Merriam Webster dictionary definition of adventure
*1 *
a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks* *
b : the encountering of risks
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2 : _an exciting or remarkable experience _
7:45 am, May 16. We are getting on a sled drawn by a snowmobile and riding on the sea ice in between two islands in Eastern Greenland. It’s cold and windy. Visibility is low. We are getting off, and getting on a zodiac boat driven by an Georg, an Inuit ( used to be called Eskimo)Georg is younger than me in age, but appears older.He only has few teeth that are worn out.The water is choppy, a storm is approaching . He drops us on an uninhabited island .The guide, Matt, asks to see our skins and asks us if we are fully committed .Our emotions run high . We are supposed to traverse the island, climbing over mountains, sleeping in wilderness bivouacs , and praying not to get hurt. We are far away from any medical facility and due to the bad weather out of the reach of helicopters. If for whatever reason we want to go back on that very day -we can’t . It won’t be possible for Georg to pick us up. The storm is coming and the sea will be rough . We tell Matt that we are ready and Matt then nods to Georg to go back . We take a layer off, and start walking on the skis . Matt reminds us to be alert at all times and pay attention to our surrounding and look for polar bears. We are also looking where we step , so not to go in area with cracked ice. Matt has a shotgun in his back pack , and a stretcher, among other gear.Drew, the assistant guide is in the back.He carries flares. In our rucksacks( this is how Matt refers to the the backpacks ) we carry besides the regular mountaineering gear ( ,ski and boot crampons , ice axe, , emergency bivouac, ) enough clothing items to keep us warm up to 8 hours in cold conditions if needed. It might take that long to carry on a rescue. We wear an avalanche beacon/ transceiver ,a harnesses with attached carabiners, ice screw , prussik, and a sling with a carabiners attached to the upper strap of the backpack -in case to be attached to rope if we fall into a crevasse. It’s an interesting feeling being on an uninhabited, inhospitable , untamed island -with risk of avalanche , walking on glaciers that have a multitude of unseen crevasses covered by snow, and surrounded by polar bears ( 3 bears were shot in town within the previous 5 weeks ).And all this while knowing that there is no medical care facility and no medical rescue available. Welcome to Eastern Greenland! Greenland is the largest island in the world. While geographically is part of North America, it’s politically a part of Europe. It’s an autonomous territory that is part of the Danish Kingdom. It’s as large as Western Europe , with a total population of 56,000 inhabitants, the majority Inuit . Eastern Greenland has a population of only 5,000 -making it one of the most sparsely inhabited places in the world. It was never explored by Danes until the 19th century. We flew with Icelandair from Rijekavik , Iceland to Kulusk ,a small island off the coast of Eastern Greenland – in a small turbo prop plane .The flight took about 90 min. Great visibility , and could see from above lots of sea ice .A lot of black , white and some blue. We landed on a dirt runway. It’s about half a degree below the arctic Circle, but has Arctic conditions. Cold winds from up north keep coming. It’s all snow and ice . Matt asked us to wear our ski clothes , and be ready to skin from the airport. There are no cars in Kulusk , just ATVs . There is only one dirt road. We walked for about 30 min to the village , because the snow just melted a few days before . Georg drove the ATV that carried our gear .Matt informed us about the polar bears , and the need to always look around .He carried the shotgun with him. We arrived to his house , which doubles as a lodge .He runs it with with his wife, Helen. She’s a mountain guide as well, however she was in charge of preparing the meals , along with a friend, Theresa. Helen lived for a few years in Arraba, in the Dolomites and knew Albi , our good ol’ guide. .Matt offered Albi to guide with him for a few weeks, however Albi had a busy schedule.What a small world ! Kulusuk airport was built by the US in the 50’s , during the Cold War. The US built at that time a radar station on the island., for the Distant Early Warning Line, that monitored its portion of airspace over Greenland and the Denmark Strait against Soviet air attack. with the advent of satellites the radar lost its relevance. The town itself has a population of 200 people. There is only one store that sells food items, shotguns and ammo, and a few clothing items and cheep local beer. There is one nurse in town to provide medical care. The closest hospital is in Tasiilaq, on a neighboring island ,in town with a population of 2,000 people .That town is only reachable by helicopter, which in turn is weather dependent. Frequently the weather does not cooperate. Flights to the island from Ivceland are only twice w eeek. Again -if the wether co =operates. The lodge was on a hill very close to the bay, which was all frozen and covered with sea ice.There were about 50 dogs on that bay , along with a few motor boats that appeared out of place , stranded on the ice. The dogs were all on leashes attached to long chains. They were taking turns in howling all day and night. Those are the Greenland sled dogs , one of the oldest breeds .They are extremely tough and resilient . They are always outdoors , even during the roughest storms and winds . Those dogs have a symbiotic relationship with the Inuit for thousands of years. They are used for transportation, pulling the sleds, hunting and protection from polar bears. A few of those dogs together can kill a polar bear. .They are fed only every other day, just seal liver. The Greenlanders are very strict in making sure that those dogs won’t mix with other breeds .We ere told not to try and pet them. Matt has 2 dogs, Nanooq and Badger . They were raised by him, and we could touch , but not by the head .The first day we went over the avalanche response. Drew