Endless Days

Whoever named Greenland was clearly myopic, or possibly possessed transcendental vision that allowed them to view the island in bygone days when the climate was less austere than it is today. Maybe they simply possessed a warped sense of humour. Whatever the reason, this land of the midnight sun (at least in summer) held an intrigue that could not be ignored. The flight in a Twin Otter from Iceland confirmed our expectations, since at 3,000 m the Watkin, Lindbergh and Lemon Mountains of Eastern Greenland stand out majestically from massive glacier systems flowing from the inland icecap. It had been our intention to land near to the Lemon Mountains, but poor glacial conditions made this impossible and we were diverted to the Lindbergh outliers some 25 km to the north east. It was at this point, with all our equipment and food for a month, that we said goodbye to civilisation, and while did not know it at this time, to half of our party of eight!

Four of us, with no preconceived plans, decided first to climb the mountains close by, while the others had fixed objectives in the Lemons. Confusion over the location of the advanced base camp meant that we never did manage to find it, so we were left simply with the emergency beacon and a telephone that could only be used when aircraft were actually in sight. Oh, and the rifle, just in case any errant polar bears passed our way. Strange really, after all those times when I had overflown Greenland, planes seemed a veritable rarity when we started to look out for them. We only saw five in the whole time that we were there. Moreover, they mostly seemed far away on the horizon and we doubted whether we could activate the 'phone in the time window available to make contact. In the event of an emergency we simply hoped that the beacon would be picked up by the circulating satellites that our GPSs confirmed were circulating high above.

Both Andy and Martin had previous arctic experience, so it was useful to know that some of us knew the optimal techniques for pulk hauling and wall building, techniques that were so vital when life is spent on broad icefields and glaciers. I learnt fast, however, and was by far the most accomplished toilet builder by the time that we left! Rachel, the only female among us, was particularly appreciative of the modesty walls that also served to reduce cold blasts round the nether regions. Andy won hands down on wall building, but then he seemed to spend most of his time trying to disguise his tent behind mounds of snow. All very well this, but when the tents were pitched in the middle of an 8 km wide glacier being able to see them from a distance is a distinct advantage. Distance is so deceiving in this terrain, so it is perhaps not surprising that we failed to locate the ABC when it could have been anywhere in an area of some 25 square km that was liberally criss-crossed by massive crevasses and had more undulations than the surface of the moon!

Operating in pairs, Martin and I climbed nine mountains, at least four of which were first ascents and the other five might just have well been for we simply followed the most obvious lines. Even so we could claim the second ascents and maybe even new routes. A bit of homework is still needed to see if this was so. Andy and Rachel added another two first ascents to our tally.

In all we made nine camps and pulked over 75 km in a circular route, taking in mountains in both the Lindbergh and Lemon ranges while doing so. Only two summits were reached on skis, all others required a ski approach followed by crampon ascent. It was disappointing that poor weather kept us tent bound for five days near the end of the trip, otherwise our summit count would undoubtedly have been higher. As it was the half metre of snow, and near zero visibility that came with it, made our return to the drop off point an exciting three days. Never being quite sure whether a snow bridge would suddenly give way or a hidden crevasse suddenly swallow one of the team is a nerve racking way to travel, but then it all adds to the adventure of a trip to Greenland, and we did meet up with the others in time to leave.

Derek 17^th September 2002

Handy cooking hints number 2

"For provisions they carried thirty-five small fowls, eleven large fowls, one piece of beef, six pieces of veal, eight pieces of mutton, six lemons, four candles, ten small cheeses, twenty loaves of bread, sixty bottles of vin ordinaire, ten bottles of St George, fifteen bottles of St Jean, three bottles of brandy, one bottle of cassis, six bottles of lemonade, and two bottles of champagne."

From Mountain Men by Mike Conefrey and Tim Jordan re the 1851 Mont Blanc expedition