X’GREENLAND NANSEN ‘23
HERE YOU CAN FOLLOW
HERMANN ÞÓR BALDURSSON, JAN ANDERS GULBRANDSEN, CATHERINE BURFORD, AURELIEN CAYE,
ALYSSA WHOAA & KATHINKA GYLLENHAMMAR
AS THEY AIM TO CROSS GREENLAND FROM EAST TO WEST.
THEY START FROM ISORTOQ ON THE EAST COST, TAG ONTO NANSEN’S FAMOUS ROUTE, WALK DOWN AUSTMANADALEN AND END UP IN NUUK IN MID SEPTEMBER.
Day -7: COUNT DOWN
We are nearing the time we will all meet for real! Cargo is sent by boat towards Greenland weeks ago. And today Kathinka arrived in Tasiilaq to start preparations.
Hermann and Anders couldn’t wait so they tagged along. Now they will await the others (due in three days!) and see that everything is in our Tasiilaq storage, get hold of the caro and look over the equipment.
Left: Hermann, Anders and Kathinka eagerly awaiting their flight from Reykjavik to Kulusuk and then on by helicopter to Tasiilaq. – Soon the others will trickle in by the same Iceland route and the Greenland Adventure can start!
Day -4: COUNT DOWN in tasiilaq
As you see, our three heroes hang in there by the skin of their teeth! Preparing for an expedition at the hostile East Coast of Greenland is rough going :-)
Glorious weather has welcomed Hermann, Andres and Kathinka. And, cross fingers, it looks processing for the coming week and the first days of the expedition proper. Good weather and visibility would be lovely up the icefall and the crevasse filed.
As Hermann has documented (under) they have been to the harbour to pick up cargo and collet everything for the big prep-stunt. Tomorrow we will all be together!
Thursday 10th August, a great day !
Today has been a great day! Sunny and warm, we have been sorting through everything left here from the spring crossing and making new lists. We had a nice lunch in the sun looking out over the mountains. Then proceeded to do some smaller repairs on some equipment.
Good day of work, great for me to have Anders & Hermann here to help out🙏🏻
Kathinka
FRIDAY 11TH
Another beautiful day in Greenland, the morning has been filled with packing and organising. And then the rest of the team arrived and the rest of the day was spent team building - seems like this is going to be a great expedition with a great team!!!
We are all super excited!
Kathinka
SATURDAY 12TH
The sun is still shining on the team, a lot has been done today too. Tents have been rolled, breakfast has been made for the trip, food has been packed and gear has been checked. It all looks good!
We had a little tour of Tasiilaq and met a mama Greenlanddog with puppies.
Kathinka
SUNDAY:
The bags are packed, the food is sorted, the fuel is filtered and ready. The team has spent a good portion of the day sorting the last of the pieces to put the expedition puzzle together.
After getting sorted, the team had a little extra time on their hands, so what better to do than give back: we spent some time walking through town carrying garbage bags and picking up trash to clean up the trails, the soccer field, the playgrounds, and the spaces in between.
It doesn’t take long to pick up even just one garbage bag worth of trash, and it feels good to do good. We even had some of the local kids join in, helping us get the trash out of their little playground and make it a little safer and nicer to play in. They were so excited to help, and we were so excited to help them.
We are so lucky to be here in Greenland, to be here in Tasiilaq, and to go on this grand adventure. While there isn’t much opportunity to leave benefits behind us in terms of boosting the economy, we can leave this place just a little better than we found it. Whenever we go somewhere new, we can all spare just a little time to do one small act; if we all do a little, it’ll add up to a lot.
We’ve had cake and burgers, soft drinks and beers, and spent some time relaxing in the unbelievable warmth we have for just a few hours more.
Tomorrow morning bright and early we set out in search of cheese and butter—absolute necessities on the upcoming expedition. Once we’ve collected that and sent the belongings we won’t be needing for the next five weeks on a scenic helicopter ride across Greenland, we’ll be ready to set off on a boat ride through icy waters full of icebergs to bring us to our starting point.
