Beyond the Edge: Accounts of Historic, Significant, and Little-Known Expeditions on the Greenland Ice Cap: Beyond the Edge, #2

By Gerald Johnson

In the 1870s, maps of Greenland were incomplete, and the interior was a blank space. Was there ice from coast to coast, or was there land somewhere in the middle? Did, or could, anything live there? Neither explorers nor local inhabitants had yet ventured beyond the coast.

 

Then, in 1876, the Danish government began a series of expeditions to answer the question of what lay inland from Greenland's coast, setting off more than a century of Ice Cap investigations to explore this mysterious and strategically valuable piece of land. And while the characteristics of the expeditions may have changed over time, each trip had its own significance and offered its own revelations.

 

The intrepid explorers leading these expeditions had different motivations: exploration, national pride, fame, or the satisfaction of setting foot on virgin soil. Many did not return alive, but those who did brought back a collection of fascinating adventure stories. The selections in this volume include just a few of these accounts, but they give the reader an insight into the men who made these remarkable journeys.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Traction Books
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781735085777

Book preview

PREFACE

THE IMPETUS FOR THIS BOOK came from two sources: the editor’s own experience on the Greenland Ice Cap, and a realization that expeditions of this kind are becoming a thing of the past. It is still possible to visit the Ice Cap, but modern technology has taken away much of the adventure associated with such a trip. The raw beauty is still there, but that too is dissipating as a result of the yet unknown impact of climate change. What follows are first hand accounts of explorers, who like the author, discovered that traveling on the Ice Cap is an experience that is matched in few other places on the planet.

The translation from Danish of J.A.D. Jensen’s expedition (Chapter1) was done by Dorte Søndegaard. Julie, Amy, and Cheryl gave unselfishly of their time and editing talent. The maps and photographs are the work of Evan at Ellida Productions.

The accounts are taken from the published works of the individual authors, but any errors in the transcriptions are those of the author.

INTRODUCTION

A 1794 MAP TITLED, "NORTH Pole and all the countries hitherto Discovered… drawn by Emanuel Bowen, Geographer to his Majesty King George II, shows an incomplete Greenland: the north coast is nonexistent, a few coastal features are identified, and the interior is blank. The description on the map reads, Greenland: Ice & Mountains cover’d with Snow. Slowly over the next century, explorers began mapping the coastal areas, but until 1878 the interior remained blank. The selections in this book chronicle the way much of this empty space began to be filled in. These stories span one hundred years of expeditions on the Greenland Ice Cap—from a time when little was known until a time when technology began to supplement dogs and skis and more of the interior was hitherto Discovered."

Every day hundreds of planes cross the North Atlantic Ocean between the United States and Europe. A great circle route takes many of them over the southern tip of Greenland, and if the weather is clear, it is possible to glimpse the Ice Cap. What is not possible from the air is to grasp the enormity of Greenland. From its southern tip Greenland extends some 1430 nautical miles (n.m.) north to Cape Morris Jesup, which lies only 380 n.m. from the North Pole.

The simplest way to envision the Ice Cap is to picture Greenland encircled by coastal mountains, and contained within this ring is an enormous basin (some 80% of Greenland) filled with ice and snow. Over millions of years this vast depression has accumulated an annual snow fall that did not melt, and as the snow built up, the increasing weight turned the lower layers to ice. In the center this ice reaches a thickness of more than two miles. Under immense pressure the ice begins to flow outward, forcing itself past the mountains to the coast. The moving ice, glaciers, end up breaking off, or calving, into the sea, forming the thousands of icebergs that find their way south.

One of the Ice Cap’s most formidable features is its extreme weather. Early explorers, before the advent of specialized clothing, often found themselves at the mercy of extremely low temperatures—forty to fifty degrees below zero. When enhanced by the wind, the resulting conditions, even today, can quickly become life threatening. The Greenland Ice Cap (technically an ice sheet, and often referred to by writers as the inland ice or the ice cap) has some of the most forbidding terrain found on the surface of the earth. To venture on or across it is to undertake one of the world’s great traverses.

There have been hundreds of expeditions on or across the Ice Cap. Those selected herein are historic, significant, or little known. One is a first translation into English, two are told for the first time, and all are first-hand accounts. Readers with an interest in the Arctic will recognize such names as Nansen, Peary, Freuchen, Koch, and Steger. In addition to their Ice Cap ventures, these individuals gained fame from various Arctic undertakings, such as attempting to reach the North Pole, circumnavigating Greenland, or crossing the Arctic Ocean. Other names such as Jensen, Nordenskiöd, and Astrup may not be as familiar, but they also played an important role in the story. Later expeditions were often government sponsored and given code names: Northice, Lead Dog, Blue Trek, etc. They are also significant chapters of the Ice Cap narrative.

