Adventure is the essence of the trip. We need to find people who share that mindset. Because if not, it doesn’t work. Marta was immediately excited and became my collaborator on this expedition as our captain. We felt the name Via Sedna was perfect for our project because Sedna is the name of the Greenland goddess of the sea in Inuit mythology.

2020 was our first year of planning the trip, but we weren’t able to find enough people — or a boat — to make it happen.

The next year we were able to find a group of people who were motivated and available. Of the eight crew members, I’m the only one who lives and works as an athlete. Everyone else has to take unpaid leave from work. This is a really big commitment from everyone, and I do not take that for granted.

Fall 2021 we got to work on preparations, looking for sponsors, and finding a boat. Most people want to skipper their own boat; they’d never give you their boat to navigate on your own to Greenland, especially since there’s a lot of ice, and you never really know if your boat will make it back. To make a long story short, we were very lucky to get the Northabout.

We know the trip can be done in three to four weeks. Twenty-one days is pretty typical for this time of year. To be generous, we allow four weeks to get there. This way we’ll have another four weeks on land to do lots of climbing before we need to begin our trip back in mid-August — there are big storms in the North Atlantic in September we need to beat. So we have a deadline, but plenty of time before that.

Nadia is a close friend of mine, and we’ve climbed the world together. Nadia lives in France but is from Spain. Capucine is a climber friend of Nadia’s; she’s French. So the climbing team is set: Nadia, Capucine, and I will attempt to open the wall.

Marta found a good sailing partner pretty quickly. Sol is a naval architect living in France as well but is from Argentina. The other sailor is also named Caro. She’s a carpenter, a really good cook, and one of Marta’s best friends, so I knew we would get along. Finally, we have Alix, a sailor and sailmaker. We’re happy to have a strong team of four sailors for our journey.

Ramona is our photographer and a good friend of mine. She lives in Austria and speaks German. A few years ago, I mentioned this dream to her, and she said, “If you ever go, tell me. I will come.” Despite the language barriers and being a photographer — not a filmmaker — she was committed and started teaching herself how to fly drones off a moving sailboat and off steep walls.

All-women climbing and sailing expeditions are rare, and we don’t know if an all-women team has ever attempted such an adventure. But we do know the wall is yet to be climbed. So there’s a pressure we’ve put on ourselves to prove it’s possible and bring something back for all the people supporting us. But actually, we’re doing it because it’s a lifetime dream and a big passion. We want to have fun and connect with our environment, not conquer it nor be heroes.

In the weeks leading up to our departure, this group of talented women is starting to become a team. The energy and excitement is high.

Finally, finally, we find ourselves on the wall, climbing good rock and doing what we love. We’re immersed in this sea of granite — the thing we came here for — and we’re just super happy. This energy carries us. As the sun is setting and the temperature is dropping, we rappel back down to our camp to discuss how we’ll handle the next two days as, yet again, the weather window is short before a snowstorm rolls in.

We have two strategies: go light and just do a 24-hour push, or go with bivy gear and climb for one and a half days. We decide to do a little of both — go with bivy gear but only two portaledges and two sleeping bags for three people, less water and food. Nadia and Capu share a sleeping bag on the portaledges, so they’re comfortable but cold. I’m sleeping on the rocks, but I have my own sleeping bag, so I’m warm but uncomfortable.

The day before, it took us all day to do just four pitches. Some parts were soaking wet, and sometimes the leader had to do aid climbing. Very difficult. And we were only halfway up the wall. We’re coming to a juncture where we accept that, with the weather coming in, the summit may be out of reach.

After the emotional roller coaster of the past seven weeks, we’ve gotten very good at focusing on appreciating where we are and how far we’ve come, being grateful for the opportunity and the camaraderie of this team. But it’s not over yet.

“Today is the day — we can do this!” I say, trying to motivate us, myself included. This close to our goal, it’s hard to feel optimistic because we expect another dip on this roller coaster of an expedition. The cold and wet air makes it difficult to leave our sleeping bags, and we need much more rest than we’re getting to recover from each day.

“The last bit looks easier, girls. After the next two pitches, I think you can make it to the top,” Ramona reports via radio with her assessment of the wall from her drone and binoculars. It’s the encouragement we need to hear.

And then the unbelievable happens: After five more pitches and some scrambling, we reach the top of our wall! For the first time on the whole trip, it feels like maybe Sedna is with us because the difficulties finally seem to ease off.

Topping out of that route, our route, is one of the most incredible feelings I’ve ever experienced. It’s hard to describe our elation at this moment! Nadia, Capucine, and I share an emotional celebration at the top but can barely soak it in before we know we must start rappelling down — the clouds are already coming in.

We truly barely made it. In our three-month expedition, we only spent four days on the Greenland walls.

Before us, a team of all women on a sailing and climbing expedition — and opening a wall — didn’t exist, so we feel proud of that. And I’ll admit, it felt unfair that we had such hard conditions. But being a group of women, we worked well as a team, motivating each other, not taking things too seriously, and talking openly if one of us was feeling down. In the face of every obstacle on this journey, I believe our greatest advantage was having one another.