Period: August 1999

Partecipants: Alessio Romeo, Axel kaiser, Marco Taverniti, Massimo (Igor) Marini

INTRODUCTION

ICECAVING IS A FASCINATING ACTIVITY, KATEDRAL LIKE STRUCTURES IN BLUE ICE, WHICH WILL LAST ONLY ONE OR TWO SEASONS TO DISAPPEAR FOREVER. AND A NEW ONE WILL BE CREATED BY FORCES OF WATER AND AIR.

WE STARTED ICECAVING IN SWITZERLAND WHICH IS WITH HIS HUGE GLACIERS, LIKE THE GORNER AND ALETSCH, IS THE PERFECT PLAYGROUND TO LEARN THE TRADE. IN 1996 ALESSIO AND ME PARTICIPATED AT A EXPEDITION IN PATAGONIA.

DURING THIS TRIP WAS BORNE THE IDEA TO VISIT THE HOMELAND OF GLACIERS: GREENLAND.

WINTER 1998 WE DECIDED TO GO IN SUMMER '99. THE PROBLEM WAS HOW GET TO THE GLACIERS, MOVEMENT IN THIS SPARSELY POPULATED ISLAND IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT AND COSTLY. AFTER SOME RESEARCH WE DECIDED TO MOVE ALONG THE COAST WITH KLEPPER FOLDING KAYAKS. THIS ARE EXTREMELY SEAWORTHY KAYAKS WHICH FOLDED TOGETHER STAY INTO TWO BAGS AND OFFER ENOUGH ROOM FOR TWO PEOPLE AND HEAVY EXPEDITION GEAR FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.

THE RESEARCH ON EQUIPMENT AND DATA TOOK US 8 MONTH, EXTREMELY USEFUL WAS THE DANISH POLAR INSTITUTE WHICH PROVIDED US WITH MAPS AND AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.

FROM THE PHOTOS WE WERE ABLE TO DETERMINATE THE BEST AREA FOR OUR RESEARCH, SEVERAL GLACIERS WERE INACCESSIBLE TO US DUE TO GLOBAL HEATING. ONE PARTICULAR GLACIER, WHO HAD HUGE CARSICK PHENOMENA, LOST 15 !! KM  FROM 1982 (DATE OF THE MOST RECENT PICTURES)  CREATING HUGE DEPOSITS OF FLOATING ICE WHICH BLOCKED THE ACCESS. SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO THE KNUD RASMUSSEN GLACIER.

ON THE FJORDS

AFTER A LONG FLIGHT VIA LONDON AND REKJAVIK WE LANDED AT KULUSUK, A LITTLE AIRPORT ON THE EAST COAST OF GREENLAND RIGHT ON THE POLARCIRCLE. HERE WE FOUND ABOUT 400 KG OF EQUIPMENT THAT WE SENT THE MONTH BEFORE. THE HELPFUL AIRPORTSTAFF BROUGHT US TO THE BEACH  WHERE IT TOOK US NEARLY 4 HOURS TO STUFF ALL THE GEAR AND OURSELVES INTO THE BOATS. WE HAD WITH US SUPPLIES FOR 23 DAYS, 300 MT OF ROPE, CAMPING EQUIPMENT, ICEAXES AND ICEBOOTS, RUCKSACKS, SKIES,CAVING EQUIPMENT, MEDICINALS, RADIOS AND SOLARCHARGERS, ETC. ETC.

THE FOUR DAYS TO REACH THE GLACIER WERE A GREAT INTRODUCTION TO ARCTIC: ICEBERGS,WHALES, SEALS AND A LOT OF MOSQUITOES. WE PADDLED IN THE MIDDLE OF HUGE ICEBERGS COMING FROM THE GLACIERS. WE PADDLED ALONG THIS MONSTERS, HAVING FUN, UNTIL WE SAW ONE TURNING BY 180 DEGREES WITHOUT ANY WARNING, FROM THIS MOMENT WE KEPT SAFETY DISTANCES. THE FIRST TWO DAYS WE HAD WHALES SINGING EVERYWHERE, WHICH MAKE A PARTICULAR IMPRESSION IN THIS SILENT COUNTRY.

WE WORE DRYSUITS TO PROTECT OURSELVES FROM THE COLD WATER, THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE IN THE CASE OF A CAPSIZING. THIS BREATHABLE INDUMENTS WERE ALSO OUR STANDARD EQUIPMENT FOR EXPLORING THE ICECAVES. THE WEATHER IS VERY ERRATIC, WE HAD SUN, FOG, RAIN AND SUN SEVERAL TIMES A DAY. ONE EVENING IT WAS SO WARM THAT I STROKE A BET WITH IGOR THAT I WOULD GO FOR A SWIM. AS YOU SEE I WON BUT SPENT THE AFTERNOON IN THE TENT UNDER 2 SLEEPING BAGS TO GET WARM AGAIN.

