,208 Over on the right! There it is!