EXPEDITION OVERVIEW

Priority: normal
Date: 05 Mar 1999 09:19:39
From: Richard Pash
To: gla97djh@sheffield.ac.uk
Subject: Richard's Rave
Danny

Thanks for calling me about the expedition last night. It sounds as if things are looking a bit bleak at the moment what with getting a job and everything.

I just thought that I should write and say that there is nothing I have ever done in my life that is as exciting as going to Greenland. Nothing I have ever done compares to being in such an incredibly beautiful place. Quite apart from the climbing, the sense in being somewhere so remote, where you stand on a mountain top and look over a landscape which you know is totally empty there are no people and mostly no one has ever been there, is indescribable.

You can almost see yourself from above, and as you get higher and higher from you, your view pans out across nothingness. All you can see are vast tracts of mountains and glaciers and the only person is you a miniscule dot in the middle.

It turns you into a bit of a snob because no-one you know has ever done anything like it! You are not a tourist, you're not a holiday maker. No-one has booked you into a coach party. This is one experience you are not sharing with anyone, you are not the fifth tour group this year. You are not queuing at the bottom of the climb, you are not using the guidebook, you are not staying in the recommended hotel. The mountains there have been around for millions of years and you will be the first ever person to see them! It's like they have been waiting for you - for your personal experience!!

You will never be able to go on another normal holiday again without making that sort of comparison!

Nothing about this expedition makes a lot of sense and it is certainly not sensible. The more you think about it before you go, the more stupid it sounds. You cannot talk to anyone and justify it. No-one will go, yes that sounds like a good way to spend £2000!

I get too easily wrapped in my own little box and get absorbed by the day to day problems and worries. You can see all the problems now, but you won't realise how lucky you are until you leave England. When you get back you will laugh at what you were worrying about before and realise in the grand scheme of things, they weren't quite as important as you thought.

It is a lot of money to go to Greenland but although life seems hard now I promise you won't regret a penny.

SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES

What were the expedition objectives. Did we achieve them?

RESULTS

All members of the expedition returned to the UK without serious injury or accident

  1. We climbed 18 routes of which 12 were first ascents, 5 new rock climbs and another a new route
  2. We explored the Hedgehog, Charlotte, Fredriksbourg, Cocker, Gaffelen, Lœbœltet, and Lucy glaciers
  3. Tom, Tim, Sarah, Andy, Danny and Rupert G had never been on an expedition before. The expedition met on training weekends in Wales and the Lake District. Training in first aid and crevasse rescue was given by the Royal Marines in Plymouth. Advice on fund raising was given.
  4. Slide shows planned include: Ottery St Mary Scouts, Exeter School Pupils, Cambridge University Mountaineering Club, Clare College Climbing Club, University of East Anglia Mountaineering Club, Lever Brothers, Crediton Chamber of Commerce.
CONTACT ADDRESS

Leader:
Richard Pash
Ground Floor Flat
26 Queens Road
Twickenham. TW1 4EX
Tel: 0181 744 1239

Parents address:
12 Oak Close
Ottery St. Mary
Devon. EX11 1BB
Tel: 01404 812088

Richard.pash@unilever.com

This report can be found at: www.wayupnorth.clara.co.uk

THE HEDGEHOG GLACIER – LEMON MOUNTAINS
The British Lemon Mountains Expedition 1999

Map of the Hedgehog Glacier
Scale: Approx. 1 : 60,000 (1cm=0.6Km)
Peaks still unclimbed named on this map: The Nunnery, 3 Witches, Coxcomb W., The Diamond, Screwdriver, Cathedral E.

EXPEDITION MEMBERS

The Team
At Isafjordur Airport. Back row L to R: Tim, Danny, Sarah, Rupert G, Rupert F, Tom.
Front L to R: Richard, Andy

We are a group of 8 people aged 23-27. Six members of the group had no expedition experience:

Leader – Richard Pash
 26, Marketing. Working for Lever Brothers in London.
Previous Experience: Leader of Oxford University expedition to Greenland 1996 (MEF, BMC, RGS approved). Deputy leader of Joint universities Spitsbergen expedition 1993 (RGS Approved). Member of YET approved expedition to Sweden ("Swedex") 1991. Member of British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) expedition to Svalbard 1990. Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award. Mount Kenya, N face of Batian, Oct 1996

Rupert Gladstone
 26, 3rd year PhD student in Glaciology, Dept. of Environmental Science, UEA.
Previous Experience: 10 Trips to Alps including six 4000m peaks climbing to TD (Gervasutti Pillar, Mont Blanc du Tacul). Nepal: 5500m unnamed peak on Annapurna Circuit Trek (F). KIMM Galloway 1996: 5th posn, B Class.

