13/8:
We are in Kulusuk, a tiny village on an island by the coast of East Greenland, arriving last night by flight from Reykjavik. Our team (Kit, Shelly and myself) is making final preparations for our start across the Greenland ice sheet on Thursday afternoon.
Expeditions of this sort generally involve countless hours in the months leading up to start on preparations and logistics, and this expedition is no exception. Thankfully, so far all has gone smoothly and we have all our equipment and food safely with us.
Weather conditions in Kulusuk are currently clear, about 8 degrees, and with some rain forecast over the next few days. Crossing the ice sheet at this time of year can be a mixed bag of weather conditions, with rain, sleet, snow, strong winds (pitteraqs) all a possibility. As always, we shall proceed with an appreciation and acceptance of whatever conditions we are dealt, however we hope for sub zero and clear conditions. Cold conditions help with the surface of the ice sheet being firmer and hence easier to ski on.
The daily blog from Thursday will be written by my brother Andrew, who has very kindly once again agreed to take my tired daily satellite phone calls and convert them into a polished account of our progress. Thanks Andrew, I’m very grateful as always.
Some photos of Kulusuk below, taken by Kit.
Thank you all for following.
David
15 August
Our epic journey across the Greenland ice cap has commenced. Tody we have started out on a small boat which will take us and all our equipment to a small inlet north of Isortoq from which we will begin our accent to the ice cap.
We have currently have climbed approximately 3km up from Isortoq village which has been a good start as we had a slight delay this morning. Upon boarding the boat (which would take us to our starting position near Isortoq) we soon realised that the fuel and rifle that we had arranged to be collected on the boat where actually not on the boat. So we had a short boat diversion via the town of Tasiilaq to collect our fuel (for the stoves) and the rifle (for the unlikely event of meeting a polar bear). Once acquired from Tasiilaq - our boat headed for Isortoq. Upon arrival (approx. 3pm) we were ready to set off on this adventure across one of the most inhospitable places on earth.
Our first task was to head up a steep gravel path amongst glacial moraines. After about an hour or so of ferrying our equipment up over the moraine, we were onto ‘crunchy’ ice. Once onto this surface, we moved pretty well onwards and upwards - past numerous stunning ice melt streams (widest about a metre). At about 6.30-7pm we found a nice flat spot for which to set up for the night (ice screw fixing required) and we settled in for the night. We've climbed about 250m elevation - another 700m elevation or so to the ice cap proper.
Some pictures below from our journey today across this amazing and most remarkable of places.
16 August
Very tough day today through numerous crevasse zones. Not overly wide (a couple of metres), but many running down the glacier and our route largely running perpendicular to them made for a solid day negotiating the field. By 4pm we had cleared the crevasse zones, going thereafter much easier – and set up for the night in an idyllic spot in beautiful sunshine with ice streams on either side. Everyone worked well as a team today to get the sleds across each crevasse safely. Also opted for crampons today – not so much for safety reasons– more so as to protect the rubber on our boots (the ice is quite abrasive and can do damage). For now, the music is on, the drinks are flowing, the view is amazing, a nice way to finish a hard day.
17 August
We covered 12km today as the bird flies, although it was 18km actual distance according to our tracking device (with the additional navigation required). A tough day in every sense. We started off in crevasse fields, which were not too bad. Then we got into some tricky crevasse zones, deeper and larger, lost a sled in a crevasse, but managed to save it. After clearing these serious zones, it eased off for a couple of hours and we trekked on. We then found ourselves in a ‘swamp of ice’, from which we had to deviate for an hour and a half ‘upstream’ to navigate around it. We managed to cross it eventually - without us or the gear getting wet. Once on the other side of the ‘swamp’, there were snowy conditions, so we skied 'downstream' and picked up our navigation point for further heading up onto the glacier. The sun was out again today, however it was cold going up for most of the day. But this helped with the level of exertion required from the team on such a demanding day. By the end of the day we climbed to just under 1000m elevation. Upon finding a nice snowy section for the tent, we set up for the night. From our vantage point tonight, we can see some large icebergs out to sea in the distance. A lovely sight. Our position tonight: 65’ 48min 29s 38’ 56m 08s
18 August, Day 4
This morning we climbed out of the glacier for a couple of hours through the ice. Thereafter, continued onto a flatter level where viability deteriorated noticeably, and we had a few small crevasses, but nothing too difficult to negotiate. We came across two sets of polar bear tracks - not walking together, but separated by 1km or so. They were well up on the ice sheet (5-10km) and heading north following the coastline. We also came across some ski tracks from the groups a few days ahead of us. A good day overall, in sunny warm conditions, we covered 21km on a solid icy surface. At times we were skiing in t shirts. It looks like we are getting close to exiting the formidable eastern ice fall. Currently at an elevation of 1400m for our camp tonight.
