#1: Day one!

After almost a week of preparation in Kangerlussuaq, the first day of our expedition has finally arrived! After some last minute packing, dropping our ‘civilian’ clothes and belongs off to the airport to be flown to our end point, and loading the up the bus with our sleds, skis and poles, we set off. The bus took us on a 2 hour journey to the icecap, heading out of town along the riverbeds full of glacial silt deposits, and up into the hills along a windy gravel road. Dotted through the bare rocky mountains were reindeer and musk ox grazing on the tundra’s spring growth, and nestled in between the high points were dozens of frozen lakes and jagged glacier faces. The view of the bright white icecap up in the distance, growing ever closer filled us with excitement and the unspoken apprehensiveness that accompanies the unknown. When we arrived at our drop off point, we were met with a steep rocky section of moraine with a track leading up to the ice. Faced with the thought or having to shuttle all our gear up and over this sandy, rocky slope, Bård and I headed to reccie another route. Luckily we found a small frozen lake skirting around the back of the moraine, a much more desirable option. We strapped our skis to our sleds, put our crampons on, clipped into our traces, waved to the bus driver and headed off. After a few hundred metres of flat frozen lake (a good warmup), we started climbing, getting our first taste of the uneven terrain that we will have to navigate through over the next few days. We found ourselves a flat camp spot, with just enough snow to get our pegs in. Being our first night, we spent a while making sure that we are setting up tents correctly and lighting stoves safely. Dinner, chats, bed. Victoria and I ventured out of the tent and up a rocky hill next to camp for a good view of the sunset. Looking up towards the icecap looks like the surface of the moon. Excited to see what tomorrow brings! Day one, check! Mardi