SOMETIMES AT NIGHT WE WOKE UP BY RUMBLING SOUNDS IT TOOK US SOME TIME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS SOUND WAS PRODUCED BY THE ICEBERGS TOUCHING THE LOW GROUND OF THE FJORDS MOVED BY THE WIND AND THE TIDAL CURRENTS.

GETTING READY FOR DEPARTURE IN THE MORNING WAS ALWAYS HARD WORK AND TOOK UP TO TWO HOURS ENDING WITH BRINGING THE 200KG LOAD OF THE BOATS TO THE WATER. ONE MORNING THE TIDE FOUND US STRANDED AT ABOUT 150 METERS FROM THE WATER AND WE HAD TO HEAVE THE HEAVY BOATS TROUGH THE MUD.

AT LAST WE SIGHT THE KNUD RASMUSSEN GLACIER BUT IT TAKES STILL HALF DAY TO ARRIVE CLOSE AS IN THIS CLEAR AIR EVERYTHING SEEMS MUCH CLOSER THAN IT IS.

ON THE ICE

AT THE BASE OF THE GLACIER WE LOST HALF DAY PREPARING THE EQUIPMENT NEEDED ON THE ICE AND HIDING THE REST. FINDING THE RIGHT WAY ONTO THE GLACIER ITSELF WAS NOT SO EASY AS IT WAS VERY RUGGED. BUT ONCE WE REACHED SAFELY THE MIDDLE OF THE GLACIER WE WERE OUT THE MOST CREVASSED AREA AND PROCEEDING WAS MUCH QUICKER, AS WE HAD NEARLY 20 HOURS OF LIGHT WE COULD MOVE EASILY UNTIL LATE IN THE NIGHT.

WE SPENT THE NEXT FEW DAYS EXPLORING AND SURVEYING THE GLACIER (I FELL ALSO IN A CREVASSE, BUT BEING QUITE HEAVY, GOT STUCKED WITH MY BEHIND AFTER A 1-2 METERS) AND FERRYING ALL THE EQUIPMENT FROM THE SEA UP ON THE ICE. THE FOURTH DAY WE STARTED THE REAL EXPLORATION IN SOME ICECAVES ON THE HIGHEST POINT REACHED ON THE GLACIER (750 METERS A.S.L.)

THE PROBLEM WAS THAT WE HAD GOOD AND WARM WEATHER FOR SEVERAL DAYS SO THE INFLOW INTO THE CAVES WAS ABOUT 500LT/H TO BIG TO DESCEND SAFELY, WE TRIED TO DESCEND SEVERAL LATERAL CREVASSES BUT WERE NEVER ABLE TO REACH THE MAIN CAVITY.

QUITE DISAPPOINTED WE CHANGED TO ANOTHER AREA, HERE IT WAS THE SAME PROBLEM. WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. GIVE UP CAVE EXPLORATION AND ENJOY SOME MORE DAYS WITH THE KAYAK OR SEARCH FOR SUITABLE CAVES, UNTIL THIS MOMENT WE NEVER WENT FURTHER DOWN THAN 35 METERS. ONE MORNING, AFTER A SAD DINNER AND A VERY COLD NIGHT, ALESSIO DISCOVERED THAT ONE OF THE BIGGEST HOLES WAS DRY. IMMEDIATELY WE PREPARED FOR DESCEND. MARCO AND IGOR WENT DOWN AND REACHED THE END OF THE ROPES (APROX. 80 METERS) AND THE CAVITY WAS STILL GOING DOWN VERTICALLY. THE AFTERNOON WE WENT TO FETCH MORE ROPES, WHICH WERE IN A LOWER BASE CAMP. NEXT DAY ALESSIO AND ME DESCENDED QUICKLY TO 160 METERS, WHICH IS THE THIRD DEEPEST ICECAVE IN THE WORLD EVER EXPLORED. JUBILANT WE CALLED THE CAVITY MAKAROTA.

IN THE NEXT DAYS WE EXPLORED OTHER MINOR CAVITIES AND ANOTHER BIG ONE (130 METERS DEEP) WHICH WE CALLED 'TAKUL' THIS LAST ONE HAD INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL AND TRANSPARENT ICE.

VERY SATISFIED WE DISMANTLED OUR CAMP AND STARTED THE LONG TRIP BACK.

AFTER A LONG MARCH WITH BACKPACKS OVER 40 KG WE REACHED THE SEA AGAIN, AFTER 11 DAYS ON THE ICE IT WAS A GREAT SENSATION TO SIT DOWN ON THE MOSS.