19 August, Day 5
Last night the wind picked up substantially throughout the night (gusting up to 60–70 kph), so we hastily built a 'wall' with the sleds to protect the tent. We set off in very strong winds this morning. After setting off, we saw some objects at a distance of about 10km and on a similar bearing as ours (we guessed this was one of the other groups on the ice doing the crossing who started a couple of days before us). We eventually caught up to the other group and had a brief chat about the crossing so far. Once on our way again, we covered some good distance in the afternoon on a hard, icy surface in lighter winds. At the end of the day we had covered a huge 27.5km for the day and making great progress.
20 August, Day 6
A great day skiing - we covered 26km by the time we called it for the day and set up camp for the night. Sunny, cold in the morning, with lower visibility and cooler towards the end of the day. We are up on the ice cap proper now which is akin to a desert - with glistening ice in all directions....The team has made great progress so far, making the most of the conditions whilst we can....with some very strong winds forecast for Thursday and Friday (gale force) for our location - we might be bunkering down come tonight....
21 August, Day 7
We covered 21km today on a soft surface in sunny cold conditions. The wind has picked up tonight, so we've finished a little earlier than normal in order to set up a snow wall for the northly wind due to bear down on us. The team had a strong day and spirits are high.
22 August, Day 8
No movement today. Very strong winds has halted our progress - we spent the day in our tent watching videos and reading books (which was well received given our strong progress in the first week). We'll assess conditions tomorrow morning in the view of possibly moving if the winds subside a little. Fingers crossed....!
23 August, Day 9
The strong winds over the last couple of days caused a mountain of snow drift to accumulate near the tent (behind our snow wall)- so at 3.30am this morning we had the lovely task of digging the tent out of this massive snow build up. After waking up nice and early, at 5.30am (and digging the tent out again) we headed off into the maelstrom. We were fully rugged up today; full body protection, full face protection - everything covered. The surface was surprisingly soft - even though the conditions were very cold. We have reached an elevation of 2050m- and can expect colder and firmer conditions as we move into the higher elevation of the middle of the ice cap. We skied just shy of 25km today - a huge effort from the team given the gale force blast winds we were having to deal with. Thankfully, the winds are expected to reduce tomorrow.....
24 August, Day 10
We woke up to the now familiar sound of wind beating on the side of the tent. Once we completed our usual morning routine (getting the stoves running for breakfast, preparing our equipment and food for the day, selecting the right music/audiobook for listening during the day) - we headed out into the fresh crisp air of the ice cap with nothing but glistening white in all directions to greet us. Once on our way, we had a similar skiing day to Friday. Conditions were milder, less wind - on a soft crusty surface (not ideal). When the surface is such as this, the leading skier takes the brunt of the pain – whilst making some nice tracks for the others to cruise along. Naturally, we swapped the lead numerous times during the day. The lead skier also needs to monitor the compass bearing - and the team have done an amazing job - we are spot on our intended bearing (the now abandoned DYE-2 radar station).
25 August, Day 11
We skied 24km today in better conditions and a better surface. Nice sunny conditions, until roughly 3pm, when we were hit by a snowstorm (we could see it bearing down on us from a distance). We ploughed ahead through it. This lasted for about an hour, after which it left as soon as it had arrived, the sky cleared up again – and we had some nice skiing conditions for the remainder of the day - setting up for the night at 6pm. We’ve encountered a few issues with boots ‘icing’ themselves onto the ski bindings (which makes it near impossible to detach the boot from the ski) – but a quick defrost in the tent has alleviated the problem. Our current position is at an elevation of 2300m – with only another 300m or so of elevation gain we will reach the highest point of our crossing of the ice cap (and this would mark roughly halfway across).
26 August, Day 12
A cold morning to start (approx. -20c), so we made a new record packing time to get onto the skis and generate some warmth in our fingers and toes. When the temperature is very low, every second counts to reduce the amount of time fingers are exposed to the elements. Ideally, hands never leave the safety of full protection glove mitts – but there’s always the odd tent pole, zipper, boot or ski adjustment - or something else that needs finger dexterity that the mitts don’t provide. The snow at that temperature gets ‘gritty’ and ‘sticky’, but by mid-morning we were out in sunshine and light clouds for a beautiful day. Great views throughout the day. We wrapped up at approx. 6pm after noticing some clouds rolling towards us (which we thought may have been bringing rain/snow). Ultimately, they didn’t and we covered a nice 24km today.
