Expedition Greenland: Adventure to the Abandoned Dye-2 Radar Station

Day 18 of the Greenland Expedition

Welcome to a new update from our expedition team in Greenland. Today is Sunday, August 31, and we have reached day 18 of our journey. It was a beautiful day, especially because we finally didn’t have to deal with a white-out. At last, we could see where we were walking, which was a welcome change. We started our day early, at twenty past six in the morning, after digging out the tents following yesterday’s strong winds. Our goal for today was the abandoned Dye-2 radar station. We set our compass to 298 degrees, including the 23-degree declination correction. After about an hour of sled pulling, also known as man-hauling, David was the first to spot Dye-2 on the horizon. It was still faintly visible, and he had to point it out to me. We had 15.4 kilometers to go to the radar station. Along the way, we passed Camp Raven, a U.S. Air Force camp located 1.3 kilometers from Dye-2. Camp Raven is used by the Air Force during the summer months for landing. The runway is essentially a five-kilometer-long strip of cleared snow, marked with bamboo poles and flags.

Visit to Dye-2

When we finally arrived at Camp Raven, the camp was dismantled and stored in five containers firmly anchored to the ice. However, our main goal was Dye-2, which was still 1.3 kilometers away. Dye-2 is part of the DEW Line (Distant Early Warning Line), a series of radar stations built by the Americans in the 1960s to detect missile attacks from Russia. Although many of these stations have since been dismantled or buried in snow, Dye-2 is still reasonably accessible. To enter, we had to climb in through the roof and carve steps into the ice with an ice axe. Inside, we found a large mess; many items were left behind when the station was abruptly abandoned in 1988. There were supplies of flour and rice, manuals, and various other items scattered across the floor.

Back outside in a White-Out

After wandering around Dye-2 for about two hours, we signed our names in the guestbook and left the station through the same small hole we entered. Outside, we were greeted by a snowstorm and a complete white-out. The temperature was just above freezing, causing the snow to melt on our gear. We managed to complete one more shift before setting up our camp. Today, we covered a total of 22.2 kilometers, including our visit to Dye-2. This brings our total distance to 378 kilometers. Tomorrow, we hope to surpass the 400-kilometer mark. Stay tuned for more updates!