It is now mid August and we are all repeatedly amazed at the speed with which the expedition has progressed. Time flies when you are having fun – and that is certainly the case for the whole expedition. As three fires will spend the next few days completing their science work one fire (Kuuk / Fluviology) are completing their time on the ice. On August 17th all fires will return to base camp for a cleaning and organising frenzy before starting the journey home. However, there is some time to pass before then and all of the fires have a busy schedule between now and August 17th. From my own perspective (as the chief leader) I have been thoroughly impressed with the young explorers and the way they have embraced the culture of the expedition and all of the learning opportunities presented to them. The young explorers have been a credit to themselves, families and friends and I suspect when they return will see the world and their lives in very different ways. Of course, all of this has happened as a result of the long and rich history of the society and of a dedicated leader team whom I am honoured to work with. All of these people have not only volunteered their time but have paid to be here during the summer. Of course, we (leaders and YE’s) are all eternally grateful for the support (in all ways shapes and forms) from people who have enabled us to be here. This speaks volumes regarding their commitment to learning in experiential ways in wild environments. Following is the text from Isuma (social science) fire who have just returned from a challenging time on the Greenland Ice cap.
The mountaineering section of our expedition began with the training of the fire. Rope work and knots were the primary aspect learnt on day one of the mountaineering stage with the whole fire becoming familiar with the main kit. Day two allowed the whole fire to try out the new kit on the snow, ably led by the chief mountaineer ‘Apricot’ Johannes. Here we learned ice axe arrest and self belay. The time on the snow was thoroughly enjoyable for the whole fire. Day three allowed the fire to travel on to the ice. Crampons, ice axes, harnesses, helmets and rope all at the ready. The fire learnt how to travel safely on the ice and how to respond if the worst happened. Crevasse rescue perfected, we made ready for adventure and were raring to go!
As this expedition would classify as part of our Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold award, all the YEs got together to plan out our own expedition. Our aim was to travel up glacier ‘three’ to the top of the ‘finger’; a really steep narrow and relatively unknown part of the glacier!
After a rest day we got up at 0500hrs and set off. The early start was necessary to make the most of the morning before the sun made the snow and ice to slushy. We had a great, though quite demanding trek and set up camp at the top of the finger. Putting up tents on rocky ground, surrounded by snow and hampered by a strong wind was quite an experience! We had decided to leave a tent behind to save weight, so we squashed four people into each three man tent. This resulted in quite a cramped, but cosy night for us all!
On Sunday we set off to climb one of the ridges next to the glacier and got to the 1339m summit. Even though the weather was not great, the view from the top was breathtaking. We could all see all the way to Tasermiut fjord on one side and further up the Greenland ice cap on the other side. We had fun playing in the snow and sliding down the hill, but it was nice to get back into the warm and dry tents! Everyone went to bed very early as we had planned a 0300hrs start. The wind picked up during the night though and the mist came down delaying our departure by nine hours! We spent a long morning waiting around in our tents until Johannes gave us the go ahead at midday.
The journey back down to MBC was quite steep and scary in parts, though it was exciting to see some amazing crevasses. We all set a good pace and got back to our campsite in the early evening, tired but happy after an exciting and adventurous expedition on the ice!
For our science we are looking at aspects of teamwork, group management, leadership and communication! We are split in to four groups and each one looks at one of the relevant topics. We are going to visit each individual fire and give them two tasks to carry out. One of these tasks is to stand on a rope which represents a very thin ridge and for them to reorganise themselves according to a give criteria, without falling of the ridge. The other is a selective task, where the group have to select 5 out of 20 (mountaineering equipment and stores) items that they would take with them if stranded on the mountains and had to get base camp. Finally, we observe them at a meal time to give an outline of the fires group dynamics. Our project looks at two main ideas, group dynamics and individual change
Friday, 14 August 2009
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
New Photos Added
New photos just added to the BSES Flickr account. Click on the slide show on the right to view them.
Monday, 10 August 2009
10 August 09
The most significant part of this latest missive is, as it should be, the writings of the YEs – in this case Qaqqaq (Geology) Fire. It captures the sense of fun and adventure but don’t be mislead into thinking that this is merely some outdoor camping experience that revolves around snowball fights and singsongs – important as these activities are, they are only a part of the total experience. Qaqqaq have also highlighted the teaching and learning of skills that allow safe participation in exploring glaciers and mountains. What perhaps is less obvious from their writings is how they have been living and reflecting on the BSES virtues. Of course we all hope that some of them will return to glaciers and mountains in the future (and no harm is they don’t) but it is the virtues that we hope they will all keep reflecting on and thinking about as they develop the sense of direction and purpose for their lives.
