Greenland trek wants to highlight climate change, tourism, dog teaming

                                                                                                                                    Source: Ole Jorgen / www.ipy.org

Ole Jørgen Hammeken wants to travel a new route that crosses Greenland's icecap. Publisert: 21.03.07 03:08 Ole Jørgen Hammeken of Uummannaq is trying to stake out a new route that crosses Greenland's icecap, something he says will benefit Greenland's dog mushers, tourists and the environment, reports Sermitsiaq.

Drawing attention to the changes that have made a former route used by Knud Rasmussen's route unusable, he says, will emphasize the need to speak out on climate change.

No one has ever travelled between Uummannaq and Ilulissat using an overland route, but with Disko Bay no longer freezing over he told Sermitsiaq that "there's no other way to get there from here by dogsled."

Hammeken's previous attempt to make the same journey showed the trip has dangers. Last year, he and his team had to turn back after cracks in the ice blocked their way.

Hammeken has participated in scores of expeditions, some of which have been filmed for broadcast on French television.

"We've developed a significant amount of expertise. That ought to say something about the seriousness of this effort," said Hammeken, 50, whose dog team treks include a five-week trip from Uummannaq to Thule.

The dream of opening a route between Uummannaq and Ilulisaat dates back to 2003, when Hammeken and a group of French filmmakers made the award-winning film 'La longue Trace' (The Long Trail), which featured a program that used sledding as an educational tool for troubled young people.

The route taken by Hammeken during the film went from Uummannaq to Saqqaq by crossing over the Nuussuaq Peninsula. It was March, but Hammeken was surprised to see that Vaigat passage north of Disko Island was totally ice free.

"The route between Saqqaq and Ilulissat had been cut off several years prior due to the lack of ice on Disko Bay. But the story was now the same for Uummannaq. Their sled route to Ilulissat has been cut off for almost ten years. Today, everyone agrees that the mild winters are a man-made problem - global warming. We've had bad winters up here before, but the fact remains that we haven't had so many warm winters in a row in living memory. I started trying to find an overland route to Ilulissat because of all these warm winters."

Last winter, Hammeken and a small group of dog teamers tried to make their way over the icecap between the two villages. After getting off to a good start they had to turn back. A new attempt is planned for later this year.

The initial attempt included a number of first-time dog mushers, but given the demands of sledding through unknown territory, the new expedition will include only seasoned experts.

"Last year we did it together with kids from an orphanage," he recalls. "I have to admit that that was one of the toughest challenges I have ever faced. Thinking back, it was irresponsible to have those kids out there. You could say we were all novices in the sense that it was our first time out on the icecap, but there were just too many unknowns."

Overcoming nature is just one of the team's challenges, says the article in Sermitsiaq. Financing the trip could prove its greatest obstacle.

"We've got four sleds that are determined to give it another try and there is a French filmmaker and one tourist who's willing to pay the monthly salaries for two drivers just so he can come along."

Despite the interest and the deep pocketed sponsor, the team still needs funds. One source could have been the state-funded Greenland Tourism.

But Hammeken, who envisions dogsledding as one of Greenland's great tourist attractions in the future, had his application for support turned down.

"You don't need to be a genius to see the potential in this. You don't even need to think twice about it. This is an obvious tourist attraction."

Hammeken said he is looking for a few more sponsors to cover the rest of the costs of the expedition he estimates will take between seven and 14 days.

Hammeken hopes the team's effort will serve as dogsledding's own contribution to the International Polar Year.

"The trail can serve as the flagship of Greenland tourism. We can give the ultimate dogsledding adventure - one that includes sea ice, mountain sledding and icecap sledding all in one, and on a route that can be covered in less than a week."