PART ONE

ACROSS THE ICE CAP BY BOOT, SKI AND PAW

HISTORICALLY, THE FIRST EXPEDITIONS ON the Ice Cap were almost always associated with one or two individuals who often spent years laying the groundwork for their expeditions. Their motives varied: for some it was adventure, for some it was a way to enhance their reputation, and for some it was a way to push back the unknown.

A successful expedition required hundreds of details that had to be worked out before reaching Greenland. Financing the expedition was one of the first, if not the first, item to be considered. In some instances governments could be persuaded that the results would be in the national interest. Another possibility involved finding wealthy patrons whose names might end up on prominent geographical features. Occasionally a public subscription provided some of the funds. Rarely was the individual’s personal wealth capable of financing the venture. (However, one of Peary’s early expeditions was financed by a $500 gift from his mother.)

A large expenditure of expedition funds was always needed to secure passage to Greenland. Prior to World War II this would have been by ship, chartered or purchased. In the case of a government supported expedition, the navy was often called upon to provide transportation.

During the early years obtaining official permission did not seem to be a problem. Frequently the expedition’s members just showed up on the Greenland coast with whatever supplies they needed and began their travels.

For food, the early expeditions sometimes expected to supplement their rations with the limited wildlife (musk oxen, hares, or birds) that might be found in some coastal areas along the way. More than one expedition was finally compelled to use their dogs as a source of food, killing and eating them one by one as other food supplies were exhausted.

One of the most critical decisions a leader had to make was his choice of traveling companions. A wrong choice could mean failure, no matter how exceptional the other decisions had been. Living in close quarters for an extended period of time under stressful conditions has doomed many a project, not just in the Arctic. Once the party was out on the ice there was no practical way of expelling a bad apple.

In the years covered by the following stories it is not always possible to discern how a leader put together his expedition, but in many cases it is possible to see the results of both the good and the poor decisions. Poor decisions often led to extreme hardships or even death.

Whatever their outcome, these expeditions were all voyages beyond the edge of the known world.

1

J.A.D. JENSEN, 1878

In the end it became a wild race and at five o’clock on the 24th of July, [1878] we all stood on solid ground on Nunatakken i."¹ A place where no man had ever been before."

IN 1876, THE DANISH GOVERNMENT instituted a series of investigations in Greenland, which were primarily geologic in nature. Up to this time, previous research had been limited to coastal areas, and there were no records of any expeditions onto the Ice Cap. An important goal of this new research was an exploration of what lay beyond the edge.

The first year’s expedition, headed by two geologists, was to make its way a short distance inland. It was to examine the coastal regions and see if it could find a suitable starting point for a subsequent expedition on a larger scale. It was stopped almost at the start when it encountered extremely rough ice and deep crevasses.

The following year a second expedition was sent out. It was instructed to again examine the coast and to attempt a limited foray onto the Ice Cap. The attempt to move inland was halted by bad weather which prevented any hope of success that year.

In 1878, a party under the command of Lieutenant J.A.D. Jensen, a Danish navel officer, met with better success. Jensen had previously participated in several geological expeditions along the Greenland coast. That, and his experience as a military officer, led Danish officials to appoint him as leader of the expedition. His name is relatively unknown in Arctic lore, and today he is remembered primarily for his discovery of several nunataks which were later named after him.

Jensen’s companions included a geologist, Kornerup; an architect, Groth; an Eskimo, Habakuk; and four other Eskimos who traveled only part way. On July 3rd the party made its way for some 35 nautical miles out onto the Ice Cap to an elevation of about 4,050 feet above sea level. The following day a big change in the weather and their limited food rations brought the expedition to a halt and they began the return trip.

What they accomplished is not particularly notable because of the limited geographic or scientific information obtained. What makes it of special interest to the Greenland saga is that it is the first recorded venture onto the Ice Cap. What follows is a translation of a portion of Jensen’s report of the expedition and is the first known version to appear in English.

The outcome of an expedition of course depends first and foremost that it is well prepared, and that the things which are to be used on the journey are easily available. It was important for us in particular to reduce the weight to a minimum. I decided that one large sled would not be appropriate, so I decided to carry the baggage on three smaller sleds. The distribution of baggage on these three sleds was so that a possible sinking of one of them would not put us in a helpless position.

