Today is the 10th day of the expedition. Initially we planned to go straight toward the north, but due to the heavy sleds (110kg each) and a series of upward slopes we couldn't proceed even 10km a day. In an attempt to find a breakthrough, we decided to move along a contour line westward and then to the north so that we could always travel through flat snow fields.

The clear sky before departure

At this time of the year, the wind gets stronger in South Greenland (as the sun shines at a higher angle). At first we tried skisails of 12 square meters, but it slid too much and we were pushed way too much toward the southwest. Then, we tried the 8 square meter sails, but it produced the same result. So finally, we tried the 4 square meter sails, and they did work. When there was a strong wind, we were able to slide smoothly about 20 to 30m. But whenever we reached an area of soft snow, we stopped and couldn't go further. We had to push and pull the skis in order to get moving again.

Nagatani struggling to step forward

The ice cap is made of thick ice accumulated on land, and its surface is covered with snow. The snow around here is soft and deep, and when I tried to walk on it with shoes, my feet sank ankle-deep (10 to 20cm) into the snow. So it was practically impossible to pull the sled and walk without skis.

A bird that suddenly appeared out of nowhere

When we were walking, a little bird flew over to us. It hopped around us and hovered overhead. The bird was a little larger than a white and black sparrow. I think it arrived here by following our footsteps. To tell you the truth, we had caught a cold before departure, and we exhausted our stamina considerably. It was quite tough to go up a mountain slope, especially when we were suffering from coughs and phlegm. We rested for a breath every 60 steps we moved, so we couldn't cover much ground. But anyway we talked to each other that we would take it easy and enjoy this situation.

It is encouraging to know that my expedition partner Nagatani-kun is relatively calm and quickly getting accustomed to the polar environment. Under the harsh conditions here, self-reliance is a basic rule. And of course it is also crucial to adopt a co-operative attitude. We have almost recovered from the cold, and will now begin the real part of the expedition!