Alyssa & the team🩵
day 1
After shipping off the tings we don´’t need on the ice it was time to get out of Dodge.
We left Tasiilaq behind us and set course for Isortok fjord. On the way there we sailed through thick fog for a while before the sun returned just as we were passing some enormous icebergs! It was a spectacular boat ride!
We were set ashore and started the climb carrying all we need for the expedition up to the ice. With beautiful views of the fjords and the icebergs every time we went back down for another load.
The day ended with camp on the ice and a small show of Northern Lights.
Happy crew!
Kathinka & team
Day 2
Watching the sun rise over the ice was an incredible way to start the day and apart from a few figments of my imagination, polar bear watch was happily uneventful !
We are definitely in expedition mode now and that morning rhythm of breakfast and breaking down camp has started to take shape. There was no easing in to the terrain, as from the get-go it was a day of gaining height, dancing round the many crevasses (this makes it sound far easier than the reality) and absorbing all the knowledge that Kathinka had to offer.
Today was where we demonstrated the months of training, glad that we didn’t skip that long tyre drag on a Sunday !
The team is in great spirits, all trying to eat as much as they can, keen to abide by rule number 3…..keep the guide happy!
Cat & the Team
Day 3:
On this morning’s bear watch just as the sun came over the horizon, the wind forecasted by the team’s reliable weather man started blowing. And of course, just a little off from how the tents were oriented.
Without hesitation or complaint, each team member crawled out of warm sleeping bags to help move tents to better withstand the wind, quite a chore for the morning, and great practice for later when more difficult weather is inevitable. And naturally, changing the tent orientation successfully dissuaded the wind—all the better for a peaceful last couple hours of sleep before getting the stoves going.
When the team set off for the day, they encountered a variety of obstacles: tipping pulks, crevasses, snow bridges, and glacial rivers. With excellent scouting and teamwork, the crew pushed through each new obstacle, always looking out for what’s ahead and for each other.
As the team pushed on and around exposed rock—likely mountain below the glacier—the fog started to roll in, giving a short reprieve from the warmth of the sun.
The team’s final challenge: a steep uphill section up “The Big Hill.” Still feeling strong and determined, everyone pulled hard to climb icy step by icy step, gaining meters with heavy sleds behind.
With the fog obscuring the top of the hill, the steep terrain gave way to three ~mostly~ flat spots for the team to call home for the night. Time for warm beverages and soup, and a good night’s sleep before finishing tomorrow’s big climb and seeing what new obstacles the team can conquer together.
9 more kilometers down, plenty more to go.
Alyssa & the Team
Day 4, another wonderful day in Greenland.
Camped in a bit of a slope last night in fog, so the day started with a nice climb. A bit bumpy after the hill, some crevasses to cross. Came into a slushy field with some pretty big rivers, did good teamwork to cross some of them.
The day was not so hard, rather easy pulling, sunshine all day and team spirit high. Summed up a fantastic day.
I feel really privileged and blessed to be on this glacier for the second time. I am having the time of my life, and really getting to care a lot about the wonderful people I am travelling with. At the same time I miss my loved ones at home and feel grateful for the support from my wife, family and my great friends at work.
Look forward to continue this journey. Love to you all at home from the team.
Hermann & the Team
Day 5:
Even with the wind rippling the outer tents this morning, awaking amidst the swamp was still a delight. The slushy ice of last night gave a fresh crunch under sleepy feet as the team climbed out of tents, excited to start a new day on the expedition with the promise of snow and skis.
Shortly into the first jaunt of the morning, Kathinka uttered the two words the team was most excited to hear: “Skis on!” Cheers all around as the team lined up in the layer of crunchy snow, fresh sparkly white, and donned skis.
As the terrain flattened—still uphill, but at a gentler grade—everyone has been getting used to their ski legs. A few stumbles and slips here and there, but the team is beginning to fly—at least when exposed crevasses aren’t slowing the route.
Unexpected crevasses have littered the path today, posing challenges and opportunities for teamwork, the real bread and butter of a Greenland crossing.