27 August, Day 13
We covered 25.3km today, currently at an elevation of 2473m. A foggy cloudy start to the morning. Thereafter, it opened up into a beautiful, spectacular day. The surface was firmer than on previous days, so we took full advantage, gliding across the slick surface. We are now near the highest point of the ice cap. A lovely day - no wind tonight with the sides of the tent gently flapping in the breeze. Spirits are high as we relax in our tent tonight. We have about 130km to the abandoned radar station – where we should arrive within five or so more days at our current pace.
28/29 August, Day 14/15
We have crossed the summit! The last two days have been a tough couple of days for the team - with low visibility, a lot of low cloud and a soft surface. The snow was a little sticky at lunchtime today - so waxing of the skis was essential. After crossing the summit, the winds changed from a northerly direction to a south-south-east direction, which gave us a slight tailwind for our afternoon pulls. The winds picked up a little in the afternoon, but thankfully not too cold (coming from the south as opposed to the north). We are under a blanket of low cloud at the moment, which can cause spatial disorientation (this is the inability to determine your body's position, motion, or altitude relative to your surroundings). Similar to a white-out when alpine skiing. Tough conditions to ski in (especially when doing it for extended periods...). We're hoping the low pressure system we are currently under shifts soon to return us to sunnier conditions as we close in on our intended waypoint (Dye2 radar station) - which is now only 80kms away.
30 August, Day 16
We covered 24km today in cloudy swirling conditions – but on a better, harder and flatter surface. The improved surface allowed us to switch to half skins (originally made from seal skin –now made from nylon or mohair – these attach to the bottom of the ski and are designed to let the ski slide forward on snow but not backward, essential when pulling a pulk). But as we begin our gradual descent of the ice cap (we’ve already come down about 200m or so from the summit), the requirement for skins is less (hence the switch from full length to half-length). The winds were constantly changing direction as we headed into our afternoon session. We had a couple of visitors whilst setting up camp for the night - two black birds flew over us – circled overhead momentarily checking us out - and then flew off again on the wind drafts heading west for the coast. We are heading in that direction too – but we’ll take quite a few more days to get there! The team's spirits are high in the tent tonight as we continue to cover good ground, and are looking forward to seeing the sun come out again one day – we haven’t seen it for for a few days now..
31 August, Day 17
Hardest day yet; very cold, very strong headwind from the north-west. Freezing conditions, full balaclavas required (some of us went through four in a day - defrosting some on rotation). We persevered through the bitter wind and covered 18.5km on our intended bearing. Generally white-out for the day – frozen goggles, frozen everything. We have forgotten what the sun looks like! Surface soft – risk of frostbite, but the team managed well. We finished a little early given the conditions. All good now though - its 'Happy hour' in the tent with a drink or two to recover!
1 September, Day 18
Yesterday we described it as the ‘hardest’ day – today may have matched it! Particularly in the morning – we had the combination of soft snow, zero visibility, frozen goggles, strong headwind, freezing cold. And the wind didn’t abate all day – although it has now dropped off (ironically, now we are in the tent :) Lots of soft snow drift, we hammered out 19km by the time we wrapped up for the day (which we are super happy with). 19km left to the radar station.
2 September, Day 19
This morning, we waxed up the skis with glide wax – and we were off on our way. It was cold in the morning, but things quickly warmed up with the sun finally breaking free from the endless clouds which had a accompanied us for the last few days. By early afternoon we were skiing in lovely sunny conditions in just light clothes. As we continued, we could suddenly discern a tiny black speck that got bigger and bigger as we approached. Finally, after a few more hours, we could see it was the enormous football-like dome which is the actual radar at DYE-2. It is surprising to find this huge building out in the middle of nowhere. At about 5pm we arrived –the radar station seems to be slowly sinking into the snow. Exploring the radar station was very interesting. There is still the odd old bottle of beer and canned food on the shelves from the 1980s - revealing that this place at times was home to 60 people. There is a bar, recreation room, storerooms, generator rooms, observation decks…. It was constructed in the 1960s as part of the distant early warning line (a line that spans 5,800km along the 69th parallel north from Alaska over Canada via Greenland to Iceland). It was established to warn of any Soviet air attacks against the USA during the Cold War. When it was eventually shut down in the late 1980's, everything was left in situ. A very interesting place…
3 September, Day 20
Today we slept in till 9am given our exertions over the last couple of days. It was raining in the morning (temperature was above 0c), so everything (sleeping bags, tent, tent clothes etc. got packed watertight). Once we started off – about 11.30am – the rain had stopped, and it turned into a fine day. Overcast, light winds, not too cold and the surface was hard and flat - nice conditions for gliding across the ice cap. On the horizon behind us, the radar station became smaller and smaller – until it completely disappeared out of our view. We covered 22km in what can only be described as a lovely skiing experience after the conditions we’ve had of late. Soft blue light in a pristine serene windless snow blanketed landscape - the only evidence we were ever there - three sets of tracks left behind in the snow. As we head further west, our elevation continues to fall and the temperature rise – we are currently at 1854m. On a slight negative - one of the pumps to our cooking stoves stopped working this morning - but we’ll undertake some work tonight to repair it (in any case, we have a few spares).
