The Otter Has Landed!

This is the Greenland 2002 NHN expedition reporting in via sat phone. We have arrived at the Niels Holgersen Nunatakker having flown in via Constable Point on the coast. We flew in over unforgettable Scorsby Sund, the longest and largest fjord in the world. The pack ice was just beginning to break up and icebergs were drifting out to sea.

The geology of this place is just amazing. Each range that we flew over was like a great single vein of rock with different colors, patterns and complexities. And much of it is extremely old. Scientists recently discovered the earth's oldest known rock here - approximately 3.8 million years old.

We have established our base camp on a unnamed glacier in the NHN range of mountains. There is no record of anyone having set foot here before. The temperature has been hovering around 10 below and lower with wind chill. It is "day time" now, but we will have the benefit of 24 hour sunlight. The Twin Otter set us down at our chosen site, which is at the center of the great snowy plateau. To the west there are a few striking peaks lying on the very edge of the Greenland icecap.

To the northwest there are a series of large but more rounded peaks. And finally to the east, there are a number of attractive summits including one, very large jagged pyramid, which is quite fetching. We have already completed a small ski survey of the area, and are looking forward to climbing a number of peaks very soon. There should be some exciting news to report in the next day or so. Stay tuned! David Keaton Dispatches GREENLAND 2002 - Niels Holgersen Nunatakker Introduction