100 Kilometers on Greenland’s Ice: a Special Milestone

Day 6 of the Greenland Expedition: a Special Milestone

Today, Tuesday, August 19, 2025, marks the sixth day of our expedition across the Greenland ice cap. The day started early as usual; we got up at four “o’clock” in the morning, and by six o’clock we were ready to leave. It’s great to see how our efficiency is increasing. Where we left at quarter past six yesterday, today we were ready right on time. We walked the first four shifts of the day over the snow in regular walking shoes. As the sun rose higher in the sky, the snow became softer. As usual, the sun started on our right and slowly turned clockwise. Around ten o’clock we walked straight into our own shadow and at the end of the day we had the sun on our left. At twelve o’clock it got too hot under our feet, so we put on our skis for the remaining shifts. Although this day had many similarities to previous days, something special happened four minutes before 2:30: we reached the 100-kilometer mark. This milestone was celebrated with an exuberant high five. Despite the landscape looking the same as always—vast white snow—this was a special moment for us.

Milestones and Prospects

During an expedition like this, it is important to divide goals into smaller chunks. For us, reaching 100 kilometers was already the third milestone. The first milestone was setting foot on the ice on day one, followed by the Isortoq turn, where we changed direction to the west. Upcoming milestones include the 200, 300, 400, and eventually the 500-kilometer mark. We will also reach the highest point in Greenland at approximately 2400 meters altitude, and we have moments such as getting Dye-2 in sight and the exact middle of the expedition to look forward to. By dividing this major challenge into smaller chunks—12 times 50 kilometers—it becomes manageable. We are currently covering about 24 to 25 kilometers per day, which means we will probably reach 200 kilometers in four days.

Looking ahead to Tomorrow

The weather remains unchanged; bright sunshine that makes the snow mushy and causes heavy trudging. Therefore, I suggest we hit the trail half an hour earlier tomorrow. If all goes according to plan, we can leave at half past five. To conclude this day, we enjoyed a delicious bar of chocolate that Ronnie gave us—a pleasant change after a long day. In the photo with this blog you can see our creative attempt to depict “100” in the snow. There will be another update tomorrow. Until then!