4 September, Day 21
We smashed out 30km today on hard icy surface. A lovely day skiing – overcast and light winds, some small snowfall in the late afternoon. We navigated perfectly on a 300-degree bearing as we navigate to Kangerlussuaq. Today (and tomorrow) are akin to ‘the calm before the storm’ - with some wild winds expected Thursday night continuing into Friday.
5 September, Day 22
We skied 22km today. The surface was good – the same as yesterday- hard packed and icy. At about 3pm we came to a section of frozen lakes - and given the heavy winds expected overnight, we decided to backtrack 15 minutes or so to enable us to put the tent in a safer place with solid fixings into snow (rather than ice). We also built a snow wall in the direction of the wind. The altitude is 1500m – a nice day, cloudy in the morning but opened up into the afternoon. Light winds for the moment in the tent – but expected to pick up into the night and tomorrow.
6 September, Day 23
Throughout the night, the winds increased to gale force. The 6-foot snow wall withstood everything the gale threw at it – although there was a lot of snow accumulating around the tent (so digging out was necessary). Once we braved it and left the tent, the conditions confirmed our suspicions. The sleds were completely buried in the deep snow and the strength of wind and snow was formidable. However, we decided to go for it! The ice lakes from yesterday have now been completely covered by snow drift. At times, we were nearly blown over by the gale force winds as we surged ahead into the maelstrom. Around midday, we lost a glove – one of the team removed it momentarily, and it flew off at supersonic speed into the nothingness. There was no chance of running it down, and this wasn't an option given the white-out conditions we were experiencing. By the time we finished for the day - the winds had eased slightly - and we had somehow skied 22.5km. Nice to be back in the tent!
7 September, Day 24
This morning greeted us with a soft snow surface after the fresh snow from the storm. Winds were light with poor visibility as we headed off for our 24th day on the ice. At around 2pm, we got to a point where we found ourselves suddenly in what could be described as ‘watery snow’ – which was so sticky – we had no choice but to take off the skis and put our crampons on. We scaled up the ridge – and thankfully, once at the top, we found decent snow and managed to ski on. Overall, a good day once we got moving again with 20km covered before finishing up for the day. Looking forward to some sun and visibility – hoping conditions are a little kinder tomorrow and Monday. Our current elevation is 1363m - so temperatures are much milder now.
8 September, Day 25
We woke up today having to use our torches for the first time. Given the high-latitude region we are in, the sunrise and sunset times have changed markedly since we began 25 days ago. Winter is creeping ever closer - and is definitely noticeable in the darker mornings. Once we had breakfast, packed up and got going - it was a reasonably tough day. There was a lot of soft snow left from the storm a couple of days ago. We ploughed through it - it wasn't impassable, but tough, difficult conditions nonetheless. This morning greeted us with the usual overcast, cloudy conditions - but then around lunchtime the sun finally emerged. It turned into a glorious afternoon - with the snow glistening and shimmering in all directions as we traversed on a blanket of fresh snow. Interestingly, we have come across a few ‘ice creeks’, which are quite wide - the size of a small gorge - so jumping across them is not an option. Instead, we navigated on snow ridges to enable us to make our way across and hold our bearing. If conditions hold out tomorrow, we hope to get close to the crevasse field on the edge of the ice cap by the end of tomorrow. Our current altitude is 1200m, and we skied 20km by the time we set up tonight in light winds and sunny conditions. We are very pleased after another tough day at the office as we close in on our finishing line, which is within sight in the next few days!
9 September, Day 26
An epic day. We started at 8.30am and finished around 9pm (a 12-13hr day). Our reward - 26km closer to our finishing point. Today started out very cold but warmed up with the sun on our backs and a tailwind helping us along. The day started with us having to weave our way through snowy ridges and snow hills. Soon we had to deal with ‘snow rivers’ – which weren’t particularly wide- but had very steep banks. This made pushing through and over these ‘rivers’ demanding and exhausting to the point where one of the team fell in during one of these ‘crossings’, resulting in wet and soaking ski boots (arrrrhh).
But all in all, we did very well – we pushed on and completed a massive day. And being only 19km from our finishing point (point 660), we might be back to civilisation (a village named Kangerlussuaq) by tomorrow night! One day to go (all depending on what this epic ice cap journey has in store for us tomorrow).
