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SALT LAKE CITY — Tim Edgar usually finds hiking paths all to himself.
Or, at least, to himself and his usual hiking buddy, Morgan Watson.
But the University of Utah associate geography professor won't get all that elevated when he hits the trail on May 9. That's because Edgar and Watson won't be looking into the heavens for the goal of summiting another tall peak, which they already did in scaling Denali, Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus in Russia.
This time, a 375-mile trek across Greenland is on the agenda.
The goal is part personal, as Edgar and Watson obviously enjoy challenges of this sort.
But the voyage also has a scientific research component. Edgar will bring vials with him and fill them with Greenland snow to take back to his University of Utah colleagues for analysis.
"Really, the most important measurement we're going to bring back is snow density," Edgar said. "We're going to dig a pit in the snow surface, about a meter to meter-and-a-half, and then take samples about every 5 to 10 centimeters down the snow pit."
Since the results could be used to corroborate loss of the ice sheet there, it would be easy to see Edgar's trip in light of a global-warming argument. But he said this is the kind of thing he'd be interested in doing anyway — and he isn't trying to insert himself into the debate.
"We're also going to some snow surface samples to what we refer to as dry deposition," he said. "This could be any sort of particulate matter that's carried within the atmosphere."
Part of the east-west trip, which will be done on cross-country skis, will be on the same route where measurements were taken in 2010.
It's dangerous business crossing a largely unpopulated territory. In 2013, an arctic storm enveloped a trio of adventurers in Greenland and claimed the life of an Englishman.
Besides potential weather problems, Edgar and Watson also will keep an eye out for polar bears.
"This is kind of our hobby — a little bit different hobby if you consider putting yourself through some suffering to cross the icefield," Edgar said. "Most of what we have done in the past is climbing peaks, so this is a little bit of a different trip."
Edgar plans on returning to Utah on June 11.
The pair also will be wary of crevasses along the route. Near the end of the trip, Edgar and Watson will encounter more travails because of melting ice on that end. And this part isn't up for debate, as Edgar prepares for potential pitfalls — literal and otherwise.
"The western edge of the icefield experiences melt over a wider range of area than the east side," Edgar said. "So there's the potential that we might be walking for a couple of days through areas where there's really no snow.
"There's a complex labyrinth of melt-pond and streams, so we're doing the best we can with satellite imagery to plot out a course," he added.
Listen for more on this story at KSL News Radio.
