Greenland by Patti Wheeler & Keith Hemstreet

Author:Patti Wheeler & Keith Hemstreet
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781626341210
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Published: 2014-06-25T16:00:00+00:00

WYATT

APRIL 11, 11:03 PM

76° 13′ N 55° 48′ W

-7° FAHRENHEIT, -22° CELSIUS

CLOUDY, WIND 10-15 MPH

53 miles today. Not as far as we had hoped. Mostly due to a 12 mile stretch of uneven, fractured ice. The surface was so bad we were forced several times to get off our sleds and push them up and over sections of blocky ice that were piled high like fields of boulders. We’re approximately 167 miles from the Inughuit people, if my calculations are correct. The goal is to reach them in three days.

The snow conditions where we stopped for the night happened to be ideal for an igloo, and since it’s supposed to get much colder tonight we decided building one would be worth the extra effort. It took a total of one hour and twenty minutes to complete. If Gannon and I had been more efficient cutting the blocks out of snow, we probably could have completed it in under an hour.

Here’s how it was done:

Using small shovels and saws we cut hard packed snow into square blocks. Unaaq said a good size for the base blocks is about 18 inches high, 24 inches long, and at least 8 inches thick. Fourteen base blocks were placed in a circle, providing just enough space for everyone to fit comfortably inside. Then we stacked another row of blocks on top. Once a block was cut and put into place, the edges were shaved with a blade and smoothed over by hand to bond them together. The trick is to stack the blocks in just the right way to create a dome shaped roof. We constructed the igloo from the inside and when it was finished Unaaq dug a small tunnel about a foot below the base so we could get out. Lastly, we poked small holes into the roof to allow for ventilation when we have a small blubber fire.

In addition to all the small dishes of blubber, Unaaq has a rectangular dish that is about a foot long, which we use for our indoor fires. It probably puts off about as much light and warmth as a dozen candles would, enough to warm the igloo, but not enough to melt the ceiling. There are definitely some drips here and there, but nothing to be concerned with. Unaaq explained that between body heat and a small fire, the temperature inside the igloo can be 40-50°F warmer than it is outside. I thought he must be exaggerating, but after dinner I looked at my thermometer and sure enough, it was 31°F inside the igloo. Compared to the outside temp, it’s almost toasty. Then again, a lot of our heat could be coming from Gannon’s big mouth.

Note to self: Next time I share an igloo with Gannon, bring earplugs.

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