(If you are left wondering what these virtues are then there are more details on the BSES website but briefly there are nine; curiosity, courage, exploration, experimentation, imagination, discipline, inspiration, sociability and thoughtfulness. They are complimented by nine skills. Equally applicable are the Army’s six core values; courage, discipline, respect, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment. These values are applicable to all but especially the element of junior soldiers from the Army foundation college at Harrogate.)
Over the last ten days the Qaqqaq fire have bee enjoying the adventure phase of the expedition. The first couple of days consisted of getting equipment and stores to the very scenic mountain base camp which is situated near the base of a waterfall where three glacier valleys meet. The group were also very pleased to welcome Ben to the Fjord having recovered from illness in the UK.
To entertain ourselves during the walk to mountain base camp the ‘Qaqqaq Choir’ performed some (pretty bad) renditions of Queen and Abba.
The following days consisted of glacier and mountaineering training including lessons on ice axe arrest, rope work (tying into the rope system and travelling on the rope), training to walk with crampons and practicing crevasse rescues. The group grasped the new skills quickly and it was soon time to decide on where our adventurous expedition would take place. We decided to spend one of our expedition days exploring a valley which had not yet been explored by anyone from BSES. We managed to find two picturesque glacial lakes (one of which wasn’t on the map) with beautifully deep blue water and mountainous surroundings. At the back of the valley the group found an ideal snow slope for a YE vs. Leaders snow ball fight! Great fun and the only thing damaged were a few of the leaders egos! (I must interject and raise an important fact; at one point the YE’s raised the white flag in surrender but then raised a counter attack to free the three captured YE’s……written by an impartial observer). For the remaining three days of the adventure expedition the group decided to travel up the side of the waterfall to one of the three glaciers that feed into the river at mountain base camp. Some of the group tried to ‘eat’ small pieces of the glacier, Lee stated “that is the freshest water you could drink” to which he got the reply “Yeah and its probably a few thousand years old” from Andy Rockall our mountaineering leader.
After the first day on the glacier we found a small ledge just large enough to fit six tents on the rock face about 50m above the glacier. The views up and down the valley were spectacular.
From our new campsite the group decided to climb the two nearest peaks with heights of 1233m and 1240m. We Had great fun getting to the peaks and when we got there the views were the most spectacular of the whole expedition. From the first peak (1240m) which was the furthest from the Tassermiut fjord, we were able to see the vast stretches of glaciers and mountains which continued hundreds of miles north on to the polar plateau that makes up the remainder of Greenland. From the second peak which was closer to Tassermiut fjord we were able to see across the fjord to the expedition base camp and along the fjord to where it meets the snout of other glaciers. A few of the more daring of the group enjoyed peeking out over the edge of a ledge sticking out from the summit which was 1000m vertically above the glacier.
After taking hundreds of photographs we returned to our camp site having enjoyed one of the best days of the expedition so far! Over the next couple of days the group returned through mountain base camp to the expedition base camp for a couple of days to change from expedition mode back into scientific mode for the final part of our science phase.
(If you are left wondering what these virtues are then there are more details on the BSES website but briefly there are nine; curiosity, courage, exploration, experimentation, imagination, discipline, inspiration, sociability and thoughtfulness. They are complimented by nine skills. Equally applicable are the Army’s six core values; courage, discipline, respect, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment. These values are applicable to all but especially the element of junior soldiers from the Army foundation college at Harrogate.)
Over the last ten days the Qaqqaq fire have bee enjoying the adventure phase of the expedition. The first couple of days consisted of getting equipment and stores to the very scenic mountain base camp which is situated near the base of a waterfall where three glacier valleys meet. The group were also very pleased to welcome Ben to the Fjord having recovered from illness in the UK.
To entertain ourselves during the walk to mountain base camp the ‘Qaqqaq Choir’ performed some (pretty bad) renditions of Queen and Abba.
