We started from Isertoq, a small settlement at the Eastern Side of this big island. I went the first 40 km togehter with an arctic traveller from Berlin.
After the crevasse covered belt was over, we reached the big icecape covered with snow. Here, we ordered our equipment and after three days we parted in different directions. My comrade went back to the coast, and I went on, direction West.
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Sun wind and my sledge were always with me. Every step was a step ahead, a step closer to Kangerlussuaq on the other side of the island. After about two weeks a strong wind was soon stronger and stronger, and in the end a storm developed, which made me a prisoner of my tent. What first looked like a normal strong breeze, got later to the brute force of a Piteraq famous ffor its strong fall winds. During only one night the wind destroyed the tent. Attempting to build an igloo I had to find out soon that the snow quality was too bad for that close to the campsite. My aluminium snow shovel broke, and I continued with a cooking pot. I couldnt use it otherwise anyway, because I had no windproof place to cook somewhere. Six of my fingers showed first signs of frostbite.
I got the following options: either I tried to reach the about 180 km away coastline whatever it costs, sleeping in or under my sledge or I would try my Rescue System, a Satellite Beacon. After thinking quite a lot, I decided to give the Satellite beacon a try first. That was quite a heavy decision for me, then it is not easy to ask for help, and to maybe bring SAR forces into problems, only because I could loose some fingers and more. Anyhow, the following hours I waited covered in my sleeping bag, and around that the busted tent. After eight hours, a LearJet of the danish airforce dropped a note, saying in English and in German that I should stay where I am, since a helicopter will come and pick me up. ..
In the end, I flew back to life with head down, but terribly happy. I owe my life to the personnel of the danish SAR forces and to the SARSAT system.
In the polar areas the law is still true that for nature it does not matter if you adapt or not. Out of even the smallest error could grow a big problem and dreamers do not have a place in such environments. I have sneaked around the cold gruft just about, but 30 years earlier, without the modern technologies, I would naybe not have been able to survive, and learn of my errors. |
ColibriVentura 