ON THE WAY BACK

WHILE WE WERE ASSEMBLING THE BOATS, SUDDENLY, A HUGE BLOCK OF ICE, ABOUT A 150 METERS LONG, BROKE AWAY FROM THE GLACIER. AT FIRST WE GRASPED OUR CAMERAS TO SHOOT PICTURES, UNTIL WE REALIZED THAT THE BLOCK CREATED A HUGE FLOODWAVE WHICH WAS MENACING TO CARRY AWAY OUR EQUIPMENT STREWN NEAR THE BEACH. IN THE 50 SECONDS LEFT WE WERE ABLE TO THROW EVERYTHING SOME METERS HIGHER, EXCEPT THE PADDLES WHICH WE FORGOT. THEY WERE CARRIED AWAY IN A FEW SECONDS.

WITHOUT PADDLES WE WOULD HAVE BEEN STOCKED. SO IN FIRST MOMENT WE TRIED TO REASSEMBLE THE BOATS, WE THOUGHT TO ROW WITH THE SKIERS. BUT THE ICE FROM THE GLACIER FORMED IN A FEW MINUTES A SOLID BLOCK OF ICE WHICH EXTENDED IN FRONT OF US FOR ABOUT 6 sq. Km. THE PADDLES WERE CARRIED TOWARDS THE OPEN SEA, SO WE DID THE ONLY THING WE COULD DO, I GOT INTO MY DRYSUITS AND, WITH A ROPE AROUND MY WAIST, JUMPED INTO THE WATER MIXED WITH BIG ICEBLOCKS WHICH CRASHED AGAINST EACH OTHER.

AFTER A WHILE IN THIS DANGEROUS SEE I WAS ABLE TO RETRIEVE ALL THE PADDLES EXCEPT ONE OF OUR TWO SPARE PADDLES.

NOW WE HAD TO PULL OUT AGAIN THE HATED RUCKSACKS AND CARRY ALL OUR GEAR A COUPLE OF KM DOWN THE FJORD, WHERE WE FIND FINALLY OPEN WATER. WE DECIDE TO RETURN VIA THE OPEN SEA, MORE DANGEROUS BUT ALSO FASCINATING AS THE SEA IS STREWN WITH THE HUGE, TABULAR ICEBERGS COMING DIRECTLY FROM THE PACK.

WE ARE NOT IN A HURRY AS WE ARE A DAY AHEAD ON OUR SCHEDULE SO WE TAKE IT VERY EASY FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THIS TRIP. WE STOP AT AROUND 3 O'CLOCK ON SOME NICE BEACH AND SPEND THE AFTERNOON RELAXING AND WANDERING AROUND. AS WE ARE ONLY 20KM AWAY FROM THE AIRPORT A STRONG WIND PICKS UP AND IT STARTS RAINING HEAVILY, FORTUNATELY WE FIND A SHELTER, USED PROBABLY FOR HUNTING PURPOSES, WHERE WE TAKE REFUGE. OVER NIGHT THE WIND BECOMES A STORM AND WE DECIDE TO REST FOR THE DAY IN THE HUT. AT THE BEGINNING WE WERE HAPPY REST FOR A WHOLE DAY, BUT AS THE DAY DRAWS ALONG WE'RE GETTING IMPATIENT AND BORED AND CAN'T WAIT TO RESUME PADDLING. AT 5 O'CLOCK THE NEXT MORNING IT SEEMS THAT THE WIND HAS CALMED DOWN A BIT. IN LESS THAN AN HOUR WE ARE READY, THE WIND IS PICKING UP AGAIN, WHEN WE EXIT THE RELATIVELY SHELTERED FJORD THE HUGE ATLANTIC WAVES MIXES WITH THE WIND CREATED ONES, FORMING BIG IRREGULAR WAVES WHICH SEEM TO ATTACK FROM EVERY DIRECTION. WE ARE SCARED.

FORTUNATELY WE ENTER SOON IN A LITTLE FJORD WHICH LEADS DIRECTLY TO THE AIRPORT. THE WIND IS REACHING ORKAN STRENGTH BUT COMES FROM BEHIND, TO COVER THE LAST FEW KM WE DON'T EVEN TOUCH THE PADDLES. WHEN WE ARRIVE ON THE BEACH  WE TAKE SHELTER IN A BROKEN CONTAINER, WAITING FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE WEATHER. AT 8 O'CLOCK WE ADAPT TO SPEND THE NIGHT IN THE CONTAINER. WE FIND LITTLE SLEEP AS THE WIND IS IS BEATING ONTO THE CONTAINER LIKE ON A DRUM. NEXT MORNING HOWEVER THE WIND HAS SUBSIDED AND WE REACH THE AIRPORT.

AFTER PREPARING OUR EQUIPMENT AS CARGO FREIGHT WE INDULGE IN THE BATHROOM OF THE AIRPORT WHERE WE HAVE EVEN WARM WATER!

ON THE PLANE, AFTER LOCKING AT OUR FACES, THE HOSTESS GIVES, SMILING, EACH OF US A DOUBLE MEAL.

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