Tired and happy, the team rolled into a suitable camp spot, chosen only after searching extensively for solid safe snow. No ice screws tonight, and the team even had a celebratory tent-party and a toast to the Norse Gods, requesting support in completing the crossing.
With no idea what lies on the other side, the team will still sleep well tonight to brave the wind tomorrow and get just a bit closer to their goal.
Another 14 kilometers down, and over half the elevation gain of the summit under their feet.
Alyssa & the Team
day 6
A whole day without having to haul pulks over crevasses. Amazing!
Those of you tracking us will have seen the sudden progress across the ice as we happily clocked up the miles. We’re now navigating with the compass, taking it in turns to see who is best at skiing in a straight line. Important if you want to be efficient, but some of us have a tendency to ‘bend’ more than others 😄
A highlight was coming across polar bear tracks. Thankfully they were heading in a different direction, but it brought home that perhaps we’re not completely alone out here.
After our first ‘tent-hopping’ experience last night, I now find myself being serenaded by a young, singing french man who happens to be cooking me dinner tonight. What’s not to love?!
Cat & THE team
day 7
Today we woke up to the sound of rain on the tents, and could hear the wind blowing harder than previous days. Fortunately, by the time we got out on our skis the rain had stopped and we started skiing with the wind coming in from the north.
We have now turned off our GPS, and walk only on compass bearing. With clouds in the sky and not a lot of visual references, we all got to practice keeping our bearings. After some zig zagging in the beginning, we gradually got better, and by the end of our pulls, we all skied more or less straight.
We spent eight hours on our skis today as well, and made it about 20 km. Another beautiful day of skiing on the ice cap.
As night comes creeping in, this marks the end of our first week of the expedition. Everyone is enjoying themselves, and look forward to many more weeks of adventure.
Anders & THE Team
day 8
After a windy night we started a little later today. It has been windy all day but not too bad and the temperature is still pretty warm. So all in all it’s been another great day on the Greenland ice cap.
We have now made a course change and are heading towards Fridtjof Nansen’s route. Very exciting!
At the end of today’s pulls Alyssa announced that we had just past our first 100km! So we all celebrated with a kjærlighet på pinne (in english: love on a stick) GO TEAM!!!!
We are all having a great time and are enjoying every minute out here so far.
Kathinka & THE Team
day 9
When we received our packing list before going to Greenland, we were envisioning cold and polar environments. Today however, it has been like what we in Norway call “Syden” (warm places you travel to for your holidays).
We woke up to a beautiful and calm morning, with no clouds and almost no wind. We set off in our usual pace at 9 am, and did eight pulls through the day. The temperature was high, and although we put on sunscreen consistently throughout the day, we all feel a little bit toasted right now.
The day turned out pretty perfect, and we did about 21 km today. Well set up in camp, we ended the day with a dinner party in our big tent.
Anders & THE Team
Picture: Mighty Mouse takes chilling to the next level on breaks
day 10
I’m hijacking this blog post so I can wish my dad a happy 80th birthday! I hope he was blessed with the sunshine that we enjoyed today.
We had a great day of progress and have now hit over 150km. The team is always ready to celebrate every success and milestone, so we gave ourselves a good pat on the back & a woop & a holla!
Snow is forecast, so we’re preparing for whiteout conditions tomorrow and to be challenged with the navigation.
It will require a lot of concentration so I think it will be an early night for all.
Cat & THE Team
day 11
As sleepy eyelids fluttered awake, the pitter-patter of frosted flakes of snow landed gently atop the tents.
“Welcome to the ping pong ball,” was the intro to the day. As promised, today offered whiteout conditions with very little definition between earth (snow) and sky (also snow).
While whiteouts are undoubtedly disorienting, contributing to that feeling of being inside a ping pong ball as even the most skilled skiers can sometimes stumble along, they offer a perfect opportunity to practice three very important skills.
The first of these is compass navigation. With a compass strapped in front, everyone had the opportunity to focus on trusting the compass and allowing it to guide the team through fresh piles of snow.