The following days consisted of glacier and mountaineering training including lessons on ice axe arrest, rope work (tying into the rope system and travelling on the rope), training to walk with crampons and practicing crevasse rescues. The group grasped the new skills quickly and it was soon time to decide on where our adventurous expedition would take place. We decided to spend one of our expedition days exploring a valley which had not yet been explored by anyone from BSES. We managed to find two picturesque glacial lakes (one of which wasn’t on the map) with beautifully deep blue water and mountainous surroundings. At the back of the valley the group found an ideal snow slope for a YE vs. Leaders snow ball fight! Great fun and the only thing damaged were a few of the leaders egos! (I must interject and raise an important fact; at one point the YE’s raised the white flag in surrender but then raised a counter attack to free the three captured YE’s……written by an impartial observer). For the remaining three days of the adventure expedition the group decided to travel up the side of the waterfall to one of the three glaciers that feed into the river at mountain base camp. Some of the group tried to ‘eat’ small pieces of the glacier, Lee stated “that is the freshest water you could drink” to which he got the reply “Yeah and its probably a few thousand years old” from Andy Rockall our mountaineering leader.
After the first day on the glacier we found a small ledge just large enough to fit six tents on the rock face about 50m above the glacier. The views up and down the valley were spectacular.
From our new campsite the group decided to climb the two nearest peaks with heights of 1233m and 1240m. We Had great fun getting to the peaks and when we got there the views were the most spectacular of the whole expedition. From the first peak (1240m) which was the furthest from the Tassermiut fjord, we were able to see the vast stretches of glaciers and mountains which continued hundreds of miles north on to the polar plateau that makes up the remainder of Greenland. From the second peak which was closer to Tassermiut fjord we were able to see across the fjord to the expedition base camp and along the fjord to where it meets the snout of other glaciers. A few of the more daring of the group enjoyed peeking out over the edge of a ledge sticking out from the summit which was 1000m vertically above the glacier.
After taking hundreds of photographs we returned to our camp site having enjoyed one of the best days of the expedition so far! Over the next couple of days the group returned through mountain base camp to the expedition base camp for a couple of days to change from expedition mode back into scientific mode for the final part of our science phase.
Sunday, 9 August 2009
8 August 09
Life in Tasermiut Fjord has settled into a routine and it’s a stark reality that we are now more than half way through our stay. But routine is what we strive to leave behind as we continue to explore our own and Greenland’s boundaries. The later is well under way with an equal number of fires through their science and adventure programmes. The exploration of ourselves and each other continues and I don’t think that there is anyone who hasn’t recognised change in themselves and each other. These changes are divided into skills and virtues as defined in the BSES ethos and leadership model (for more detail see the BSES and expedition websites). There are nine of each and broadly the skills reflect the learning that is pertinent to us living here or on expeditions in general. The virtues reflect the attributes of character that are brought into sharper focus here in our simplified life devoid of the distractions.
Below is an account of life on the mountain from the Ghostbusters fire…….
On the 26th July we caught a boat across the serenely calm fjord to begin the trek up to Mountain Base Camp (MBC). After a lengthy 7 hour trek, including a hearty lunch and restful nap we finally arrived at our destination, ready to start the mountaineering training in various skills and techniques. The following day we walked about 3hours across a boulder field. On the other side of the boulder field was a perfect training slope for ice travel techniques, including the ice axe arrest ( a method of using an ice axe to slow and stop your fall when on steep snow and ice). At the end of the day we retuned to MBC and were rewarded with a mean boil in the bag meal. The next day we scrambled up to ‘glacier 3’, as we have named it, and resumed ice training. This time we learnt about crevasse rescue and crampon techniques. Alas, during the crevasse rescue training Josh Rhodes managed to defy the laws of physics and extract a ‘deadman’ (a metal plate with a wire strop attached which is buried in the snow to act as an anchor if belays positions are required) from a snow slope using only his body and whatever he had for breakfast that morning, however after further training we could all place a ‘bomb proof’ anchor which could be used to hold any fall if it was ever required.
The day of our expedition onto the glacier arrived in all its glory, and we set off up the steep scree slope until we reached the fixed lines the mountaineering leaders had previously set up. It was interesting to note that at some locations the lines were attached to iron pegs, placed there by the BSES 1997 expedition and which could not be removed without causing more damage. After reaching the glacier snout and roping up into teams we trudged ever higher up the ice until we reached our campsite for the night. Although gravel covered ice doesn’t sound very comfortable , most of us chose to bivi out while only five YE’s slept in tents. The next day we woke to a very strong and bitterly cold wind, yet we resolutely packed up camp and headed out up the glacier. Despite our intentions to reach the base of the next mountain the weather thwarted us as we were forced to trek across a crevasse field to reach shelter from what turned out to be a storm force wind. We found an old campsite complete with a wall as a wind break and competed against the wind and cold to pitch our tents.
