Wolverhampton woman battles the elements during crossing of Greenland ice cap
A woman from Wolverhampton has completed a treacherous crossing of Greenland ice cap, battling through temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius.
Monika Amor-Wilkes, who was born in in Poland and now lives in Oxley, covered 575km during the 25-day challenge, inspired to do it by a friend who passed away with cancer.
As a part of her training, the 40-year-old spent a lot of time pulling a tyre, nicknamed Terry, around The Wrekin, to get used to the feeling of pulling a sled before setting out in April.
Monika said: "This challenge took us 25 days in total, setting off from a former American army base on the west coast of Greenland on April 14 and arriving in a small Inuit village of Isortoq on May 8.
"It took a lot of planning, preparation and training but fortunately I was able to enlist help from very experienced explorers.
"I was born in Poland and I have now become the second Polish woman to have completed this feat."
The group set off relatively early in the season, and while that meant it was much cooler, it ensured they had no problems with ice crevasses, and good snow cover to allow for consistent daily progress.
Monika added: "We divided the group equipment among ourselves;tents, fuel, stoves, spare skis, bindings, so that everyone had something in their pulk (a plastic sled that is attached to our harness by a long rope).
"As a requirement, each of us had to carry 28 days worth of food, 5000 kilocalories for each day. Big down jackets and warm mittens were a must, as frost bite is a very common injury in polar regions.
"At no point there was any flesh being exposed to the elements as this resulted in immediate injury.
"The route through the glacier from the Kangerlussuaq side was quite complicated, but thanks to the previous experience of the guys, we were able to cover it in two-and-a-half days.
"Unfortunately, at the same time, one of the members suffered a back injury and on the fifth day a decision was made to call a helicopter and arrange an evacuation."
Monika said: "We skied for 10 hours a day, every day, and slept in tents for three people, initially in the same company. However, from day eight we started mixing our tent mates so that everyone had a chance to get to know each other.
"For me, this expedition was a great undertaking, physically and mentally – it was tough at times, but there was never a thought of giving up."
And Monika isn't finished with physical challenges.
"As a weekend summer project, I am planning to cycle from Land's End to John o' Groats – an 870-mile long south-north traverse of Great Britain," she said.
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