The second skill that was exercised today was communication. As each skier navigated on their shifts, the second in line would let them know if they got off course with a simple “Step left!” or “Step right!” as needed. Trusting each team member to have each other’s backs and communicate well is important in this group effort to complete the crossing.
The third skill is knowing when to rest. As the team trudged through their seventh pull and the snow piled higher, the going got tougher. Sometimes the best move is to stop, and pick back up when the effort put in will yield a better output. As the conditions got rougher and wetter, kilometers gained were diminishing compared to physical exertion. Experienced and brilliant guide Kathinka knew exactly when to stop for camp so the tired skiers could rest their legs and make more distance tomorrow.
It’s not always sunshine and rainbows out here in Greenland; sometimes it’s snowflakes and whiteouts. And even then, the team is still having fun and putting distance under our skis.
19.6 snowy kilometers down, and many more to go.
Alyssa & THE Team.
day 12
Woke up happy to be able to see a horizon but not so happy about having to start the day by digging out our pulks after the wind and snow attempted to submerge them. Not to be disheartened, I’d already made my mind up that this was going to be a good day. Little did I know that the universe had other ideas. Ready to leave, trying to keep hands warm, I found myself having to unpack my pulk in search of a misplaced compass & questioning my loss of memory. The first pull was hard. The second pull even harder. Usually I’d spend the hour thinking about family and friends, but today my mind was filled with expletives and wondering what happened to my muscle mass overnight or what joker had added so much weight to my load. Finally, I realised that I wasn’t the only one, and everyone busied themselves chiselling ice from the bottom of the pulks and eventually resorting to waxing them to give us a bit of a break. The team worked hard today and definitely earned all that extra cheese & butter they are about to add to their dinner. Despite its early challenges and deep snow, it was in fact a good day. Some tired out troops this evening, looking forward to getting in to that sleeping bag as the temperature continues to drop. Brrrr! Cat & THE team
day 13
Another great day on the glacier. A bit cold and windy, but sunny. Pulling was not so hard to begin with, but got harder as the day went by. The team spirit is great, and we are all having the time of our lives. Always looking forward to another day in this wonderful paradise. Greetings to everybody at home. Hermann & THE Team
day 14
Day 14: Another day down, and with it comes a welcome new piece of the expedition puzzle: a half-day rest!
The last several days have offered challenging conditions with loose snow and high wind, making the skiing tough and fairly chilly. After pushing through many hard kilometers since the recent snowfall, the team skied a half-day today and took a half-day rest to get out of the wind and relax some tired muscles.
After wrestling tents up against the wind, the team enjoyed lunch together and talked about what to do with their extra hours in camp. Make repairs, build a toilet, organize pulks, chip ice out of pulk bags, do a little self-care, trade snacks, eat snacks.
With so many extra little things to get done with a few more hours in camp, the time seems to slip away. How is it already time to make dinner?
As the wind howls past the tents, standing strong against the gusts, the snow sparkles like diamond dust outside, covering pulks in a light sugar-like coating. With only a few hours left to rest, it’s time to do just that before the team sets off again, back to the same routine as the kilometers bring everyone closer to DYE 3.
Alyssa and THE team
day 15
A new and beautiful day comes to an end here in Greenland. Today feels like we got three days in one. We started with a lot of wind and heavy snow, before the wind stopped completely and it got really hot, and then the day ended with snow and whiteout.
We also got to practice our stiletto skills, with tons of snow piling up underneath our skis. Luckily, skin wax does the trick, and we got on fine. In the end we did 20 km in line of sight from our last camp. After a couple of heavy days the last week, it really feels nice to make some progress.
Today we also swapped tent partners, and we all get to spend time with new people the next five days.
We are now pushing towards DYE3, a real milestone on our way to the west coast.
Anders & THE Team
day 16
It was a frosty but calm start to the day as the forecast ‘erratic winds’ didn’t materialise. The lack of a breeze makes happy campers when it’s time to take the tents down! What we weren’t expecting was the total lack of wind all day and the beating sun, causing us to strip down layer after layer in an attempt to stay cool. This, together with the fact we are in the same clothes and haven’t showered for 16 days, makes us a fragrant bunch! It was a double chocolate bar kind of day (that’s 2 x 200g in snacks for me) as every calorie was needed in effort. The skis sank heavily in to the snow, making it particularly hard for whoever was up front, as energy was zapped with every step. We clocked up 10 hours today and can feel DYE3 within our grasp. This is keeping everyone motivated to work hard….but can we have just a little breeze tomorrow, please?! Cat & THE Team
day 17
The day started calmly and quietly, until the daily morning exclamation of “Helloooooo Greenland!” rang out from an excited adventurer.
The morning pulls began on crisp snow with no wind, which once again gave way to the shedding of layers to help our sweaty skiers literally let off some steam. As the day went on, snowflakes began to come down.
The snow started gentle and light, falling straight down in the windless air. Perfect crystal structures landed on arms and gloves, and the snow grew heavier as the pulls went on.
Visibility decreased and the wind picked up—the team is back inside the ping pong ball. The whiteout has been near constant, fluctuating in severity throughout the day. This has offered challenges for navigation, lending to the feeling of being unbalanced.
In whiteout conditions it can be easy for tired feet to lose the feeling of where the ground is supposed to be, stumbling forward as if aboard a ship moving through the snow.
While still not moving perfectly in the desired straight line through the whiteouts, the team has had ample opportunity to practice this skill. Are they improving? We think so, but we’ll see over the coming days, as there is much more whiteout in the milky-white snow to come over the next several days, so stay tuned.
19.5 whiteout kilometers down!
Alyssa & THE Team
day 18, Sherlock and the case of the missing sock.
On this trip it is not uncommon if something get lost in a sleeping bag a tent or a pulka. Most of the time it gets found were it was actually supposed to be a few minutes later. Today though, Sherlock faced one of its trickiest case to date…
Eric, aka Bob, aka Zipper of Oz woke up missing a sock; surprisingly important equipment for a polar explorer!
After the usual emptying of the sleeping bags, pockets and returning everything in the tent, Sherlock had to put his quest on hold, wear new socks (weird feeling after 17 days of the same) and get ready for the day. And what a day, trying to find our path in the complete white out for the first half and then low visibility only to reach camp, get inside and have the sun come out, not frustrating at all…
In the middle of the day we met our first living thing after 2.5 weeks; a bird! I am not sure if it was us or the bird who was the most surprised to encounter the other, but little birdy got curious and paid us a visit at camp as well.
Back to the new camp Sherlock was well determined to solve the puzzle started in the morning. He sarted setting up everything on the tent floor, still nothing. When suddenly, in the exact same way birds get put of magician sleeves, a sock magically appeared on the protagonist arm. Eureka! Problem solved!
The sock actually didn’t want to face the cold shoe and decided to stay hidden in the under layer where it was spending the night to get dried… What a case!
Aurelien & THE Team
Day 19. dye 3
Ah, another day in paradise—if your idea of paradise is whiteout on the Greenland Ice Sheet.
The team awoke once again to whiteout all around, and as always, they pushed on, excited for the promise of something new: DYE 3.
DYE 3 is a dome-shaped American station from the Cold War era, once serving as an early warning system in the event that international relations were compromised. It has long been forgotten and abandoned, standing on the ice in Greenland, far from the other DYEs (of which there are a few distantly scattered across the icy landscape).
For much of the day there was no depth perception for anything except what was immediately under skis—and only as our eager team stumbled over bumps, practicing and perfecting the technique of navigating with very little visibility.
What a welcome surprise then when out of the bottle-of-milk whiteness appeared a silhouetted dome shape! The team was in disbelief, surprised to actually find DYE 3 amidst the snow.
Camped less than a kilometer before the lonely structure, the team celebrated this victory with a tent party, all gathering together to celebrate reaching this monument and successfully reaching over 300 kilometers total on this expedition. The hope for tomorrow is to visit this spooky relic of the past, assuming the weather is kind enough to allow it.
19.1 more whiteout kilometers for the team!
