Report 5 from the Greenland Icecap: the Nansen Route!
Hi my name is Eva, Mikaels daughter. My dad will be going to Greenland for a month and a half to ski across the icecap. When he is gone both me and Hannah will be writing his posts for him so you know how he is progressing. He will be calling by satellite every 3 days and I will write what he says from his perspective.
mikael:
We are 26 km from our first [landmark] of progress, an old American abandoned radar station from the Cold War. We will have a half-day break there. It was needed for me for sure! 15 days of hauling and I feel it in my old body of course! We try to do 2.5 km per haul, but it is not always possible. Today, for example, we had a total whiteout again. This means no horizon, clouds, or cracks in the snow to navigate, [so we move forward] with the help of the compass. In a whiteout you only trust the compass, which is not easy, I have to say. We use a compass holder strapped to our chests. That means [our eyes] are on the compass for the 55-minute haul. Indeed, they are moments of total present awareness that even Thich Nhat Hanh, the Vietnamese Zen monk would smile at.
We are keeping to schedule, and the feeling of being a speck on the ice like this is a strong feeling of gratitude and privilege. 15 days done, 20 to go. The temperature is around zero Celsius.
So far, so good. Very much to the great team. But still a long way to go. The next goal after the DYE3 radar station, is the highest point on the route, which is a summit at 2,600 meters above sea level. We are at 2,350m now. The summit is 2-3 days away from DYE3 and once we are over it, we will enter a new climate zone which is still late to turning into winter, like it is here in the East. But [after the summit] in the West, we still have the biggest challenge ahead, the Western Glacier which is heavily crevassed with huge water-filled gaps and very unstable.
But right now, one day at a time.
Edited for clarity by Hannah Pierce-Carlson
Images:
Photo by Hannah Pierce-Carlson of Mikael on a Arctic training outing in Grövelsjön Wilderness, Sweden, January 2024
Screenshot of Mikael’s location on the ice sheet, Aug. 27, 2024
This is a Kensington Tours Expedition
Here´s a link to the map, where you can follow dad and Anders. https://share.garmin.com/EXPLORERGLOBAL
Thanks to
@kensingtontours @asnes1922 @taiga.se @boldrsupplyco @jemtlander @hilleberg_the_tentmaker @helsport @alfasko @brynjeofnorway @nordiclife @polder_sport @stanley_brand @ledlenserglobal @soto.outdoors