After a very cramped night with four in a tent we summited 2 peaks which provided us with stunning views across the surrounding area. On 2nd August we had a 4 am start to get off the glacier whilst the ice and snow was still firm enough to walk on, after scrambling over boulders and sliding down scree we reached MBC after 5 hours and spent the rest of the day sunbathing, washing, sorting out kit and equipment and geneally relaxing, so our early start paid off! We were sad to see the last of our dehydrated ration packs which we were using for the mountaineering phase, as they contained meat in some form or another (apart from Kats vegiterean ration packs). Exhausted afgter our early start we were early to bed in preparatioin for the next days walking back to base camp.
Surprisingly the trial started 5 minutes in, when it took us half an hour to find a suitable crossing point over the 5 foot wide river which had swollen because of the increase in melt water flowing from the glacier we had crossed the day before. Thankfully we soon made up the time and did the walk in a speedy 2 hours. Setting aside half an hour to look for Pippa’s camera paid off, as one of our fire leaders, Jeff eventually found it. We eventually made it back to base camp and began a feeding frenzy to satisfy 8 days worth of munchies.
Below is an account of life on the mountain from the Ghostbusters fire…….
On the 26th July we caught a boat across the serenely calm fjord to begin the trek up to Mountain Base Camp (MBC). After a lengthy 7 hour trek, including a hearty lunch and restful nap we finally arrived at our destination, ready to start the mountaineering training in various skills and techniques. The following day we walked about 3hours across a boulder field. On the other side of the boulder field was a perfect training slope for ice travel techniques, including the ice axe arrest ( a method of using an ice axe to slow and stop your fall when on steep snow and ice). At the end of the day we retuned to MBC and were rewarded with a mean boil in the bag meal. The next day we scrambled up to ‘glacier 3’, as we have named it, and resumed ice training. This time we learnt about crevasse rescue and crampon techniques. Alas, during the crevasse rescue training Josh Rhodes managed to defy the laws of physics and extract a ‘deadman’ (a metal plate with a wire strop attached which is buried in the snow to act as an anchor if belays positions are required) from a snow slope using only his body and whatever he had for breakfast that morning, however after further training we could all place a ‘bomb proof’ anchor which could be used to hold any fall if it was ever required.
The day of our expedition onto the glacier arrived in all its glory, and we set off up the steep scree slope until we reached the fixed lines the mountaineering leaders had previously set up. It was interesting to note that at some locations the lines were attached to iron pegs, placed there by the BSES 1997 expedition and which could not be removed without causing more damage. After reaching the glacier snout and roping up into teams we trudged ever higher up the ice until we reached our campsite for the night. Although gravel covered ice doesn’t sound very comfortable , most of us chose to bivi out while only five YE’s slept in tents. The next day we woke to a very strong and bitterly cold wind, yet we resolutely packed up camp and headed out up the glacier. Despite our intentions to reach the base of the next mountain the weather thwarted us as we were forced to trek across a crevasse field to reach shelter from what turned out to be a storm force wind. We found an old campsite complete with a wall as a wind break and competed against the wind and cold to pitch our tents.
After a very cramped night with four in a tent we summited 2 peaks which provided us with stunning views across the surrounding area. On 2nd August we had a 4 am start to get off the glacier whilst the ice and snow was still firm enough to walk on, after scrambling over boulders and sliding down scree we reached MBC after 5 hours and spent the rest of the day sunbathing, washing, sorting out kit and equipment and geneally relaxing, so our early start paid off! We were sad to see the last of our dehydrated ration packs which we were using for the mountaineering phase, as they contained meat in some form or another (apart from Kats vegiterean ration packs). Exhausted afgter our early start we were early to bed in preparatioin for the next days walking back to base camp.
Surprisingly the trial started 5 minutes in, when it took us half an hour to find a suitable crossing point over the 5 foot wide river which had swollen because of the increase in melt water flowing from the glacier we had crossed the day before. Thankfully we soon made up the time and did the walk in a speedy 2 hours. Setting aside half an hour to look for Pippa’s camera paid off, as one of our fire leaders, Jeff eventually found it. We eventually made it back to base camp and began a feeding frenzy to satisfy 8 days worth of munchies.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