Alyssa & THE Team
day 20
The team got up at the crack of dawn as the winds had started to turn from an easterly direction when the camp was built and toward the predicted NV of today. The tents were turned so they could withstand the oncoming force of the wind.
We all settled into our tents and enjoyed the howling while reading, telling stories, sleeping and listening to music.
The weather is supposed to get a little bit better on Sunday afternoon so until then we will continue to rest and relax.
All is well with everybody and we are all looking forward to keep moving towards the West Coast tomorrow.
Kathinka & THE Team
day 22
5am start this morning to get back in the zone of making progress. It seems that visibility is a rare treat in Greenland at the moment and today, despite waking to a lovely sunrise, the sun soon hid itself away. That was all we were going to get. Back to white-out conditions and, for some of us, that dizzy feeling when trying to navigate up front. It felt good to be moving for a full day again. I knew I had the ability to work hard and keep going, but also, when necessary, could switch on the ‘lazy gene’….I even surprised myself at my ability to doze during our forced tent day. Greenland made us work hard, it’s finalé being some dreaded rain and sticky snow as we neared our camp for the night. The days are ticking by, and looking back on old photographs is a great way to see how far we’ve come and how much we have already achieved….Auré’s toilet building just keeps on surpassing expectations! Cat & THE Team
day 23
Day 23: “What on earth is that smell?!” I thought to myself as I flew over the Greenland Ice Sheet, heading east over rolling waves of snow and ice. As I caught a whiff of a particularly pungent and wildly unpleasant smell, I looked down to see a row of what appeared to be ants—a head, and two more elongated bulbous sections behind them—in a line traveling over the snow. Ants? That smell? Over snow?? What the… My curiosity getting the best of me and overpowering my sense of smell, I dove a little lower to get a closer look. And what did I find but humans!! Out in the middle of this vast expanse of white! Hold up—after escaping that magician’s sleeve in the Big City (Nuuk, Greenland) I decided to fly east and leave it all behind for some peace, quiet, and alone time up on the ice. And instead, I have to share this space with humans?? Stinky humans?! For real, why do they smell so bad? Have they not showered in over three weeks or something? What are they even doing here? Skiing across Greenland for fun? Do they know they’re crossing Summit? Humans are weird, man. Anyway, I didn’t get the alone time I was looking for because my bird nostrils were assaulted by those stinky humans, so I’m turning and heading south. I hear that’s what all the free birds do in North America. With love, Mr. Byrd *This post was written by one of the two birds the skiers saw before they passed Summit today (because the skiers did ten pulls today and were too tired to write a post themselves) 24 more kilometers complete, Summit behind, and a long way down! Alyssa & THE Team
day 24
Hi, this is Kathinka, speaking from the Greenland Icecap.
It’s 23 degrees under, ewe have done 10 hours in complete whiteout today, right now is snowing a little outside, and we are ready to go to bed.
Great day, we are getting better and better at navigating these conditions, it’s a great opportunity for learning.
Looking forward to another great day tomorrow, as we descend from the summit and heading towards the West Coast.
Kathinka and The Team.
DAY 25
Now it really feels like winter is starting here in Greenland. The weather is getting colder, the snow on the ground is getting softer and the days are now a lot shorter than when we started our journey. It is beautiful to be a part of the changing season !
Today’s pulls started out in whiteout and light snow, and throughout the day it turned into a beautiful snowstorm with winds hitting us from the side. We managed to do a little more than 23 km today, and feel happy about that. We are currently making good way towards what is our next milestone, the ice falls on the west side. The team is excited to see what waits around the corner, but first we are getting ready for another weekend here on the ice cap. Anders & THE Team
day 26
Another great day for a ski on the Greenland icecap!
The weather was better than expected so the team set out in good spirits once again. We could see where we were headed for the first time in a while. There has been some snow so it is harder for the first person, but going behind is great, we are also descending a little bit every hour so that feels nice.
We did our best day so far at 25km today, the weekend looks great so we will see if we can do better then.
