Korpijaakko

Today was yet another short and easy day. We started the trips last push by downhill skiing a magnificent crevasse-free (read: snow filled) half pipe for about eight kilometers. The best sled hill in the world! Shame we didn’t bring our Stigas. The snow ended two kilometers before the edge and we changed skis to crampons. Avoiding narrow crevasses we steered our sledges on the blue glacier towards the goal. Finally we hit the dark shaded moraine that borders the glacier. Mission accomplished!

Our ride off the glacier arrives tomorrow morning so we studied the moraine ridges looking for the easiest route to carry our sledges to the rendezvous point. We called the driver to discuss the pick up in detail, only to find out that we were in wrong place! Glacier, here we come again.. The right pick up spot is located in a side pass one kilometer before the glaciers edge. That wouldn’t pose a problem, unless we had to return 800 meters of rocky path and a 120 meter rise.

There was no other choice than get the gear on and head back. A couple of hours went in a light fitness exercise as we wielded five sledges worth of gear up the rocky hill.

Now the trips official part is successfully behind us. We are again frying crêpes to celebrate. Every face has a foolish and happy grin on.

The weather forecast predicted mild 10 m/s breeze for the night, but at small hours the tent got a full load of Vatnajökulls gentle blow and the sound was so terrible that we felt sorry for him. We’ve now realized that the only trustworthy part of the weather forecast is the wind direction. Wind speed needs an additional 10m/s. Temperatures and rain change as they like, with out any respect to the forecasts.

Today was the second last really easy skiing day. We planned a little extra trip to a glacier hut since the weather in the morning was still and mild. A few pale shirtless skiers defied the glacier for a leg. We thought that no ascension skins would be needed for the last icy hill leading to the hut. We had triceps. We no longer have them. We located the hut in a storm cloud with the help of GPS but one would have needed an angle grinder to get to the door through one meter wall of concrete ice.

Well forget the hut trip. We dragged back through the sleet, humiliated, wet snow whipping our faces like an angry cowboy. Found a place to camp and set there.

What’s the moral of the story? Never plan an easy and fun trip on this glacier. Never trust a nice weather. And never ever ski here without a shirt. A deed like that will not go unpunished. Tomorrow should drizzle. It looks like we’ll finish as we started. Wet.

Vatnajökull is an extremely lovely place. A weather one can’t find here doesn’t exist. Not a single day has passed with out the glacier putting us to a test, and today made no exception. From the very first kick the ski sucked an end of the world snow lumps to the bottom. It didn’t ease before lunch brake and when it did the wind started blowing in our harm. Nevertheless, we pressed on for 28 kilometers with the help of our mp3-players.

Now we’re camping already very close to our exit box Lambatungajokul. Tomorrow we will move the camp another ten kilometers closer to the top edge of the glacier, preliminarily assess the crevasses and fry some crêpes.

The trip has moved on to the point where one must face his food bag, eye to eye. Because it’s unethical and plainly wrong to throw food away most has to be eaten before Saturday. It might just be that at weekend there will be four overeaten, panda tanned milk whales soaking in the hot springs.

While I’m writing this, half of the wind barrier we build to protect the tent has been blown away, inside the tent is raining and there’s a Turkish sauna in the absid. Winter camping is relaxing.

Best regards to Nousiainen, the tent smells like a pine martens nest. We are confident that the smell was here before us.

Sherlock Utriainen has most likely solved the mysterious problem that has been haunting our messages. From now on, we shall write without the Scandinavian Ä’s & Ö’s and see if it helps. The happy sun shone upon us for the whole day and the skis almost flew on the snow. Just like Eastern at Saariselkä, except less people, readymade paths and perfume odour. Not to mention our smell which is rather lovely and exquisite, tainted by the extreme work out. Because the weather was fortunate we decided to go as far as possible.

In the afternoon we skied approximately three kilometer legs to slight uphill. After lunch we took over our mental side and pushed over four kilometers a leg, the day total being 30,5 kilometer. Just yesterday I painted the epic race on the edge of the glacier against the speeding clock. Today I’m slightly worried, if we keep on going so fast we’ll be on Blue Lagoon soaking our tormented bodies a few days too soon. The kilometers seem to come too easy. Where is the taste of the blood and the true battles against our nature, and the nature? Where is J J Heikka’s work camp?

The goal lies 45 kilometers ahead, out of which the last 15 kilometers is crevassed. We can already see the mountains that are flanking our exit. The goal is to get to the edge of the glacier by Friday night and the few remaining days shall show how that is done.

A few answers to questions: The sun glasses have been in frequent use in the last days! The sledge doesn’t seem to weight a lot, because the snow is so tough that it’s even hard to get the tent chucks in. Though last night it snowed some new snow which is soft and sinky.