A visit to Dye 2, the abandoned Cold War radar station

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A double update from the expedition team in Greenland

The expedition team in Greenland has another update for us. This update is from Wednesday, Sept. 13, and is actually a double update, as it is also a bit of the update from the day before. On that day, it all began. During that day, we had faint visibility because of the fog. Occasionally we saw something black at the height of the sun, which was not a blur. Eventually we found out that it was a shadow of DYE 2, the abandoned radar station in the middle of the ice sheet. Or actually not the middle, but for the team at about two-thirds of the way across the ice sheet. The expedition team celebrated not only seeing DYE 2, but also achieving the 200-kilometer mark. We have only 200 kilometers to go and we celebrated with popcorn.

A stop at Camp Raven

After a night’s sleep overlookingDYE 2, the team continued their way to the abandoned radar station the next day. They headed straight for it. But before they got there, they made a stop at Camp Raven. This is a kind of airstrip, a small airfield of the U.S. Air Force. Normally there are two people there, so the team thought they could have a cup of coffee there. To their surprise, however, no one was there. The airstrip looked deserted, but the flags were still there. In the summer, landing exercises are conducted with U.S. Air Force Hercules aircraft. These aircraft will be flown from New York to Greenland, to Kangerlussuaq, and then make flights to Camp Raven to practice landing on snow. When Henk-Jan is the previous two times, there were people, Mon so now there weren’t. So with this, the expedition team discovered, they were the only people in the region who were on the ice sheet.

A visit to Dye 2, the abandoned Cold War radar station

After Camp Raven, it was just under an hour of skiing to Dye 2, the abandoned Cold War radar station. At that time, a line of radar stations was built to detect if missiles were being fired. Dye 2 and Dye 3 are two such radar stations on the Greenland ice sheet. What makes Dye 2 special is that it was suddenly abandoned in August 1988 because of subsidence. The story goes that the radar station had to be completely abandoned within two hours. The expedition team also spent two hours in this abandoned radar station and discovered the remains of men still there. They saw the library, the pool table and the operating room where the whole operation was conducted. They also visited the Radar dome and, of course, one of the team members put the Arctic Adventure sticker next to the other expedition stickers. The restaurant was one big mess because there had been many other expeditions besides the expedition team and also the Americans. It remains something of a state secret exactly what happened. It was a cold and dark experience in Dye 2, but very special.

Continuing toward the northwest

After visiting Dye 2, the expedition team shifted their course to the northwest. They maintain this course for about 60 kilometers before heading toward Point 660. From the tent in which this post is being written, it is exactly 179 kilometers to the end point.

Conclusion

The expedition team in Greenland provided another adventure update. They saw the abandoned radar station DYE 2 and celebrated the achievement of the 200-kilometer mark. They also made a stop at Camp Raven, where, to their surprise, they were all alone. Visiting the abandoned Cold War radar station Dye 2 was a special experience. The team saw the remains of the men there and the mess left behind. Now they continue their way toward the northwest, 179 kilometers to go until the end point of their expedition.