Kathinka & THE Team
day 27
We woke up to the first sunny day in a long time. So in great spirits the Team threw themselves at their poles an set of like a bullet. First five pulls went by like a whirlwind, but then they calmed down and continued the rest of the day in a much better pace.
The grand total and new record for today is a whooping 28,4km!!!! Go Team!
As we set up camp for the night we had a beautiful sunset and moonrise- it’s been a great day at the Greenland Icecap!
Kathinka & THE Team
day 28, birthday !!!
Today is Alyssa’s 30th birthday!
We started the day with birthday song and surprise breakfast party at 06:10. The skiing start was postponed 15 minutes from our usual start time. But we made up the time by adding an extra 5 minutes to our pulls.
The sun has been shining from a blue sky today - which means that Alyssa has been a good girl this year. We are grateful for that!
We are happy with our progress and starting to look forward to the west ice fall and the hike down Austmannadalen.
Happy Birthday Alyssa!
Kathinka & THE Team
Day 29
Wake up, boil, take down camp. Ski, break, eat, repeat. Do this nine more times. Stop, set up tents, boil, sleep. After twenty-nine days of this and a few good vigorous arm shaking episodes to warm up fingers each day, it appears the routines are (mostly) down. As the team glides across nice snow, the slow descent is beginning to pick up speed. With the drop in altitude spirits are soaring as everyone tries to remember what life outside this vast and empty environment is like. Animals other than the occasional lost bird? Showers? Beds that aren’t covered in ice? The team even has faint memories of pizza, unsure if it actually exists since it has been so long since anyone has smelled or seen pizza. As the motivated and frosty skiers approach the icefall, the excitement is real. The group has skied over 500 kilometers in total to make this crossing. 27.6 more kilometers behind the team! Alyssa & THE Team
day 30
A new and exciting day comes to an end here in Greenland. For four weeks we have been skiing in more or less the same terrain, but today we finally start seeing some changes.
The day started with clear skies and crisp air. We headed almost directly west, in the same manner as the previous weeks. Throughout the day clouds came in, there was some snow in the air and the temperature rose a little bit. Finally, during the second last pull, we started going much steeper down than usual, and we could feel the ground change from smooth snow to more uneven ice.
Today we could really feel that we are super close to the ice falls on the west coast. This marks the beginning of the third phase of our expedition, getting off the ice on the west side. We are all excited to see what the next days have in store for us. Anders & THE Team
day 31
GOOD MORNING GREENLAND !
Another great day on the icecap.
The weather forecast for tomorrow is not great, so we decided to take advantage of this fine day and get up with the sun for a long day on skis.
We ended up going for 11 x 60 minutes. But we didn’t get as far as we wanted, we came up on a crevasse field and had to do a few kilometers detour, but that is just the way things are here on the ice.
Now the tents are up and the team is resting in their sleeping bags until tomorrow.
Hopefully the predicted weather will get better and we can go skiing again tomorrow.
Good night.
Kathinka & THE Team
DAY 32
Today we woke up to a windy and snowy morning here on Greenland. And when wind and snow are present on the ice cap, the visibility is usually equal to zero. Today was one of those days.
After a long day yesterday, we started out at 10 o’clock. Since we are now in terrain with a lot of crevasses, we roped up from the start. Walking in ropes takes a lot longer time, but it was well worth it since we met the first big crevasses early on today.
Throughout the day we had to navigate around two-three exciting crevasse areas, before stopping at camp after 11,6 kilometers.
Today was an intense day in the whiteout, but it is fun and exciting to experience new terrain.
Anders & THE Team
day 33
We can see land! It’s far away, but we saw it for a brief moment when the clouds opened up for a few seconds.
We have been working our way down a crevasse area in low visibility and fairly difficult conditions, but we succeeded!
We are now looking forward to seeing the sun again hopefully tomorrow and then making our way further down. Crossing our fingers that we are able to be off the ice on Sunday maybe.
Have a great weekend!
Kathinka & THE Team
day 34
As our journey over the ice cap is getting closer to the end, we are really taking in the nature on the west coast. The landscape has a lot of rolling hills, with large and dramatic crevasse areas all around us.
