Greenland Expedition 2006
The Oxford University Greenland Expedition 2006, an exploratory mountaineering expedition to eastern Greenland, was planned and organised by four students of Oxford University. Although one of the expedition members, Tariq Qureshi, had to withdraw from the trip just four weeks before departure, the three remaining students embarked at the beginning of August on what turned out to be a remarkably successful expedition.
Hauke Engel, Ben Spencer and Chris Abbott, all undergraduates on their first expedition, explored and climbed in an area to the north of the Watkins Mountains, making twelve first ascents of unclimbed peaks, and travelling 90km through largely unexplored terrain.
If you dream of mounting an expedition, you are already halfway there – what you will need above everything is determination and belief. When we first started planning this trip we had to count our coins for the pint over which we discussed our plans to raise over £20,000; at times it seemed like we had indeed set ourselves too high a goal. But we persevered, and were rewarded with what truly has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This I did.
- T.E. Lawrence, Seven Pillars of Wisdom
Photographs from www.oxfordgreenland06.com:
