Sun Dog for the Ruff Riders

Sun Dogs are a special treat for cold weather expeditioners

The Ruff Riders woke up to overcast skies that cleared in the afternoon (finally clear skies for these guys!), and then they were treated to a very cool light show...But first, a little Greenland trivia.

We've been sharing some trivia questions with the Ruff Riders for them to consider while they eat dinner. Here's a couple for you.

Is Greenland the world's largest island?

During the summer months in inland Greenland, the Arctic fox's diet consists mainly of what? (None of the Ruff Riders got this tricky one correct.)

Scroll to the end of this post for the answers.

The Ruff Riders were covered 13.7 miles in 9.5 hours on the trail. They report good snow conditions (that is, firm and crispy) and a more gradual elevation gain than the past few days.

Their afternoon treat was an atmospheric phenomenon called sun dogs (pictured above). Sun dogs are bright spots adjacent to then sun that are caused by light refracting through ice crystals in high altitude cirrus clouds.

They're so cool to witness! The Ruff Riders sure deserved some sunny, special conditions after all the whiteouts they've traveled in so far.

Tomorrow morning looks to be good skiing weather, but the wind is forecasted to grow into a storm by midnight. Another day in the tent might be in their future on Saturday.

Now for the answers.

Yes indeed. Greenland is the world's largest island with an area of over 840,000 square miles. If you were thinking Australia, you're right that it's much larger, but it's considered a continental landmass, not an island.

As for Arctic foxes' summer diet, the Riders guessed birds and Arctic hare, but the answer is a much smaller animal, lemmings.

Check back tomorrow for more updates, and more trivia!