10 September, Day 27
Another huge 11hr day on the snow and ice. Today started out on the last part of the ice sheet - we had a few ice rivers and creeks to cross. Soon thereafter, we arrived in the crevasse zone (on the outer edges of the ice sheet) and things quickly became difficult. Very soft snow covered ice and crevasses - we were sometimes forced to crawl in soft snow up to our knees after sinking in the snow. We forced our way through – navigating the crevasses as we picked our way through the maze of snow and ice. By the end of the day - we had moved 12km closer to our finishing point – which was a great effort from the team. Only 6km to go! (direct) – but our path through this ice maze will be longer (and from today’s efforts – still a challenge). We are hoping to complete our epic Greenland ice cap crossing tomorrow night (Wednesday).
11 September, Day 28
The team has successfully completed their Greenland ice sheet crossing! They successfully completed their crossing to Point 660 at 7pm last night – and met by the driver of an old bus that had driven an hour or so up a rough road from Kangerlussuaq to meet and collect the team. The team negotiated a series of impassable deep crevasses in their final few km's to the finishing point – but after much manoeuvring and path finding – the team eventually located a route out of the ice sheet using narrow frozen watercourses between the ice ridges. A huge congratulations to the whole team on an epic crossing! Further photos to follow over the next week or so. Thank you all for following!
Current location:
Very tough day today through numerous crevasse zones. Not overly wide (a couple of metres), but many running down the glacier and our route largely running perpendicular to them made for a solid day negotiating the field. By 4pm we had cleared the crevasse zones, going thereafter much easier – and set up for the night in an idyllic spot in beautiful sunshine with ice streams on either side. Everyone worked well as a team today to get the sleds across each crevasse safely. Also opted for crampons today – not so much for safety reasons– more so as to protect the rubber on our boots (the ice is quite abrasive and can do damage). For now, the music is on, the drinks are flowing, the view is amazing, a nice way to finish a hard day.
17 August
We covered 12km today as the bird flies, although it was 18km actual distance according to our tracking device (with the additional navigation required). A tough day in every sense. We started off in crevasse fields, which were not too bad. Then we got into some tricky crevasse zones, deeper and larger, lost a sled in a crevasse, but managed to save it. After clearing these serious zones, it eased off for a couple of hours and we trekked on. We then found ourselves in a ‘swamp of ice’, from which we had to deviate for an hour and a half ‘upstream’ to navigate around it. We managed to cross it eventually - without us or the gear getting wet. Once on the other side of the ‘swamp’, there were snowy conditions, so we skied 'downstream' and picked up our navigation point for further heading up onto the glacier. The sun was out again today, however it was cold going up for most of the day. But this helped with the level of exertion required from the team on such a demanding day. By the end of the day we climbed to just under 1000m elevation. Upon finding a nice snowy section for the tent, we set up for the night. From our vantage point tonight, we can see some large icebergs out to sea in the distance. A lovely sight. Our position tonight: 65’ 48min 29s 38’ 56m 08s
18 August, Day 4
This morning we climbed out of the glacier for a couple of hours through the ice. Thereafter, continued onto a flatter level where viability deteriorated noticeably, and we had a few small crevasses, but nothing too difficult to negotiate. We came across two sets of polar bear tracks - not walking together, but separated by 1km or so. They were well up on the ice sheet (5-10km) and heading north following the coastline. We also came across some ski tracks from the groups a few days ahead of us. A good day overall, in sunny warm conditions, we covered 21km on a solid icy surface. At times we were skiing in t shirts. It looks like we are getting close to exiting the formidable eastern ice fall. Currently at an elevation of 1400m for our camp tonight.
19 August, Day 5
Last night the wind picked up substantially throughout the night (gusting up to 60–70 kph), so we hastily built a 'wall' with the sleds to protect the tent. We set off in very strong winds this morning. After setting off, we saw some objects at a distance of about 10km and on a similar bearing as ours (we guessed this was one of the other groups on the ice doing the crossing who started a couple of days before us). We eventually caught up to the other group and had a brief chat about the crossing so far. Once on our way again, we covered some good distance in the afternoon on a hard, icy surface in lighter winds. At the end of the day we had covered a huge 27.5km for the day and making great progress.
20 August, Day 6
A great day skiing - we covered 26km by the time we called it for the day and set up camp for the night. Sunny, cold in the morning, with lower visibility and cooler towards the end of the day. We are up on the ice cap proper now which is akin to a desert - with glistening ice in all directions....The team has made great progress so far, making the most of the conditions whilst we can....with some very strong winds forecast for Thursday and Friday (gale force) for our location - we might be bunkering down come tonight....
21 August, Day 7
We covered 21km today on a soft surface in sunny cold conditions. The wind has picked up tonight, so we've finished a little earlier than normal in order to set up a snow wall for the northly wind due to bear down on us. The team had a strong day and spirits are high.
