Dates for Camp Ice Cap in 2012
(if these dates do not suit you, please write to us and ask for alternative periods)
February 2012
17/2 Friday
18/2 Saturday
24/2 Friday
25/2 Saturday
March 2012
2/3 Friday
3/3 Saturday
9/3 Friday
10/3 Saturday
16/3 Friday
17/3 Saturday
23/3 Friday
23/4 Saturday
30/3 Friday
31/3 Saturday
June 2012
5/6 Tuesday
9/6 Saturday
12/6 Tuesday
16/6 Saturday
19/6 Tuesday
23/6 Saturday
26/6 Tuesday
30/6 Saturday
July 2012
3/7 Tuesday
7/7 Saturday
10/7 Tuesday
14/7 Saturday
17/7 Tuesday
21/7 Saturday
24/7 Tuesday
28/7 Saturday
31/7 Tuesday
August 2012
4/8 Saturday
7/8 Tuesday
11/8 Saturday
14/8 Tuesday
21/8 Tuesday
25/8 Saturday
28/8 Tuesday
Following the great success in 2011, we will offer more and improved trips to this amazing area both winter and summer in 2012.
Included in the price - Transport from Kangerlussuaq to the Ice Cap r/t. - All equipment incl. tent, sleeping bag, crampons, hiking poles - Basic toilet facilities - Full board and drink - Experienced guide & safety equipment
What to bring - Hiking boots; we are using crampons, so shoes are not sufficient - Min. 40 liters back pack (can be rented, 100 DKK) - Water bottle - Sun block & sunglasses - Wind- and water proof jacket & trousers - Long thermal underwear - Woolen hat & gloves - Personal items
Itinerary for Camp Ice Cap
Experience the great outdoor adventure for both children and adults on the Greenland Ice Cap. Imagine a clear blue sky where the rays of the midnight sun is reflected by the ice and the crystal blue ice lakes – this is where you will be hiking and spend the night. While you are admiring the breathtaking landscape with blue and white colours, valleys, melt water lakes and glacial rivers, you are enjoying a cup of hot coffee or chocolate. When the midnight sun is closest to the horizon we snuggle up in our warm sleeping bags still processing the fantastic impressions of the first day on the Ice Cap!
We fly into Greenland to the town of Kangerlussuaq 670N (Søndre Strømfjord) just north of the Polar Circle. We drive from town through tundra and moraine valleys to the immense Greenlandic Ice Cap that rises 3000 m high, only exceeded by Antarctica. Enroute to the Ice Cap we might spot musk ox, arctic fox, Greenlandic reindeer and if we are very lucky the peregrine falcon. Meanwhile we are enjoying some of the worlds’ most beautiful glacier and moraine landscapes – very characteristic of the area.
The Ice Cap is an extreme environment, but the area where we will be walking is relatively flat and completely stable. The equipment we use is designed for the harshest conditions although the weather is usually very stable during the Summer season. That is why it is a 2 day uncomplicated "expedition" on the Inland Ice with an overnight in Camp Ice Cap. No doubt that it is an opportunity to experience a unique and "different world" on the ice.
Day 1
We meet at Polar Lodge in Kangerlussuaq around noon and the guide will go through the equipment and prepare you for this exciting experience. We drive in our 4WD vehicle to Point 660 c. 37 km east of town. Point 660 is our starting point for the Ice Cap ‘mini-expedition’.
We put on the back pack and head out on the ice. If it’s slippery we wear crampons and use our hiking poles, but usually we don’t need this equipment. Heading off in an easterly direction gives us c. 2 hours of hiking, while we begin to understand what fascinated explorers to cross the Ice Cap.
After we have arrived and moved into our tents, we will treat ourselves with coffee, tea and something sweet. There will be a "toilet tent" with basic facilities. If the weather permits, we will do a smaller evening hike and enjoy the adventure that unfolds around us. Don’t forget your camera; the Ice Cap combined with the light from the midnight sun make breath taking sceneries!
Late evening we will prepare our "Travel Lunch" dinner, a surprisingly good freeze dried pre-made meal, where you only add hot water. According to Greenlandic tradition we gather in our large mess tent and share anecdotes. After many impressions, we deserve a good nights sleep in our comfortable & warm sleeping bags.
Day 2
A new and exciting day on the Ice Cap awaits us. After breakfast in the mess tent it's time to venture out and explore the ice sculptured landscape. Our hike today will – depending on weather - take us towards the Russell Glacier. On our way across the ice fields we will see the many clear melt water streams that are created each year on the Inland Ice during Summer.
As we get closer to the Russell Glacier we will be able to get an impression of the huge crevasses’ (at a safe distance) that eventually creates the calving glacier. We will bring our crampons and hiking poles, we do not use rope, since we stay on safe terrain during the entire hike.
Lunch is enjoyed on the hike or in camp depending on weather conditions. In the afternoon we pack up our camp and head back to the mountainside, where our vehicle waits for us. We are back in Kangerlussuaq early in the evening.
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