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Diary
21.4.2008Location:61 23.80 N, 46 01.88 W We are finally on the move. Before the events of today, let’s have a look at last weekend. On Saturday we realized that in Greenland things get done over the phone and preferably by a manager. So Rannisto took over and arranged us cheap flights for Monday and solved some cargo issues. Our cargo finally arrived on Saturday afternoon and we are in harbour waiting for it. The boxes were badly damaged and just as we got hold of them one entire side of the plywood box fell off. The damage control had to wait as we had been invited to a local private club, and we were anxious to go there. The night was great and full of action including for example dancing and arms wrestling. I want to take this opportunity to thank our hosts and everybody who helped us in Narsarsuaq. While we were packing in the hangar on Sunday we noticed that nothing was missing even though the boxes hardly stayed together. The airport was opened just for on Monday morning at 7:30 am. We had to pay for that obviously, but what can you do.
We set up camp and spend five hours going trough our things. After that was completed the time was 14.00 and we decided to test if we are actually able to move our sledges. Luckily we were. On steeper slopes we had to pull first one ledge together and the go back to get the other one. That turned out be a good way to move forward. Leaving one sledge behind meant also that we were at times quite far from our shotgun (which we had purchased on Sunday morning from one of the locals). Same thing with our rope, but what would be the point of using a rope when were skiing side by side. We ended our day after travelling 4 km, which was a pretty good. From now on will face longer and less steep slopes. It is great to be here. Thanks for all the messages and thanks again for folks in Narsarsuaq. 22.4.2008Location:61 26.85 N, 46 06.94 W We started our morning with familiar routines. Although we were a little bit worried about the hard wind, but decided that we can ski in the 13-14 m/s wind when the temperature is this warm. The first too legs (ca 2 h) we both pulled our own sledges, but after that we had to start pulling them one at a time. Obviously in that method we have to ski back to get the other sledge and our actual travelled distance today was over 10 km. Never the less we always mark down the actual progress. In the afternoon the wind got harder and we were hardly able to stand still and also the 175 kg sledges were moving slightly in the wind. So we decided it is time setup the tent, even though we had only been moving for 6,5 hours. I must say that today it was plenty. The edge of the glacier declines to the ocean in sort of waves. And these "waves" form "ice shelves". Pulling the sledges up and down these "ice shelves" is really hard work. And due to this hard work our bodies would probably prefer to head back home right now. Therefore it is up to our minds to make sure we reach Qaanaaq in time, and I'm confident that it will happen. The normal companions, blisters and the smell of sweat, have already joined us on our journey. The wind today was like sandpaper on our soft urban faces. All in all we seem to be in a normal hiking condition. 23.4.2008Location:61 33.47 N, 46 10.15 W It is really though to pull the 175 kg load for 12 km especially uphill (over 200 meters altitude difference today). We were moving eight hours today. Only once we had to resort to pulling the sledges together one at a time, so almost the whole eight hours it was one man and one sledge. The terrain should be getting less steep and that should help at least a little. Our legs should last 50 minutes and be followed by 10 minutes break. Today we managed that only twice and all other legs were only 40 minutes. Last night we slept for 12 hours. If we keep that up, we will be sleeping six weeks on this expe-dition. The remaining time will be divided roughly to skiing (four weeks) and to the time spent in the tent awake (two weeks). 24.4.2008Location:61 39.24 N, 46 15.36 W To start off we want to congratulate the Nytorp family on their new born baby girl.
In the morning we saw an almost completely white gyrfalcon. Ravens and snow buntings (the lucky bird around here) we have seen every day, but the gyrfalcon is more rare. Yesterday I was dead tired on the last couple of legs and Vuorenmaa was doing fine. Today Vuorenmaa was the tired one and I was feeling well. Today like yesterday we both pulled our own sledges the whole day. The last slope was was the exception, we tried but could not man-age on our own with the sledge. It was quite a slope though 120 meters on 1,6 km. 27.4.2008Location:62 00.48 N, 46 39.99 W
This was our first day with arctic hysteria. There were minus degrees during whole day and strong wind blowed against our burned faces. Skiing was quite OK, because it was not too hot and uphill slopes weren't that bad either. We skied only 5 hours today and after that did some written work and washing. We are heading towards long-waited May 1st celebrations
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© 2007-2008 Petet |
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Our pilot was Tore Sivertsen (made in Norway), who himself has also hiked across Greenland and done various other expeditions around the world. We packed some of stuff to the copter and Rannisto and Vuorenmaa hoped on and headed towards the glacier some 40 km west. After half an hour the copter returned to come and get me and the rest of our stuff. The moment was very exiting and thrilling, because I knew we would finally be on our own very soon. The copter landed and as soon as we unloaded it Rannisto hoped on and headed back. Now it was just the two of us.
distance: 7,2 km
distance: 12,6 km
The day was sunny and warm. The light wind tricked us into trying out kites on the first leg of the day. After Vuorenmaa had performed couple grasshopper style jumps, we decided it is better to ski without them. At the moment our sledges are too heavy for kites and also the wind was over 10 m/s at the time. We measured after putting the kites away and were actually quite surprised of that. Probably we got so well accustomed to the hard wind of the few past days, that this 10 m/s felt like nice breeze. The 4-5 m/s wind in the afternoon felt like completely windless. 
Yesterday, before going to bed we spent a while with snowball-skeet practices. We put our shotgun to the bottom of sledge, but before that
we tried to shoot flying polar bears.
