A highly professional adventure
Published on 06.07.2009 - Emirates NBD Greenland Quest
Adrian Hayes and his two companions, Devon McDiarmid and Derek Crowe, have now reached the most northerly point of Greenland. This expedition is leaving virtually no stone unturned as it progresses by always explaining the hows and the wherefores of what it is doing...
In previous dispatches we have already mentioned about how the reports coming back from this expedition not only explain what the men are experiencing on the ground, but they also talk extensively about the issues and aims of the adventure. Every two days since the adventure began, visitors reading the updates have been regaled by a succession of paragraphs dealing with topics with all sorts of backgrounds, ranging from matters environmental to sustainable development. The other day, for example, on 2nd July, Pete Milne talked about the disappearance of endangered species in general and about the tiger in particular: "Out of the 8 sub-species of tiger, three have already disappeared altogether (the Caspian tiger, the Javan tiger and the Bali tiger). Specialists estimate that in under a hundred years from now, the remaining tiger population on Earth will have fallen from 100 000 individuals to approximately 4 000. ..." On the same day, he also wrote that half of the planet's original forests have now been destroyed and that every day primary forests continue to be cut down at a rate ten times greater than what would be required if reforestation were possible...
In the same spirit of providing us with information on a systematic basis, Adrian also explained why he chose JP Kocks fjord as his intended arrival point for their trek from south to north. The reason is simple enough: JP Kocks fjord is the most northerly point of Greenland's icecap and is the location where the ice meets the sea. As the trio were planning to make a total crossing of Greenland, from ocean to ocean (Atlantic - Arctic) -unaided we should remember- and as they set out from the water at Narsaq, they could not have chosen any other geographic point to head for. In the world of Arctic adventuring, where artistic licence often surrounds these feats of endurance, we can only stress once again that this tight-knit band of brothers has been honest and professional in everything it has undertaken.
4th July: we have just learned that the three men have arrived safely at JP Kocks fjord. The total distance covered to that point was 2 998 km.