The sleds, each weighing just over 20 lbs., were 5 feet long and 2¼ feet wide. They were built with great care in Copenhagen of special wood, were lashed together with copper belts, and were treated with an extraordinarily strong binder. Each of the sleds was intended to be drawn by one man.

Our provision of hard baked bread was stored in waterproof canvas bags. Hermetically preserved meat in tin cans, dry cereal, butter, tea, coffee, chocolate, and some brandy, all measured to be enough for three weeks. On top of that, we also brought plenty of tobacco and cigars. We planned to heat the food on a petroleum stove, which turned out to be useless after only a couple of days. Instead we had to use a small spirit stove that was brought only for emergency. Since we did not bring a large amount of spirits, our cooking was limited from then on. Our tent was just big enough for four men and some of our luggage. It was made of duck, and without poles and hooks, it weighed 19 lbs. Since you do not find rocks on the ice to secure the edge of the tent with, ours was made with a fastened floor. The floor was made of varnished duck to keep the moisture out. The weight of four of us was going to keep the tent in place. It was erected with the help of four poles with hooks at the bottom. The iron hooks were held in place with thin rope and could be chopped down into the ice. Our wool sleeping bags were covered with varnished duck, but we also had a thick rubber mat which we laid on the bottom of the tent, to help keep out moisture and cold. To help us get information for our observations we brought: a goniometer [a device for measuring angles] with a Stampfersk screw, two compasses, a pocket compass, a pocket sextant, an artificial horizon, two pocket chronometers, two Pitkin aneroid barometers, three thermometers, and a pair of binoculars.

We brought winter clothes and short fur coats and boots, like the hunters in Greenland wear. We covered the bottoms of the boots with ship rope to protect them against the rough surface of the ice. We also brought four pairs of skis and four pairs of snow shoes, like the ones the Canadians use, since we expected to have snow farther into the country. We brought some rope for safety, to be used during dangerous passages. Even though we included a rifle, an axe and a box of medical supplies, we were able to keep the total weight to 400 lbs.

After completing all our preparations we loaded the sledges with all our luggage and raised the tent to test it on the ice. It was the 13th of July and we were ready to start, but the weather did not look good. A bad rainstorm had us waiting until the next day. At noon of Sunday, July 14th, the rain stopped and we decided to start our venture. Since the first part was very steep, we had arranged with three Greenlanders to help us with the beginning of traveling on the ice. Habakuk, our leader from Greenland, was to accompany us the whole trip. However the other three men never showed up, but sent three women and a young fellow instead. We had to get another light tent and some food for them, since they showed up with nothing. At 2 o’clock we finally had everything for everybody, and our group started to move.

We headed out going south, in order to avoid a stretch of very rough ice. After a while we turned toward the east. We got a taste of what we were in for already that first day. Even though we were twice as many people as we would be in the future, and the ice was pretty passable, we had to stop every so often to take a rest. On top of that, things kept falling from the sledges, proving that we had not mastered tying everything down well enough. It was surprising to discover just how violently the sledges moved over the ice. To our great distress we also discovered that our Eskimo boots that we had so carefully prepared for the ice by covering them ship rope, did not work out the way we had planned. After only a couple of hours they were threading to the point we had to mend them every time we rested. At eight o’clock, after only half a day of moving, we were all so exhausted, that we agreed to stop for the night. Our plan had been to reach the first Nunatak, where the four extra Greenlanders were going to leave us. It dawned on us how unrealistic our planning had been. Thankfully we did bring a light tent for them, just in case of bad weather, which now actually was a second reason that forced us to stop. Cold fog surrounded us, so one could not see anything a hand away.

We were nice and warm in our tent, but the women and the young fellow were very cold and uncomfortable. Their tent did not have a floor and they did not have any other gear, so they did not get much sleep. It was late the next morning before we were ready to move on, and by then we were again surrounded by fog. The compass was our only tool, but in terrain like this it is not sufficient, because of all the surprising obstacles. Before long, we stopped because we had reached open water. The creek was too wide to jump over and too rapid to wade through it. Taught by experience from other coastal explorers who had met a creek like this, we immediately turned and walked along it. After a while it turned into a big waterfall, straight down into the ice. By now the blinding fog was back, and I was afraid to continue much farther because the ice was especially rough. We pitched our tents and waited for the fog to lift. The weather did not improve much, but we decided to continue even though I was afraid of walking while I was not entirely sure where we were. Soon we reached the end of the ice and felt solid ground