John

I first met him years ago. Initially, I thought he was quite a bragger. He told stories that couldn’t even be halfway true. Like the incident where he pissed a polar bear right in the face and other stories that seemed at least exaggerated – to put it gently.

His father had been a trapper in the Arctic Ocean at Jan Mayen, Newfoundland, Northeast Greenland, and many other places. John took part in several of these expeditions from a young age and eventually became a valued sharpshooter. The story of the polar bear also turned out to be true. It was an early morning and the edge of the ice pushed against the ship’s side. John had gone out on deck to urinate over the side before breakfast. He looked out over the horizon, not noticing the polar bear on two legs reaching for him from the ice until it roared after receiving a golden shower from John. A colleague fired a bullet which, according to John, grazed his ear. I don’t remember now if the polar bear was killed or if it escaped.

There were many other stories and dramatic incidents from John´s life as a trapper.

John sold his apartment when he retired and moved into his boat. It was no small boat. It was an Italian 55 foot dream, and it included an aquarium. People he met on his many travels, including an annual conference in New York, were often invited to visit him and stay on his boat. One person who took him up on it was a retired American submarine captain who, among other things, had broken through the ice at the North Pole during the Cold War. The two were at their best when they got to exchange stories and experiences. It was funny watching the two of them sneaking into museums like kids to be a bit mischievous, but John went back the next day to make up for it. The submarine captain still tells the story of that time they snuck into the museums. 

John´s father was a famous polar explorer and wrote a total of twenty books and an unknown number of reports and articles in newspapers and magazines about his years as a trapper and explorer. He was also involved in a two-year occupation of Eirik Raudes land in Greenland from 1931 to 1933. A mountain at South Spitsbergen is named after his father in memory of his activity in the Arctic regions. John was a diligent custodian of his father’s polar exploration legacy and gave away many relics to museums.  

I once overheard John and the son of another adventurer discussing their parents. Both had inherited letters that more than hinted at a close relationship between John’s father and the other’s mother. They exchanged details and laughed about it all. They had evidently met in Canada during the World War II, where John’s father was the commander of an air force training camp. The mother of the other lived in the camp with her two children, a black bear and her husband who was a paratrooper at the time. He became much more famous as an explorer and adventurer later. The black bear was a pet much like a dog and also served as a bed warmer for the little family through the harsh Canadian winter.

In addition, there is John’s own experiences, including as an actor in the film adaptation of Jack London’s The Call of the Wild with Charlton Heston. His own Arctic expeditions also contributed to the fact that he always had a story to offer in nearly any situation that arose. He had a special ability to keep his audience in suspense until the last sentence. He may have painted with a slightly large brush now and then, but it was more for dramatic effect than as proven exaggeration.

John went on to higher exploration earlier this week. But his stories will live on with those of us who were lucky enough to know him – if we keep telling them. 

Sail in peace for now John! Hope you have fair winds and following seas wherever you go from here! See you soon enough my friend!