Meet the backpacker making Trump's Arctic drilling push go viral

Bentley Hensel prepared for eight months to show people the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—and nearly drowned while doing it.

Bentley Hensel in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last month. Source: Bentley Hensel

TikTok can be a sea of brain-rot, misinformation, and ads. Creators trying to inform the public about environmental issues face an uphill battle.

But last month, Virginia-based engineer Bentley Hensel figured out a way to engage hundreds of thousands of TikTok users o…