demonstrated how to dig one out of snow. Drew is a very calm and low key Canadian who was training along Matt. I thought that some crazy spirit got into him. He was digging like a maniac.Super fast and using all his strength. Chopping the snow rapidly and than shoveling at the speed of light. Then we realized that we all need to dig like maniacs. The first day of actual skiing we walked down from the house to the sea ice and got onto a sled , pulled by Matt on a snowmobile .We rode it for a while until the fast ice turned into packed ice .There was a Zodiac boat , that we inflated and pulled into the water, where the packed ice was.Learned the difference between those 2 types of ice. Fast ice is the ice fastened to the shoals, or the seabed-and is safe to travel on. Safe is a relative term .Based on the thickness , sometimes is safe to travel only on skis and not on foot, because the weight is distributed over a large surface area. Packed ice is broken ice, that moves and floats . Before we loaded our gear on the boat, Matt told us that we need to be 100 % present. Danger is lurking . Polar bears might be found us, cracks in the ice and crevasses might be under our feet , and avalanches might occur at any time .We were told to “tune in” , and “it’s critical “to pay attention to our surroundings and not talk , and we must be “committed” .He also mentions that we need to be “Emotionally articulate “ and if we are stressed or anxious -to communicate those feelings. We rode to the island in from us .We were surrounded by majestical icebergs , some small and sone huge. Those came from a big glacier , and contained ice formed hundred of thousands years ago. That day Matt assessed our skills . We summited a mountain, with the last part being done with boot crampons on ,and ice axe in our hands , while being short roped .It was cloudy , and on the top the visibility was minimal. We had great corn snow on the way down, and returned to the lodge using the boat and snowmobile. The next day a polar bear was spotted in the direction that we were supposed to go, so we skied in the opposite direction, while being accompanied by Matt’s 2 dogs -as extra protection . We climbed to a summit that was on top of a cliff that plunged into the ocean below, where majestic icebergs were floating .And now we’re ready. 7:45 am, May 16. We left that morning the comfort of our lodge to spend 3 days and traverse the island next to us. Matt has 2 wilderness bivouacs , in different locations . The first one is more substantial, the second is more like a large tent. Both had stoves , and had supplies of dried food as well as Italian Finocchiona Salami and French Emmental cheese and crackers. The weather forecast showed that first day a storm was supposed to come in, the second day sunny and the third day a very large storm was supposed to get in late afternoon.Well, the first and last day forecast was accurate. The day in between though -no. We never saw the sun. In fact , the first day we climbed in a total white out. My mind was playing games on me -and I thought that instead of a mega drop on my right the terrain was flat. I had to ignore everything that I was “seeing” and just follow , literally blindly the person in front of me. We reached a col aptly called the “Windy col”.The winds were howling, wet snow dropped on us from the sky and it turned into ice on our gloves. We had to remove our skis and boot pack, and putting the crampons on. Our hands were very cold, and we were soaked. Two at a time we got short roped, and had to climb down over a terrain with huge spiky boulders. After transitioning into our skis, we skied down in a white out, in heavy snow.Finally we made it to the bivouac . Matt instructed us about being very cautious in regards to polar bears while being outside .He set a perimeter of wires surrounding the structure , so if a bear trips on it flares would fly up and explode in 2 stages . And when going to the “toilet “, a buddy system is required. One takes care of his” business”, the other one is spotting and hold a flare “gun”. Anytime one of us would go out , a flare gun was needed . The next day we climbed all roped together over a glacier , where the were were many crevasses. Matt did not trust the snow, which was somewhat soft. This time we reached “Avalanche col “. Before we skied it down, both guides pushed down the cornice , and created a mini avalanche . We spent the second night in the large tent. Matt slept by the door , and has his shot gun(both nights ) loaded with a round in the chamber. Matt , originally from Scotland , is a very experienced guide, and has been in this village for 20 years on and off. He’s an IFMGA guide , spent lots of time in the Swiss Alps, and had a stint in the British special forces -the “Special Boat Service “. His shotgun is a version used by those special forces . He looks the part .He is very knowledgeable, and methodical. He loves to instruct, and loves what he does and loves Eastern Greenland. His company is named Pirhuk.It means light snow in the local language. The last day we crossed another glacier , and skied down roped again. We reached the sea ice, next to where the glacier is calving .We could see there the huge crevasses. 2 Sleds with dogs waited for us, each with 10 dogs. We were given special suits, that served as a floating device and protected from the cold water. The ice was thinner, and the were areas were the sled sank into the ice. The dogs instinctively know and avoid the areas where the ice is thinner, and also spread their paws , but more importantly weigh less than a snowmobile. It’s quite something to be on this sled in the open ocean , with section of open water on both sides surrounding us. The last day a big storm came .One could not go outdoors. Stuff might fly around. I felt the house shaking at night.But it passed, and we had seen the sun on our last day , when we flew back . We just experienced THE ADVENTURE !!!!!
*1 **a *: an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks
*b *: the encountering of risks
*2 *: an exciting or remarkable experience
Alon/Joe/Lou/Dima/Garret/
Guide :Matt Spenceley . Assistant guide :Drew Nylen