22 August, Day 8
No movement today. Very strong winds has halted our progress - we spent the day in our tent watching videos and reading books (which was well received given our strong progress in the first week). We'll assess conditions tomorrow morning in the view of possibly moving if the winds subside a little. Fingers crossed....!
23 August, Day 9
The strong winds over the last couple of days caused a mountain of snow drift to accumulate near the tent (behind our snow wall)- so at 3.30am this morning we had the lovely task of digging the tent out of this massive snow build up. After waking up nice and early, at 5.30am (and digging the tent out again) we headed off into the maelstrom. We were fully rugged up today; full body protection, full face protection - everything covered. The surface was surprisingly soft - even though the conditions were very cold. We have reached an elevation of 2050m- and can expect colder and firmer conditions as we move into the higher elevation of the middle of the ice cap. We skied just shy of 25km today - a huge effort from the team given the gale force blast winds we were having to deal with. Thankfully, the winds are expected to reduce tomorrow.....
24 August, Day 10
We woke up to the now familiar sound of wind beating on the side of the tent. Once we completed our usual morning routine (getting the stoves running for breakfast, preparing our equipment and food for the day, selecting the right music/audiobook for listening during the day) - we headed out into the fresh crisp air of the ice cap with nothing but glistening white in all directions to greet us. Once on our way, we had a similar skiing day to Friday. Conditions were milder, less wind - on a soft crusty surface (not ideal). When the surface is such as this, the leading skier takes the brunt of the pain – whilst making some nice tracks for the others to cruise along. Naturally, we swapped the lead numerous times during the day. The lead skier also needs to monitor the compass bearing - and the team have done an amazing job - we are spot on our intended bearing (the now abandoned DYE-2 radar station).
25 August, Day 11
We skied 24km today in better conditions and a better surface. Nice sunny conditions, until roughly 3pm, when we were hit by a snowstorm (we could see it bearing down on us from a distance). We ploughed ahead through it. This lasted for about an hour, after which it left as soon as it had arrived, the sky cleared up again – and we had some nice skiing conditions for the remainder of the day - setting up for the night at 6pm. We’ve encountered a few issues with boots ‘icing’ themselves onto the ski bindings (which makes it near impossible to detach the boot from the ski) – but a quick defrost in the tent has alleviated the problem. Our current position is at an elevation of 2300m – with only another 300m or so of elevation gain we will reach the highest point of our crossing of the ice cap (and this would mark roughly halfway across).
26 August, Day 12
A cold morning to start (approx. -20c), so we made a new record packing time to get onto the skis and generate some warmth in our fingers and toes. When the temperature is very low, every second counts to reduce the amount of time fingers are exposed to the elements. Ideally, hands never leave the safety of full protection glove mitts – but there’s always the odd tent pole, zipper, boot or ski adjustment - or something else that needs finger dexterity that the mitts don’t provide. The snow at that temperature gets ‘gritty’ and ‘sticky’, but by mid-morning we were out in sunshine and light clouds for a beautiful day. Great views throughout the day. We wrapped up at approx. 6pm after noticing some clouds rolling towards us (which we thought may have been bringing rain/snow). Ultimately, they didn’t and we covered a nice 24km today.
27 August, Day 13
We covered 25.3km today, currently at an elevation of 2473m. A foggy cloudy start to the morning. Thereafter, it opened up into a beautiful, spectacular day. The surface was firmer than on previous days, so we took full advantage, gliding across the slick surface. We are now near the highest point of the ice cap. A lovely day - no wind tonight with the sides of the tent gently flapping in the breeze. Spirits are high as we relax in our tent tonight. We have about 130km to the abandoned radar station – where we should arrive within five or so more days at our current pace.
28/29 August, Day 14/15
We have crossed the summit! The last two days have been a tough couple of days for the team - with low visibility, a lot of low cloud and a soft surface. The snow was a little sticky at lunchtime today - so waxing of the skis was essential. After crossing the summit, the winds changed from a northerly direction to a south-south-east direction, which gave us a slight tailwind for our afternoon pulls. The winds picked up a little in the afternoon, but thankfully not too cold (coming from the south as opposed to the north). We are under a blanket of low cloud at the moment, which can cause spatial disorientation (this is the inability to determine your body's position, motion, or altitude relative to your surroundings). Similar to a white-out when alpine skiing. Tough conditions to ski in (especially when doing it for extended periods...). We're hoping the low pressure system we are currently under shifts soon to return us to sunnier conditions as we close in on our intended waypoint (Dye2 radar station) - which is now only 80kms away.
