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Reinvigorated by My Greenland Adventure. Bringing Renewed Energy to Endodontic Specialists. |
As many of our referrals know, I recently crossed the Greenland Ice Cap, 375 miles over 29 days from May 1 to May 29, 2024.
An Unforgettable Experience: We had two guides that had experience with Greenland, North Pole and South Pole expeditions. We pulled more than 160 lb sleds with our food, fuel, tents and other supplies.
We were all strong and excited when we started. The first 3 days we used crampons (spikes on our boots) to move across the irregular ice. By day 4 we started to ski. The terrain went from rough and irregular to smooth We climbed from 1700 ft to 8200 ft over 16 days and then we leveled off for a few days before gradually descending for the next 10 days. Our last day we had 50+ mph winds by a partially frozen lake. We had a helicopter take us to the town of Tasiilaq.
The expedition was very physical, and we really never had a break. Days were 10+ hours long with six pushes of 70 minutes with 15-minute breaks between. We dealt with cold, -30 F, winds 20-50 mph, white out conditions, snow that buried us overnight.
Two of us were over 60 years of age, the others were in their 30s and 40’s.
I enjoyed talking with others during the day when it wasn’t windy. Otherwise, I would listen to books on tape or music. We changed tent mates every 5 days to mix things up. I never met a group of people that were so nice and helpful to each other. We all have bad days and when the others help lift you up or you help them it was an emotional experience for all of us.
We were all tired at the end of every day. Setting up tents and stoves to melt snow to make dinner and fill water bottles was a daily routine. Getting up in the morning and getting out of your sleeping bag into the cold and start the stove to melt snow for the day, pack up and ski was on repeat.
Some days we would start late due to snow or wind. If that happened, we would ski well past midnight if needed. It never got dark while we were in Greenland, I was just struck by the beauty and endless snow in all directions to the furthest horizon.
I had a lot of time to think about family and life and priorities. I have returned with a recharged sense of purpose. Dealing with the hardship of survival in this environment helped me to appreciate what we have in our normal lives.
I have always found that these extreme adventures give me the calm and critical thinking to solve problems in my work and personal life.
Now back at Endodontic Specialists, I’m eager to provide top-tier care and collaborate with dentists to enhance patient outcomes.