Adventure on Greenland’s Ice Cap: 31 Km in one Day

Expedition Update: Day 19 in Greenland

Welcome to the latest blog update from our expedition team in Greenland. Today is Monday, September 1, and we are now on day 19 of our expedition. It was a productive day, with the wind at our backs, allowing us to make rapid progress. After our visit to Dye-2 yesterday, we made a turn that now lets us benefit from the southern katabatic winds. These winds are gravity-driven and blow cold air down over the ice cap. It’s fascinating to see how these natural forces work here. The vastness of the landscape continues to amaze us; you can look 360 degrees around you without any obstruction, something impossible in the Netherlands. The clouds here are immense and stretch from horizon to horizon.

A Record Day on the Ice Cap

The ice cap we are traversing is enormous. We have been trekking over snow and ice for 18 consecutive days. Today, we set a new daily record by covering no less than 31 kilometers. The terrain seems flat, but we know we’ve descended 400 meters since the highest point. With the wind at our backs and lighter sleds, now weighing about 25 kilos less, today went exceptionally well. Because we’ve had such a productive day, we’ve decided to take a rest day tomorrow. We still have 165 kilometers to go, but as they say here in Greenland: Imaka, if nature wills it. Anything unexpected can happen. I once broke my ankle on day 24 of an expedition, which immediately ended it.

Preparing for the Final Phase

Tomorrow we’ll use to prepare physically and mentally for the final stages of our journey. We hope everything goes according to plan and that we can successfully complete the remaining kilometers.

Today’s Statistics

For those interested in numbers: today we covered a total of 31 kilometers and are now at an altitude of 1,913 meters. So far, we have covered 409 kilometers and have 165 kilometers remaining before we reach our goal. We’ll keep you updated on our progress!