Greenland

These images were taken during the 1999 Greenland Rignys Berg Expedition.

Prints and copies of the images shown can be obtained in a range of sizes and formats. Please note some of the images will be only available as a limited photographic print run.

A slide show of the medium and 35mm format photographs can be seen here. Other images from the trip can be found on the flickr website.

In May 1999, Chris Hawkins along with three other mountaineers traveled from the UK via Iceland to Greenland's Rignys Bjerg region near to the central icecap.

The expedition was self sufficient, with tents, food, fuel and climbing equipment for just over four weeks. Its aim was to explore and climb in this previously unvisited area of Greenland.

The team of four flew from the North West of Iceland to the area of Rignys Bjerg in May 1999. The first few attempts at leaving Iceland were aborted due to poor weather, traveling from Iceland to Greenland's icecap is not a trip for the feint hearted. The aim was to climb and explore the area on foot and ski. Being completely self sufficient, living in tents and traveling with skis and pulks, the team were to be dropped off and left for the four week expedition. To get a ski plane to Greenland takes a little work, the distance there and back is a little too far in relation to fuel. So seats are removed from the plane, and a large fuel tank is placed in the cabin. Skis are fitted to the underside of the plane so that it can land on snow and the pilot has to be very well trained to be able to navigate to the right place. There isn't any in-flight movie and even the loo on the return journey was used for storage. Seatbelt checks and such were not observed :-) Even with the large fuel tank, there is point on the journey where you have to go on, there isn't the fuel to make second attempts. With fog over the strip in Iceland, there was no way we could take off and get back, the day had to be perfect and set to stay so.

We flew over the open sea, below small our tiny plane, icebergs slowly became denser and larger the further we went.

To help with the high cost of the flights ( stripping out seats for fuel and gear storage etc. ) we were to pick up one team who had been there for a few weeks ski exploring, then it would be just a short hop to our area. The same would apply for the return flights.

The blue sea soon gave way to an incredible coast line. Mountains leapt from the coast upwards with everton mint stripped black and white tops. Some of the eldest and by the look of it, loosest rocks in the world were below.

Carefully the pilot flew to where the first landing. We flew low over several tents scouting for a safe flat landing area free of plane eating crevasses.

The landing was very very gentle, it was difficult to say when the plane had gone from flying to skiing.

We helped to pack up tents and load the aircraft, then with a certain excitement we took off again for our target area.

It was obvious why nobody had been to the area, walking in from the coast wasn't possible, too many huge glaciers, crevasse and ranges of jagged mountains would make the trip extremely hard if at all possible, Certainly carrying the food and equipment would be very difficult.

After a few minutes again we swooped low, more careful this time as this area hadn't ever been landed on. We did several passes down a wide valley before the engines dipped slightly and we slid to a halt.

Our valley was several miles wide and it stretched for what looked like thundered of miles, the air was so clear distances were very hard to measure with any accuracy. That coupled with nothing that one could use to judge scale, what looked like a hundred meters would take a hour to ski. I was suddenly in a very big place, the nearest help to us after the aircraft took off would be Hundreds of miles away, if a storm hit us there would be no rescue. I felt very small and very alone.

We unpacked the plane, making sure we didn't leave any boxes on the plane. It powered up and started to move down the makeshift runway. It turned at the end and then roared back towards us. I knelt by the kit to get a shot of the parting aircraft. I was blasted by snow and ice as it went past. It was worth it as I got the shot!

As soon as the plane left the valley, the silence hit us all. With a slight ringing in out ears we put up tents for the first time and started to arrange things. It was so quite, if you were to walk a few hundred meters away from the camp the silence was incredible, wonderful and frightening. It felt a long way away from everything.

After putting up the tents we had a quick lesson in using the rifle. We built a snow-bear which looked more like a snow-pig and then took it in turns to load and shoot the poor creature. The firearm was part of the requirements for entering the area, however during the whole time we were there, we saw one bird and two transatlantic jets, the only sings of life that weren't us. The world could have ended and we wouldn't have known.

During the first few days, we made trips out from the camp and fuel store on ski and made a few first ascents up local peaks. Some were easier than others depending on how much snow had fallen. In camp we fell into a routine of cooking and packing rucksacks.

We had a few tent days when the winds and snow hit us, it was very hard to see anything outside and sleeping with the winds whipping the tents was hard. The near 24 hour sunshine made sleep even harder during these cold nights. During these days games and reading were done. I read and re-read the amazing tale of the Shackleton and the Endeavour. One line that sticks in my mind was about the crew who were living on an iceberg after watching their ship sink, who lived off seal and water for months. One man was quoted as saying that he has his spoon, if you knew where your spoon was you were alright. Not sure if he was mad or brave. But I searched the kitchen area and retrieved my spoon. The storm would pass, I would be okay.

The coldest it got was -35c we think. This was when the sun dropped behind a mountain peak, or range depending on where we were. During the day if the wind dropped it was surprisingly warm and comfortable. However with any breeze the temperature plummeted and things got nippy on the snow.

