Arctic Journey: Sisimiut

In the morning our Explorer was still on course for Sisimiut, the second-largest town in Greenland, population 5600. The ship was brimming with new guests who had come aboard at Kangerlussuaq, so the morning was given over to introductions, talks, and decontamination.

Introductions included a presentation by the IT officer about the Internet and phone system on board, an introduction to the Expedition Team, and a Wellness Open House. The talk was Digital Camera Basics for All Cameras. Over the years we've seen more and more Lindblad emphasis on encouraging camera-bearing guests and enhancing their photographic knowledge, be they expert or beginner. The Arctic Decontamination boils down to inspecting and disinfecting as necessary backpacks, walking poles, boots, and the like so as to not transmit alien species to the places we go.

Joan and I had free time, having had our introductions and decontamination at the beginning of our trip, in Reykjavik. As usual we hung out on the bridge and did see some humpback whales, who were unconcerned about our presence.

During lunch we docked at Sisimiut, and I took this picture from the ship. Sisimiut is an important fish-exporting center, being the northernmost port in west Greenland that is ice-free all year. Most of the town isn't visible from the dock.

The crew was taking advantage of the time, location, and weather to do some maintenance of the ship.

We divided into several walking groups. Some groups were taking a city tour, and some were taking a "cultural walk" to the Tele Islands. Joan and I joined the islands walk, which was described as two miles long and might be "uneven in spots." The walk began in town, on a road, which this photo looks back upon.

This section of the walk also gave me a good photo of Greenland's flag, which I find straightforward yet imaginative.

The road ended atop a rocky elevation. Here the various subgroups (photography walk, cultural walks) began to part ways. This picture looks back towards town; our group will be heading off to the right.

Our guide was Anita.

We learned some of Anita's story, which illustrates the challenges that come with the blending of traditional Greenlandic life and the Danish influence. She grew up in Sisimiut, and learned to hunt at an early age. In fact, she became the youngest member of her extended family, at age 5 or 6, to kill a seal. One brother was the youngest, at age 8 or 9, to kill a caribou. She described the annual caribou hunt, a non-motorized event in which the family walks into the back country, and each person has a job to perform. The hunt is a celebratory time for the family; Anita described it as Christmas and Easter rolled into one. It was common for her extended family to bring back at least forty caribou, which is not excessive: the meat is distributed amongst grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and the next hunt won't occur for another year.

On the Danish side of her young life, she attended university in Copenhagen, and while there was for a time a sergeant in the Danish Army. In fact, she had been scheduled for a tour in Afghanistan last year, but the deployment was canceled. All her immediate family has moved to Denmark because of a lack of opportunities in Greenland, and she will be returning there in January.

The uneven footing of the walk became more challenging than we expected. This is the walk down from the first high point.

The telecommunications links travel into Sisimiut from the seaside towers in metal conduits.

It's much easier than drilling through all this rock.

One of the cultural aspects of the walk -- besides chatting with Anita -- was a set of old foundations for winter housing. Various peoples, Inuit and earlier, have lived in the Sisimiut area for the last 4500 years. Here, Anita explains with the foundation in the foreground.

This is a closeup of another housing site.

Just offshore from us are a number of small islands that are used as sled dog kennels. Sled dogs are working dogs, not pets. In the months that they aren't working, the dogs are kept chained by their owner in a small area, either near town or on one of these islands, and fed only occasionally. The dogs are not allowed to get fat during the summer. Those on the city tour were explicitly warned not to touch the dogs.

A little further on we visited these stone cellars, used to keep food items in the same way that a root cellar would be used in temperate climates. Anita referred to them as "Inuit McDonald's."

We crossed to the next high point, which hosts the helicopter pad and communications towers, across this wooden bridge.

After climbing up to a good viewpoint I recorded this two-part video clip.

On our return to the town we visited the local kayak club. Kayak the English spelling of the Inuit word qajaq which reflects that the lightweight craft is an Inuit invention.

These are local, hand-made kayaks, often constructed with a skin of waterproofed canvas.

After everyone was back on board it was time for the Explorer to turn towards Disko Bay and Ilulissat. At 6:30pm we enjoyed Captain Oliver Kruess' Welcome Aboard Cocktail Party, held at the start of each trip, and then dinner at 7:30pm. Sunset was not until 11:24pm, and the evening light was photo-worthy.