Every sightline between Constable Point and Summit–the Greenland coast and the dome of the ice sheet–reveals a world of ice. But even in the ocean-like expanses of the ice sheet, an amazing diversity of textures exists. Both the motion of glacial ice pressing seaward over the underlying terrain, and the action of wind-blown ice particles […]

As on the mornings before, we met at the hotel breakfast buffet to eat cold cuts and cheese, dark bread with icelandic butter, skyr yoghurt, cucumbers. A few folks, gone native, were wolfing down pickled herring and squeeze-tube caviar. A good weather forecast had come in, and as evidence of our optimism, the table was […]

After a week of wandering Akureyri, Iceland and waiting on the weather, our crew received the go-ahead call from the Norlandair pilots, and boarded Twin Otters to fly across the Denmark Strait and up to Summit. The trip traversed several hours of cold ocean, an imposing landscape on the Greenland coast, and finally began to […]

With strong winds and low visibility impeding our travel onward, we’ve now spent an extra four days in Akureyri. Folks wander to the breakfast room each morning before dawn, to wake up, eat pickled herring and skyr yoghurt, and assess the weather. Around 8 am, conversation usually hits a lull, as thoughts turn to Tracy’s […]

From the warmth and comfort of a hotel room in Akureyri, Iceland, I’m staring at my pile of cold-weather gear. Heavy bibs, balaclava, leather mitts. Rugged, well-insulated, reassuring. But I’m also glancing over at a weather report that shows a temperature of –44°C and winds of 15 knots. The report is from Summit Camp, a […]