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May 15, 2018
Day 4. On the Ice Cap
Miraculously, the wind died just as we were getting out of the tent. Throughout most of the night we were once again getting pummeled by wind gusts. With temperatures just below freezing, everything inside was wet. Now was our chance, we draped our Therm-A-Rest polar rangers over our skis and they quickly dried out.
Without a strong wind, packing up was effortless and we were quickly on our way. I had added a short length of ski skin to Kat's skis as she was slipping the day prior. We hiked through the ice for a half hour then switched to skis. It was the best feeling to exchange the punchy slog of hiking to the smooth shuffle of expedition skiing.
We climbed for several hours aiming for small chunks ice in the endless plain of white. This is the Greenland ice cap.
I've been checking the weather on my Garmin inReach and it has been unerringly accurate. Today, the forecast was for sun then overcast with a chance of flurries. As if on cue, the sun disappeared behind a thick fog and light flurries.
We finished the day in a whiteout. Relieved, for the moment, to be done with the day's effort.
Without a strong wind, packing up was effortless and we were quickly on our way. I had added a short length of ski skin to Kat's skis as she was slipping the day prior. We hiked through the ice for a half hour then switched to skis. It was the best feeling to exchange the punchy slog of hiking to the smooth shuffle of expedition skiing.
We climbed for several hours aiming for small chunks ice in the endless plain of white. This is the Greenland ice cap.
I've been checking the weather on my Garmin inReach and it has been unerringly accurate. Today, the forecast was for sun then overcast with a chance of flurries. As if on cue, the sun disappeared behind a thick fog and light flurries.
We finished the day in a whiteout. Relieved, for the moment, to be done with the day's effort.
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