The hidden reality of being an expedition leader in Greenland

Image versus reality of expedition work

I regularly get calls from my friends asking, “Yo, hey Henk-Jan, where are you now?” And I often say: well, just at home behind the computer. So as far as I’m concerned, let’s go grab a beer tonight. To be honest, they always find that strange, because in their heads I’m always on an expedition. I get it, because that’s obviously what you always see on social media: the snow, those endless plains and that kind of thing. But the reality is different, because I’m mostly, just like now, simply at home behind the laptop. I’m studying maps, analyzing satellite images, working out routes and calculating scenarios. I’m busy with my gear and things like that. That’s actually the biggest part of my job. It might sound tough and it looks nice on LinkedIn, Henk Jan Geel, expedition leader, but to be honest, it’s also just incredibly boring work sometimes. That’s actually what I do all day: preventing problems.

The real work is preparation

I adjust routes before we leave, I think things through and I visualize situations. I think about what could go wrong and how we can prevent it. And if it does happen anyway, how we can then solve it quickly. For the participants it feels like being out of your comfort zone, but for me it’s exactly the opposite, because I have to make sure everything stays within the safety zone. That’s the task of the expedition leader, every single day. That whole Greenland expedition starts right here at home in Utrecht, looking out the window at the neighbors across the street. That’s why this update is all about the preparation. I was just talking about it yesterday during a lecture in Antwerp. I said then too: it actually starts behind the computer at the kitchen table. Preparation isn’t the work before the work. That preparation is the work. Eighty percent of the entire expedition is just preparing, preparing, preparing.

Scenarios and thinking ahead

I visualize what could go wrong. Imagine, we make a very good plan. Of course we do, and everything goes better than expected. If the team arrives earlier, I have to be prepared for that. But imagine if things don’t go as expected. Then we might arrive later. In fact, maybe we have to turn back halfway. That’s also thought about. And imagine something goes wrong with one of the expedition members—and please let it not happen—but we have to think about that too. And we certainly do.

Medical briefing and risks

Last night we had our medical briefing with Extreme Medicine. Maybritt and Loes, two doctors, including from the emergency room, were present online to explain to the whole team all the scenarios that can arise on a polar expedition. We talked about hypothermia, dehydration, bone fractures and blisters. About snow blindness and that sort of thing. But we also talked about the mental aspects. Because the expedition team will soon be in a kind of isolation for four, maybe even five weeks. The only people you see around you are your teammates. If you have a bad day at work, it’s sometimes nice to go home and talk to family, your boyfriend or girlfriend or your partner and say: I’ve had a rotten day. The expedition team can’t do that. If they’ve had a rotten day, they have to discuss it again with the same team they just had that rotten day with. You have to be aware of that. That mental aspect—doing the same thing every day, almost the same pace every day, almost the same view every day, but certainly the same people around you for the whole month—that does something to you.

Medical preparation and team roles

With that medical preparation, we look at how we can do this well. Karin, the expedition leader, has a Wilderness First Responder training, so she really knows what to do if something is wrong. We also have a firefighter in the expedition team. Not that we think a fire will break out, but he’s one of the participants and he also has a medical background. That’s just great, to be able to use the expertise present in the team. That’s how we eventually head out in Greenland. I always say: six Ps are at the base of a good execution. That’s P, P, P and another three Ps. They stand for: Proper Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. With a good plan, we ensure that the execution—which still has to happen and is a lot of fun—also goes really well.

First aid, medication and final steps

Regarding the first aid, to stay with that for a moment: we have a very large first aid trauma kit with us for all wounds that can occur. That ranges from a blister to arterial bleeding. We can treat it all. We have medication with us, from paracetamol to prescribed antibiotics. Karin acts as the extended arm of our top cover. The top cover are the medical specialists based in the Netherlands. In consultation with those medical specialists, Karin is allowed—and this is by high exception—to administer medication that can normally only be prescribed by a GP. We’re almost done with the final preparations. Tomorrow I’m speaking with Karin and then we’ll go through everything in detail one more time. After that, I’m going to Scotland myself on an adventure. Karin will then be almost boarding the plane via Denmark to Greenland.