Running At The End Of The Earth With Western States 100 Winner Ruth Croft

“I completely hate shedding,”

Ruth Croft laughed at her awful luck in Monopoly Deal on our second evening of the journey. After six rounds and no wins, the mild-mannered Kiwi began to query if I used to be stacking the deck. Ruth takes card video games very severely, maybe much more than her day job, racing ultras.

Sitting on the sting of a lake whereas watching a dozen muskox graze a pair hundred meters from us, we agreed to play yet one more spherical earlier than dinner. For many who are curious, sure, Ruth misplaced once more. 

Just some days earlier, I had flown to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, with Kris Brown, a self-proclaimed unprofessional runner for HOKA, and Ruth, the defending 2022 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run champion, to fastpack the Arctic Circle Trail. Regardless of what you would possibly guess, we might care much less about an FKT or setting any form of file. A lot the alternative, truly. We went to the tip of the world to get away from all of it. The purpose was to run throughout the widest a part of Greenland that’s, in truth, inexperienced. 

Wait, What Path?

The Arctic Circle Path (ACT) was formally established in 1998, however it’s unofficially one of many oldest trails on the planet. Individuals have been climbing from the ice to the ocean for practically 4,500 years, following the caribou and musk ox migration. As a result of cultural historical past of the world, UNESCO designated it a World Heritage website in 2018, spanning a whole lot of sq. miles. 

The trendy ACT route begins at Level 660, the place the grime street from Kangerlussuaq terminates on the ice sheet. From there the path weaves its approach alongside ridges, by bogs, alongside deep valleys, and infrequently throughout rivers, earlier than terminating on the small fishing village of Sisimiut, on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

The complete path is north of the Arctic Circle (30 miles or so), which implies that,  through the summer time, you’ll have mild for twenty-four hours a day, making the expertise of operating or climbing the path a blur of types, as a result of days mash collectively and all really feel like one lengthy journey.

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After stumbling upon a visit report of the ACT just a few years in the past, we agreed to go to the next summer time. Quick ahead three full years and a worldwide pandemic, and we had been lastly in Greenland, watching Ruth repeatedly lose at a card recreation she taught us a day earlier. In our first 45 miles we’d seen as many caribou as we had folks, proving the ACT was as marketed, one of the vital distant trails on the planet. Simply over a thousand folks hike it yearly, solely a fraction of the stress in comparison with different well-known trails all over the world. 

Getting To The ACT

Regardless of many trans-Atlantic flights going instantly over Greenland, attending to the beginning of the ACT from the States will not be a simple affair. One should both fly to Iceland, then Nuuk (the capital of Greenland), then to Kangerlussuaq, or go all the best way to Copenhagen, then flip round and take a four-hour flight again to Kangerlussuaq.

Fortunately, when you land, the remainder is straightforward. The one lodge and solely restaurant within the small, 500-person city is within the airport itself, and shuttle buses to Level 660 depart from the entrance door.

Gear & Meals For The Path

After a two-hour bus journey stopping at just a few historic factors of curiosity, we arrived at first of our journey. Strolling throughout unfastened rocks on the moraine after which hopping a small stream onto the ice is a surreal feeling. This big sheet of ice runs repeatedly for some 680 miles to the far japanese coast of Greenland and greater than a thousand miles to the northern tip of Greenland. Carrying nothing however quick shorts, windbreakers, and path sneakers, we regarded decidedly misplaced subsequent to a dozen vacationers in full-on parks, beanies, and gloves. At that second we realized how unbelievably empty this place is.

Even in peak summer time (late July), temperatures hovered below fifty levels for many of our journey. Standing on the most important chunk of frozen water on the planet, it felt ever colder. The ice cap is impressively massive, however is melting quick. Our shuttle driver made certain to level out that in his twenty years within the space it had receded virtually 1 / 4 mile. Whereas it was simple for us to gawk on the sheer vastest of Ice Cap, it concurrently unattainable to disregard the looming risk of it melting at an accelerating tempo.

For these hoping to repeat our journey, the very first thing to know is that the ACT is totally self-supported. There are not any bail-out choices, no cities to cease in for additional provisions, and extremely costly evacuations if issues go flawed. Merely put, you’re by yourself.

Subsequently, bringing the best gear on the ACT is crucial. We selected 40L packs, hanging a stability between a runnable weight and nonetheless ready for the weather. That gave us the house to hold light-weight cooking and tenting gear like a PocketRocket MSR stove to share, six Good-to-Go dinners and breakfasts every, a Sea-to-Summit Spark sleeping bag, and some different requirements. 

With out going by our full equipment of drugs, the items we discovered essentially the most helpful had been a water resistant and windproof Mountain Hardwear Kor Airshell, copious Boon Stroopwafels, light-weight BUFF beanie for cool days and cooler nights, Garmin Enduro 2 which lasted your complete journey with no need a cost, and HOKA Speedgoat 5s that dealt with the mud, rocks, bogs, and lengthy days with out a lot bother. 

Climate, Bugs, and Huts

After studying just a few horror tales of wind, heavy rain, clouds of mosquitoes, trench foot, and difficult route discovering on the Arctic Circle Path, we ended up having a comparatively easy journey. The cool climate was arguably advantageous for us, permitting us to run with out overheating. We had just a few afternoon showers, however by no means sufficient precipitation to get previous our Gore-Tex raincoats and pack covers. The bugs had been dangerous sufficient to power us into head nets just a few instances, however that was a small worth to pay. 

It’s a far cry from most lengthy distance trails as of late, with rather more threat and unknown. Nevertheless, all of that’s what makes it definitely worth the journey.

Fortuitously, there are 10 huts alongside the ACT that provide easy shelter at evening. They differ in measurement and luxury, however most have a desk, easy mattress setup, and some drying strains to hold moist garments. They’re spaced 10 to 12 miles aside. Our every day sample was to run to the subsequent hut, have lunch inside and away from the weather, then run to the subsequent and keep for the evening. It’s price noting that we did carry a light-weight 3-person tent as a contingency choice, if the hut was full. 

Why You Ought to Go

The Arctic Circle Path isn’t for everybody. It’s a rugged, self-supported route throughout one of many harshest environments on Earth. 125 miles in whole, with numerous bogs to cross, loads of locations to get misplaced, wild animals to keep away from, fickle climate to take care of, and completely no cell service. It’s a far cry from most lengthy distance trails as of late, with rather more threat and unknown.

Nevertheless, all of that’s what makes it definitely worth the journey. It’s the exact opposite of path operating in Europe or many elements of the States. You’ll see just some folks every single day, presumably nobody in any respect. You’ll get to discover a spot that’s nonetheless really wild and untamed, following rock cairns with painted crimson dots, as an alternative of signposts that really feel like an expressway. And one of the best half? You’ll disconnect from the stress and distraction of our chaotic world, and simply be. Even when which means repeatedly shedding in Monopoly Deal.