Food was pretty basic, but varied. Mostly freeze dried food that we started off in the morning in preparation for the evening meal. Breakfast would be water or water with orange flavoring, porridge, coffee or hot chocolate. Lunch would be crackers cheese, something simple and easy to carry, sweets and hot drinks. The evening meal after soaking all day would be mixed occasionally with a tin of sweet corn, after a days soaking the freeze dried meal wasn't too bad. With a bar or two of chocolate and some sweets the diet was okay, not great in the fresh food stakes, but pleasant. We also had snacks to keep us going whilst out from camp. We cooked mainly in the tent when it was cold outside, this worked pretty well. Only once when I was starting the stove up did it get a little dangerous, the flames that heat the stove to get it going were a little more than expected, luckily the stove was removed from the tent before any damage was done. Loosing a tent would have been bad, with only one tent it would have been very cosy!

We moved camps several times to get closer to new mountains. We would pack up the tents, load everything into the pulks and set off. We left a supply of fuel and food at the first campsite, this was where the plane dropped and would pick us up from. This dump would be for emergencies or delays caused by poor weather. The pulks had a life and movement of their own, on the flat they moved pretty easily, on rough snow or on slopes they would push and pull, not enough to un-balance you, but enough to make it hard work. Downhill was at times exciting, cross country skis are not I find as easy as downhill skies, this coupled with a large heavy weight behind you made for some interesting face-plants in the snow.

We climbed and named several mountains. I named one after my father Graham Hawkins - Mt Hawkins and one Mayhill after a Mayhill Junior School in Hampshire. We also named Lauras Bjerg and "Oneman" so named as the top is large enough to get only one person on the top of it.

The climbing was fairly straight forward, axes, crampons and ropes were needed, but the climbing wasn't very technical, we deliberately choose the simple routes, you could make it more exciting if you wanted. Only on one occasion did I need the rope and this was after the climb when I crossed a snow-bridged crevasse. It failed under me and I dropped through, stopped by my arms and rucksack. With legs swinging in a possibly bottomless void and much laughter from above, I wiggled my way up and onto safer ground. Mind the gap!

The return trip was delayed, the day the plane was supposed to turn up came and went without event. We were reasonably well packed up and enjoying the sun, but nothing happened. We went for a ski tour for a few hours, but kept in sight of the landing area. Again the following day, nothing. We knew we had fuel and food for a week or so, with careful rationing of food we could last maybe two weeks, we were not worried too much. Then very early one morning at about 3, we heard an aircraft. It was nothing, just a small transport type plane that is seen around North Wales one of the guys in the other tent said as he looked out. We tried to radio the plane to relay a message back to Iceland, but couldn't find the radio and the batteries that were in the bottom a sleeping bag. The plane flew fairly low over us, maybe its just interested to see us or there are sightseers on board it was suggested. Again the noise and the plane returned a third time, it was starting to get annoying, our sleep had been disturbed! Then it turned steeply again and came in very, very low, it touched down and slid towards us. We were amazed, only then did we realise we were going home.

It was a wonderful surprise, we dashed out of the tent and starting packing whilst the pilot jumped out to take a photo of his plane in a new place. We found out he did this every time he lands on the snow.

Then were off, the snow was deep so we all had to stand at the back of the plane to help get the nose up, with a couple of runs to flatten and compact the snow we made it off, we left the valley that had been home for so long, the planes familiar smells and colours other than white or blue starting to excite the senses. We landed in the north of Iceland, one chap came over to the plane as we taxied to the building. He wanted to check the gun. He then kindly changed our homeward flights that we had missed, arranged the internal flights and then said we could stay in the terminal on our own for a few hours if we wanted to.

It was the first time we had seen running hot water for a month. The terminal had toilets, not just holes in the snow. To wash your hands in warm running water after a month of not doing so was a lovely feeling. Nearly as wonderful as the Icelandic power shower we used when back in Reykjavik later that day.

From icecap to Heathrow took less than 15 hours. Still with a large beard, I walked through the customs desks to the waiting crowds. My partner totally ignored me, she didn't recognise me until I spoke to her, even then she did a comical double take. Leaving the airport was lovely, suddenly thrust back into crowds of people was a shock, however a greater one was to follow. I was back in the green and leafy countryside was huge. Green was everywhere suddenly, after not seeing the colour for so long I excitedly looked out of the window as we drove home.

Looking back, I can remember being scared but the hugeness of the place and the vulnerability of myself. I am proud to have been there and survived and I am grateful to the other climbers who helped make it possible. I would love to do it again, the snow and ice are amazing. I can only wonder and be amazed when I read the early expedition reports, the epic trips that were done prior to air travel, GPS and emergency beacons, the days where an explorer would be away from home for years with a fair chance of them never getting home. Brave souls, it is indeed on the shoulders of giants that we stand.

The photography shown was mostly taken very early in the morning, normally around 0200 hrs, this was due to us moving in the early evening onwards and sleeping during the hottest and in climbing terms most dangerous times. This is an ideal time as the sun is at its lowest and creates great light and colouring for photography. The cameras used were a Hasselblad 503 medium format and a Canon EOS 35mm with Fuji Velvia slide stock. Sekonic 508 meter and a Gitzo tripod were used very successfully throughout the trip. No filters were used other than the occasional use of a polarizer. The cameras were kept inside the tents with us in relative warmth, the tripod and film lived in the pulk, the cold did nothing to cause issues with either.

Special thanks goes to Paul from Tangent Expeditions and Nigel who put up with me on the hill and in the tent.