30 August, Day 16
We covered 24km today in cloudy swirling conditions – but on a better, harder and flatter surface. The improved surface allowed us to switch to half skins (originally made from seal skin –now made from nylon or mohair – these attach to the bottom of the ski and are designed to let the ski slide forward on snow but not backward, essential when pulling a pulk). But as we begin our gradual descent of the ice cap (we’ve already come down about 200m or so from the summit), the requirement for skins is less (hence the switch from full length to half-length). The winds were constantly changing direction as we headed into our afternoon session. We had a couple of visitors whilst setting up camp for the night - two black birds flew over us – circled overhead momentarily checking us out - and then flew off again on the wind drafts heading west for the coast. We are heading in that direction too – but we’ll take quite a few more days to get there! The team's spirits are high in the tent tonight as we continue to cover good ground, and are looking forward to seeing the sun come out again one day – we haven’t seen it for for a few days now..
31 August, Day 17
Hardest day yet; very cold, very strong headwind from the north-west. Freezing conditions, full balaclavas required (some of us went through four in a day - defrosting some on rotation). We persevered through the bitter wind and covered 18.5km on our intended bearing. Generally white-out for the day – frozen goggles, frozen everything. We have forgotten what the sun looks like! Surface soft – risk of frostbite, but the team managed well. We finished a little early given the conditions. All good now though - its 'Happy hour' in the tent with a drink or two to recover!
1 September, Day 18
Yesterday we described it as the ‘hardest’ day – today may have matched it! Particularly in the morning – we had the combination of soft snow, zero visibility, frozen goggles, strong headwind, freezing cold. And the wind didn’t abate all day – although it has now dropped off (ironically, now we are in the tent :) Lots of soft snow drift, we hammered out 19km by the time we wrapped up for the day (which we are super happy with). 19km left to the radar station.
2 September, Day 19
This morning, we waxed up the skis with glide wax – and we were off on our way. It was cold in the morning, but things quickly warmed up with the sun finally breaking free from the endless clouds which had a accompanied us for the last few days. By early afternoon we were skiing in lovely sunny conditions in just light clothes. As we continued, we could suddenly discern a tiny black speck that got bigger and bigger as we approached. Finally, after a few more hours, we could see it was the enormous football-like dome which is the actual radar at DYE-2. It is surprising to find this huge building out in the middle of nowhere. At about 5pm we arrived –the radar station seems to be slowly sinking into the snow. Exploring the radar station was very interesting. There is still the odd old bottle of beer and canned food on the shelves from the 1980s - revealing that this place at times was home to 60 people. There is a bar, recreation room, storerooms, generator rooms, observation decks…. It was constructed in the 1960s as part of the distant early warning line (a line that spans 5,800km along the 69th parallel north from Alaska over Canada via Greenland to Iceland). It was established to warn of any Soviet air attacks against the USA during the Cold War. When it was eventually shut down in the late 1980's, everything was left in situ. A very interesting place…
3 September, Day 20
Today we slept in till 9am given our exertions over the last couple of days. It was raining in the morning (temperature was above 0c), so everything (sleeping bags, tent, tent clothes etc. got packed watertight). Once we started off – about 11.30am – the rain had stopped, and it turned into a fine day. Overcast, light winds, not too cold and the surface was hard and flat - nice conditions for gliding across the ice cap. On the horizon behind us, the radar station became smaller and smaller – until it completely disappeared out of our view. We covered 22km in what can only be described as a lovely skiing experience after the conditions we’ve had of late. Soft blue light in a pristine serene windless snow blanketed landscape - the only evidence we were ever there - three sets of tracks left behind in the snow. As we head further west, our elevation continues to fall and the temperature rise – we are currently at 1854m. On a slight negative - one of the pumps to our cooking stoves stopped working this morning - but we’ll undertake some work tonight to repair it (in any case, we have a few spares).
4 September, Day 21
We smashed out 30km today on hard icy surface. A lovely day skiing – overcast and light winds, some small snowfall in the late afternoon. We navigated perfectly on a 300-degree bearing as we navigate to Kangerlussuaq. Today (and tomorrow) are akin to ‘the calm before the storm’ - with some wild winds expected Thursday night continuing into Friday.
5 September, Day 22
We skied 22km today. The surface was good – the same as yesterday- hard packed and icy. At about 3pm we came to a section of frozen lakes - and given the heavy winds expected overnight, we decided to backtrack 15 minutes or so to enable us to put the tent in a safer place with solid fixings into snow (rather than ice). We also built a snow wall in the direction of the wind. The altitude is 1500m – a nice day, cloudy in the morning but opened up into the afternoon. Light winds for the moment in the tent – but expected to pick up into the night and tomorrow.
