The blog has been quiet for about two months. That’s a long time. Of that time I’ve spent about five weeks on my longest expedition yet, skiing 27 days across the Greenland icecap. It was a wonderful tour and I had great time. But the price to pay seems to be the worst expedition hangover I’ve ever had. Some sort of post-trip torpor is typical to me but this time it feels exceptionally bad.

Yours truly enjoying life at the Greenland icecap. Photo by Matias Utriainen.
I was physically fine after the trip. I had to catch some sleep and took it easy for the first couple of weeks after the skiing but I lost only 2 kg of weight and it was solely fat so my body was fine. I didn’t have any bigger aches except for minor cold damage on the tips of my middle fingers and big toes but basically after a week of rest I was ready to go and ski cross the thing again.
And actually, I was also mentally more than eager to return to the simple life on the icecap. Back home I was initially interested mostly in sleeping and eating. After some time reading, sauna by the lake, sitting by a fire and walking and biking in the forests also started to appeal but most other things felt repulsive. And they still do. I’d rather be in some remote and wild place than back home with the myriad everyday responsibilities. This is what I call expedition hangover and that has also kept me away from the blog…
But in addition to longing for another expedition I’ve been also going through the huge amount of photos and video we shot on the expedition. I alone took over 1800 stills and nearly 50 GB of video. And I wasn’t the only one with a camera.
The first patch of photos is now ready and published and you can find them from my gallery. The photos are accompanied by short captions and I think they are best browsed in full screen view (click the icon on top right when browsing the photos) by clicking through the photos one by one. But you can watch them also as a slide show and also hide the texts if you want. You can get to the gallery by clicking any of the photos in the post.



Oh, and if you know cure for the post-trip hangover feel free to share it! 😉
PS. I also gave some interviews about the expedition. You can find the list from a post in the expedition blog but the only one in English is on Explorer’s Web and can be found from here.
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what a trip and some superb shots. I’ve seen that station before in a photo by Murray Fredericks – looks mental. Good luck with the hangover…
You have a life that is full of great adventures. Like your lifestyle!
I’m sure you’ll soon be out on a big trip this summer. Enjoy the rest, and planning for the next trip. Best cure post trip; is to plan for the next. I always start planning the moment I end the last trip.
Thanks for all the nice comments! They don’t necessarily help to get over the hangover but at least they motivate to kick the blog up and running again.
David: Thanks for the tip. Hadn’t seen Murray fredericks work before. Beautifull photos!
Arnie: It’s a conscious choise. You give up something but get something in return.
Martin: Had a big a plan for the summer but had to cancel. I’ll try to patch with a one-week trip or two. it should help. I’m so deep into this that I’m planning trips while being on one. 😀 The best cure is to go for a new trip but there are risks related just like if curing the more tradional hangover by opening a new bottle… 😉
I will join you one day on one of your great adventures!
But well my friend, is it not a traditional habit of us northernmen to open a new bottle on the morning after, so why not to do it? Get back to saddle and ride a new one dude!
Magnificent photos! Will you be writing up the trip on the blog, I hope so. I agree that the best cure for the hangover is to start planning again 🙂
I’ve not made such a BIG tour, but many smaller ones, which makes it easier. Anyway, my method: I don’t think “when this trip is over, phew, it’s over”, but rather “when this trip is over, then I can do xxx”.
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