East Greenland: Up the Sermilik Fjord

Joan and looked out from our tent the next morning, August 17th, and yesterday's blue skies had turned into fog.

Walking to the mess tent, I noticed a vantage point where the sun lined up with a mountain edge.

We expected a busy day and I dug into a great breakfast.

After the meal our group stepped, pulled, pushed, and zipped ourselves into our Mustang suits and boarded zodiacs for today's expedition. We gingerly threaded the channel off Tinit,

and headed north up Sermilik fjord.

An iceberg extravaganza!

Two eyes?

Ice blocks formed the borders of an exhilarating slalom.
Two hours later, including a rest break, our group was dropped off short of our first destination, creating an interesting hike. We would walk and climb to point overlooking the fjord that included a cabin, owned by a Dane who rents it out.

Katie and Drew had rifles in case we encountered a polar bear.

One rule was that photos were to be taken only when the group stopped. For safety's sake, there were to be no stragglers.

One low-lying area had collected a shallow pond and bog.

The point we're headed towards came into view, in the right of this photo. Somewhere in mid-hike Drew spotted arctic fox scat with crab bones embedded.

We hiked on.

To where we needed to clamber down.

In the damp gully below, there was a rivulet with swirling algae.

And nearby, blooming dwarf fireweed.

The cabin began to emerge from a high point of the rocky terrain.

Zooming in ...

The zodiacs had been driven ahead, and our Mustang suits were spread out in the sun.

Continuing on gentler ground, we approached our lunchroom. I turned around to take this photo looking back.

Lunchtime was great, as always.

There was plenty of time to admire the surroundings.

At the end of our break I dashed over to the octagonal cabin.

The interior included a granite countertop!  (Photo taken through a window.)

Then it was time for the second leg of our journey, to don the Mustang suits -- our group was getting skilled at this by now -- and zodiac to the remains of two traditional Inuit sod houses.

A sod house formed the winter living quarters, solid and insulating. First, still wearing our Mustangs because the distance was short, we examined the remains of a 200-300 year old sod house, now just a small ring, a disturbance in the ground. Then we walked a short distance to a much larger, 60-70 year old sod house, located on a rise but close to the water. The entrance, originally a narrow tunnel, faced downhill for several feet to prevent heat from escaping. Please click on the image to enlarge; the house caps the greenery.

Julius told us about the sod houses in the context of the "old times," and a few stories from the old times. The theme of one of the stories was "you pass on your knowledge only when you know you are dying."

The rise next to the sod house lead to an overlook where hunters would, in the day, keep a lookout for whales and seals heading up the fjord.

Here the NatHab crew outdid themselves, providing champagne and Oreo cookies for an afternoon snack. Then Katie requested ten minutes of silence to drink in, to contemplate the view, and we fell silent. Almost immediately, one of the bergs in front of us split into two with a loud crack! and one half began to rock back and forth, searching for its new center of mass.


On the zodiac ride back to base camp several of us saw a harp seal in the fjord, but alas I never spotted it. I consoled myself with the marvelous icebergs.

Our last evening at base camp was dominated by ... ugh ... organizing. The bags to be checked onto tomorrow's helicopter had to be out on the tent porch by 09:00. Spoiler alert ... Joan and I managed it!