While watching the plane fade away into the ever-lit sky, it hit many of the group that, for the first time, we were alone.  We were completely isolated from any form of civilisation.  It was scary; it was amazing.  We set about exploring our environment: up hills, down valleys.  Unfavourable weather forced us into less glamorous mountaineering feats than we had hoped for: initially struggling to move base camp up the valley, through mist and rain, was a personal low.  However, with the foundations laid, a mere ‘wander’ on day ten resulted in a first ascent, Mount Glasgow, at 1820 metres.  The glory of our achievement, the toil leading to it and the magnificent panorama we encountered combined to make a truly unforgettable moment. 

This most incredible day put a spark back into the group.  The sun just carried on shining as we lounged around camp resting the following day.  The leaders were hopeful of a further ascent further up the valley.  Tents were abandoned along with any other unnecessary equipment and we trudged up the valley.  That night did not provide much sleep: the mosquitoes were awful and the ground unbearably uncomfortable.  With next to no sleep and a 2am rise, we found it difficult to motivate ourselves.  However, a second, first ascent was looking promising as we scrambled up the steep, boulder-strewn slopes.  The pupils led the way until confronted by a treacherous looking, narrow ridge, the sides of which plummeted hundreds of metres to the glaciers below.  After carefully negotiating this section we summitted with feelings of completeness and appreciation of this beautiful land.  The second peak was named Tiraluin which, in Gaelic, means ‘beautiful land'.  The views cannot be put into words satisfactorily and the thought of retreating to a mosquito-ridden bivvy site was far from appealing. 

The third mountain conquered on the expedition was Academy Peak near base camp and had spectacular views up Scoresbysund, the largest fjord system in the world, littered with thousands of majestic icebergs.  As we approached its summit, the team linked arms and walked in a horizontal line onto the top which was a tribute to how close the group had become. 

Due to the unexplored nature of the mountains of Gåseland, we had not given much consideration to goals on the expedition, but our achievements outshone anything we could have hoped for.  We know that it would not have been possible without tremendous team-work and the efforts put in by the leader team of Al Halewood, Sally Ozanne, Nigel Williams and Neal Gwynne.  

A welcome rest was had during our last days on Gåseland, a football match was organised against the locals in Ittoqqortoomiit, and a luxurious visit to Iceland’s Blue Lagoon rounded off our expedition.  The four weeks pushed us close to our mental and physical limits; however, the rewards made this a wonderful experience that we guarantee the memories of will be cherished forever.

The Glasgow Academy East Greenland Expedition 2009 is grateful for the support of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, The Glasgow Academy Governors, The Gino Watkins Fund at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Mr Gordon Henry, The Mountaineering Council of Scotland, The Scottish Mountaineering Trust, The Cray Trust and The Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Allen Farrington, Olivia Mason, Jane Rutherford and Rachel Turner.