6 September, Day 23
Throughout the night, the winds increased to gale force. The 6-foot snow wall withstood everything the gale threw at it – although there was a lot of snow accumulating around the tent (so digging out was necessary). Once we braved it and left the tent, the conditions confirmed our suspicions. The sleds were completely buried in the deep snow and the strength of wind and snow was formidable. However, we decided to go for it! The ice lakes from yesterday have now been completely covered by snow drift. At times, we were nearly blown over by the gale force winds as we surged ahead into the maelstrom. Around midday, we lost a glove – one of the team removed it momentarily, and it flew off at supersonic speed into the nothingness. There was no chance of running it down, and this wasn't an option given the white-out conditions we were experiencing. By the time we finished for the day - the winds had eased slightly - and we had somehow skied 22.5km. Nice to be back in the tent!
7 September, Day 24
This morning greeted us with a soft snow surface after the fresh snow from the storm. Winds were light with poor visibility as we headed off for our 24th day on the ice. At around 2pm, we got to a point where we found ourselves suddenly in what could be described as ‘watery snow’ – which was so sticky – we had no choice but to take off the skis and put our crampons on. We scaled up the ridge – and thankfully, once at the top, we found decent snow and managed to ski on. Overall, a good day once we got moving again with 20km covered before finishing up for the day. Looking forward to some sun and visibility – hoping conditions are a little kinder tomorrow and Monday. Our current elevation is 1363m - so temperatures are much milder now.
8 September, Day 25
We woke up today having to use our torches for the first time. Given the high-latitude region we are in, the sunrise and sunset times have changed markedly since we began 25 days ago. Winter is creeping ever closer - and is definitely noticeable in the darker mornings. Once we had breakfast, packed up and got going - it was a reasonably tough day. There was a lot of soft snow left from the storm a couple of days ago. We ploughed through it - it wasn't impassable, but tough, difficult conditions nonetheless. This morning greeted us with the usual overcast, cloudy conditions - but then around lunchtime the sun finally emerged. It turned into a glorious afternoon - with the snow glistening and shimmering in all directions as we traversed on a blanket of fresh snow. Interestingly, we have come across a few ‘ice creeks’, which are quite wide - the size of a small gorge - so jumping across them is not an option. Instead, we navigated on snow ridges to enable us to make our way across and hold our bearing. If conditions hold out tomorrow, we hope to get close to the crevasse field on the edge of the ice cap by the end of tomorrow. Our current altitude is 1200m, and we skied 20km by the time we set up tonight in light winds and sunny conditions. We are very pleased after another tough day at the office as we close in on our finishing line, which is within sight in the next few days!
9 September, Day 26
An epic day. We started at 8.30am and finished around 9pm (a 12-13hr day). Our reward - 26km closer to our finishing point. Today started out very cold but warmed up with the sun on our backs and a tailwind helping us along. The day started with us having to weave our way through snowy ridges and snow hills. Soon we had to deal with ‘snow rivers’ – which weren’t particularly wide- but had very steep banks. This made pushing through and over these ‘rivers’ demanding and exhausting to the point where one of the team fell in during one of these ‘crossings’, resulting in wet and soaking ski boots (arrrrhh).
But all in all, we did very well – we pushed on and completed a massive day. And being only 19km from our finishing point (point 660), we might be back to civilisation (a village named Kangerlussuaq) by tomorrow night! One day to go (all depending on what this epic ice cap journey has in store for us tomorrow).
10 September, Day 27
Another huge 11hr day on the snow and ice. Today started out on the last part of the ice sheet - we had a few ice rivers and creeks to cross. Soon thereafter, we arrived in the crevasse zone (on the outer edges of the ice sheet) and things quickly became difficult. Very soft snow covered ice and crevasses - we were sometimes forced to crawl in soft snow up to our knees after sinking in the snow. We forced our way through – navigating the crevasses as we picked our way through the maze of snow and ice. By the end of the day - we had moved 12km closer to our finishing point – which was a great effort from the team. Only 6km to go! (direct) – but our path through this ice maze will be longer (and from today’s efforts – still a challenge). We are hoping to complete our epic Greenland ice cap crossing tomorrow night (Wednesday).
11 September, Day 28
The team has successfully completed their Greenland ice sheet crossing! They successfully completed their crossing to Point 660 at 7pm last night – and met by the driver of an old bus that had driven an hour or so up a rough road from Kangerlussuaq to meet and collect the team. The team negotiated a series of impassable deep crevasses in their final few km's to the finishing point – but after much manoeuvring and path finding – the team eventually located a route out of the ice sheet using narrow frozen watercourses between the ice ridges. A huge congratulations to the whole team on an epic crossing! Further photos to follow over the next week or so. Thank you all for following!
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