Our day today started with easy and fast pulling. However, at the end of the first hour we met an area of crevasses we had to navigate. This was the only slow obstacle we had to tackle today, after this everything went smoothly. We were able to walk around and between crevasses, and found easy skiing towards our next waypoint. We had sun and snow, wind and calm, and white out and visibility. A little bit of everything.
We made it 21,6 km today, on what turned out to be a really good day. And tomorrow we are aiming for solid ground and getting off the ice cap.
Anders & THE Team
day 35
The day started early to make sure we had enough time to get to land - AND WE MADE IT!!!!! Some clouds in the morning turned into a beautiful sunny day with spectacular views of the mountains below. We had just enough snow to ski all the way down to the morenes. All the rivers and lakes were frozen. There has been a lot of melting this year and the glacier has withdrawn a lot. Tomorrow we will repack from sleds to backpacks and exchange our ski boots for hiking boots and set our course down towards the sea and a full crossing of Greenland! Congratulations to the team for successfully crossing the Greenland Ice Sheet!!!! Kathinka & THE Team
day 36
Waking up to see that land was still there gave the team renewed optimism and strength. We found a great place to leave our sleds for the helicopter to pick up and packed our backpacks.
We set out and up and down and up and down through the moraines until sunset.
Camp today is under the stars and the northern lights in our sleeping bags by a lake somewhere in the moraines. Tomorrow we will reach the Austmannadalen, the valley we will follow to the sea.
All happy to be on land and on our way to a shower and a beer and a burger.
Kathinka & THE Team
day 37
After a night spent under the open skies, with the stars and the northern lights as our ceiling, we got up to start our journey towards the Austmanna valley. We were hoping to get there early in the day, but not long after we started walking we came across a river that turned out to be hard to get across. We spent more than two hours struggling, but finally found a way to make it to the other side. Well over on dry land, we quickly found our way over rocky moraines, and sometime around midday we saw the entrance to the valley. The nature now changed quickly as we ascended on steep trails made by rain deer. Suddenly there was a lot of vegetation around us, the smell of fall present in the air. Such a beautiful experience. Well down in the valley, we found the river that we are going to follow down to the ocean. As we were walking down next to the river, rain deer was grassing peacefully not far from us. And we even met the first person since getting off the boat on the west coast. After a few hours of walking in the valley, we found a perfect camp spot next to the river. Hermann and Kathinka started fishing not long after, and within 30 minutes they had caught two very nice fish for us to cook. Our first taste of fresh food in 37 days. Today was a day with a lot of obstacles, challenges and contrast, but laying here in the grass under the open skies, with our bellies full of fresh fish, we feel so happy and grateful. Anders & THE Team
day 38
The Austmannadalen expedition continues. It goes up and down, through bushes and over rocks and rivers and marsh.
We made it to Nansens last campspot and the ocean!!!!!!
Congratulations to the team for successfully crossing Greenland from coast to coast! GO TEAM!
We were lucky enough to run into Christian again, he was going the same way as us - and he knew the way. So we decided to go together. We are now heading to where the boat is going to pick us up tomorrow at 11:00. We are now spending our last night under the stars. Tomorrow will be showers, fresh food and a beer! We are all looking forward to that.
Kathinka & THE TEAM
PS. More pictures will come later
SUCCESS !
The team got up at 05:00 this morning to make sure we got to the boat pick up point in time.
We hiked some more up and down and over marsh - and finally we reached a hunters camp down by the sea. Here we were served warm coffee and tea and had time for a chat with the locals that was left in camp. The hunters were all out hunting for reindeer.
At 10:30 we saw the boat come in the fjord and we all got very excited. Onboard the boat we were served fresh fruits, smoked salmon, cheese, bread and all kinds of good stuff.
We are now all safe, full, clean and ready for bed.
It has been a great expedition and a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GREAT TEAM FOR CROSSING GREENLAND FROM COAST TO COAST 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Thank you for joining - hope to see you all again on some other adventures!
Kathinka & THE Team