Tom Chamberlain
 21, 3rd year linguist at Clare College, Cambridge.
Previous Experience: Alpine: Fifteen 4000m peaks to D+ (incl. Liskamm AD+, N. Face Tour Ronde D, Aiguille Verte AD+), rock to E1, Ice to Grade 5. President of Clare College Mountaineering Club (97/98). MLTB Mountain walking leader training. Mountaineering in France, Austria, Kenya, South Africa

Rupert Finn
 26, Computing. Working for IBM in Sydney, Australia
Previous Experience: Member of Oxford University Expedition to Greenland 1996, 4 Alpine Seasons climbing to TD+/ED (include Bonnati Pillar, Frendo Spur, Gervasutti Pillar of Mont Blanc de Tacul.). Total of 17 weeks climbing in France and Spain (Picos de Europa) since 1992. Member of the Exonian Vatnajökull Expedition to Iceland 1992 (RGS Approved). Member of British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) expedition to East Greenland 1991

Sarah Walmsley
26, Junior Doctor at Bury St. Edmunds Hospital, Cambridge
Climbing Experience: Rock to E2, UK, Spain, Canada. Scottish winter (12 routes in 1997/8) to III. Eighty three Munroes climbed '91-98. Conservation projects (footpath building in Yorkshire Dales '89 and '90). Venture Scout Award

Andy Parker
27, Pharmacist at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
Previous Experience: Alpine to TD+ (Tour Vert) or mixed Cosmiques Arete AD. Led Uni. of Sunderland MC trip to California/Nevada. Rock to E3 Scotland, USA (Yosemite, Shawangunks, Mt Witney), AUZ (widespread eg Blue Mts and Mt Arapaliest), South Africa. Scottish winter to V.

Tim Harvey
23, photographer. Working for Thames Valley Police.
Previous experience: Alpine mountaineering course in Chamonix. Winter skills course in Cairngorms. Rock to HS (2nd E1). 3 Scottish winters to II/III. Venture scout award. Marine VHF radio operators licence.

Danny Heywood
23, Geologist. Working for Soil Mechanics Ltd.
Previous Experience: 3 trips to Stubai/Oztal Alps including N Face Wildspitze PD+. Rock to VS. SPSA training. First Aid qualified.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

The minster

Income:  
Personal Contributions

10086
British Mountaineering Council

1150
Mount Everest Foundation

900
Gino Watkins Memorial Foundation

1500
Unilever

400
Lever Brothers

800
Claude and Margaret Pike Charity

300
Mrs I Hopley

2000
Mrs G Naylor

1000
British Branch of the Austrian Alpine Club

200
Copley Marshall & Co

500
The UEA Travel and Expeditions Fund

100
Sir Phillip Reckitt's Educational Fund

80
The Prince's Trust

500
Bucktroutes & Co. Ltd

50
Holeshot

50
   
Total

We are indebted to our sponsors for so generously supporting this expedition. Without their help we would have never left Britain.
 
 
 
Expenditure
Iceland food and accommodation*

840
International and Iceland flights

3102
Twin Otter out

5190
Twin Otter back

5190
Piper Chieftain

1750
Sea freight

160
Insurance

870
Food

440
Admin/report

800
Safety beacon

15
Equipment

1105
Gun and Flares

110
Radio permit

44


Total

In addition to personal contributions each member spent about £500 on personal equipment and a £200 on the training weekends
* Iceland expenses were higher than expected due to bad weather.

DONATIONS OF GIFTS OR SERVICES

As for our sponsors we are very grateful to these companies and organisations which supported us
Samskip Free UK-Iceland Freight
Commodore Express Free Guernsey-UK freight for barrels
Specsavers Free bubble wrap
Sarnia Flags Free Guernsey flag
Van den Bergh Foods Free Flora, Pepperami, Batchelors soup, Saucy Spuds
Crediton Milling Free food bags
Cadbury Free Time Out, Fuse and Boost
RHM Foodservice Free McDougalls main meals, pasta, soup, filter coffee, Robinsons jam, dried potato, dried milk
Windmill Foods Free museli, porridge, dried fruit, rice

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