nature

  • Skiing Through It

    Valentine’s Day has always mattered to Elaine and I. At this point it feels like superstition, but more than that it’s a way of marking time. Doing something together. Something intentional. And if there is a better way to spend… Continue reading

    Skiing Through It
  • Greenland Crossing Day 21 – Fire and Light

    September 4 – 21 km, camped at 7,169 feet It rained through the morning. Not the dramatic sideways storms of previous days. Just steady soaking rain. The kind nobody loves skiing in, especially twenty-one days into a Greenland Ice Sheet… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 21 – Fire and Light
  • Greenland Crossing Day 18 – Sunshine on the Plateau

    September 1 – 24 km Happy September 1st. The sun has been a rare commodity lately, and when it finally appeared this morning it lifted the entire icecap with it. The day still began bitter cold, as the summit area… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 18 – Sunshine on the Plateau
  • Greenland Crossing Day 15 – When Systems Fail

    August 29. 13 km. Camped early in severe wind. The day began badly and never recovered. A strong east wind hammered the icecap the moment we stepped outside the tents. Snow streamed sideways and visibility collapsed. Early on, my sled… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 15 – When Systems Fail
  • Greenland Crossing Day 14 – Under Pressure

    August 28. 21 km, 274 feet of climbing. Camped at 7,686 feet. The day opened already in motion. Wind pressed at our backs, snow streamed low across the surface, and visibility shifted minute by minute. It wasn’t a sudden change… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 14 – Under Pressure
  • Greenland Crossing Day 13 – Into the Light

    August 27. 18.7 km, nearly 500 feet of climbing. The day began in white. Not dramatic whiteout, not storm-driven, just the familiar absence of contrast that has come to define travel out here. Elaine and I took the first lead… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 13 – Into the Light
  • Greenland Crossing Day 12 – White Space

    August 26. 19.4 km, ~200 feet of climbing. Camped just under 7,000 feet. The day started well enough. We marked Arjen’s birthday in the morning with small cakes pulled from sleds, a brief pause for something sweet and human before… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 12 – White Space
  • Greenland Crossing Day 10 – Into the Long Interior

    August 24. 10 km, 20 feet of climbing. Camped at 6,514 feet. We spent the morning still. The wind had blown steadily through the night, straight out of the north, not especially cold by the numbers but sharp enough to… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 10 – Into the Long Interior
  • Greenland Crossing Day 8 – Holding the Line

    August 22. 17.6 km, 502 feet of climbing. Camped at 5,935 feet.113 kilometers from the shore of the Irminger Sea. We woke to the aftermath of wind. Drifts had piled against the tent overnight, sculpted and dense, a familiar sight… Continue reading

    Greenland Crossing Day 8 – Holding the Line