Pingu, Greenland
I take my wearable together with waterproof my gear inwards training for the deepest together with most unsafe river crossing of the hike. It’s fourth dimension to teach wet!
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Packing/Logistics
DAY 7: Ikkattooq to Eqalugaarniarfik (and beyond)
Hiking Distance xix km (12 miles) | 8 hours
Before nosotros teach to the river, allow me kickoff say you lot nigh an interesting Danish pair I met at the Ikkattooq cabin. We chatted for a few hours before nighttime fell, hiding out from the tempest overhead.
Fleming & Ellen receive got hiked the Arctic Circle Trail vi times now.
They’re both seventy years old. And if that wasn’t plenty to print you, they’ve also trekked completely across Greenland over its vast H2O ice cap! An astonishing feat that takes a calendar month to attain pulling sleds total of nutrient & gear.
These ii receive got hiked to Everest Base Camp, climbed Mont Blanc (Europe’s highest mountain), together with are frankly some bad-ass senior citizen adventurers. Plus, they didn’t fifty-fifty teach into trekking until they were inwards their 40’s.
It’s never besides belatedly to test something novel & challenging.
Greenland’s Mosquitos
The adjacent morn nosotros role ways together with I start to climb over a steep ridge inwards crisp 38 grade mount air. From in that location the trail winds downwards into a huge valley. Descending to the river below is when the kickoff mosquitos start out to attack.
Greenland has a large musquito problem.
They breed inwards the many lakes & ponds scattered across the landscape, feeding on the reindeer population. But mosquitos are hatching before together with before each twelvemonth — which many scientists attribute to global warming.
When hiking the Arctic Circle Trail inwards June or July, these epic swarms are out inwards force. Wearing a musquito headnet is essential for keeping your sanity.
By mid August most of them exceed away off due to colder nighttime temperatures. I nonetheless encountered modest swarms over bogs & marshy areas of the trail. These niggling insects are a huge hurting inwards the ass!
Naked River Crossing
The valley surrounds Ole’s Lakseelv, the widest & deepest river on the Arctic Circle Trail. The local cite for it is Itinneq. There are ii ways to cross.
You tin teach moisture together with ford correct through, or accept a longer detour to a wooden span that was built nearby. In the early on restrict or later on a lot of pelting the river floor tin live high, upward to your chest.
However inwards mid-August, articulatio genus or thigh-high is to a greater extent than common.
I was determined to ford correct through. But because it had rained the nighttime before, I wasn’t certain how deep the river would be.
To live safe, I stripped downwards to my birthday adjust together with waterproofed my hiking back-pack yesteryear lining it alongside heavy-duty garbage bags. The beginning of all this H2O is Greenland’s H2O ice cap, together with thence you lot tin imagine how mutual depression temperature it is!
Slowly & carefully I maneuver my agency across the river using trekking poles for support. The icy H2O reached the top of my thighs at its deepest point. Safely on the contrary banking concern I dry out off, repack, together with maintain into the valley.
Reconnecting With Nature
The trail rises upward into the rocky mountains in i lawsuit to a greater extent than towards Eqalugaarniarfik Hut later on the river. I run across my sixth reindeer along the agency together with halt for a patch to scout her graze.
There’s zip similar a boots off, socks off, lay-in-the-grass pause every 1-2 hours to maintain you lot fresh together with rested on a long distance trek. It’s been nigh a calendar week since I’ve had to reply to email, write weblog posts, edit photos, or rest active on social media — together with I don’t fille it.
While I dearest my project working equally a professional person blogger, existence online all the fourth dimension takes its toll. This journeying into Greenland’s wilderness on my ain alongside no distractions feels similar a proper vacation.
I exceed Eqalugaarniarfik Hut together with hike uphill on an one-time snowmobile runway lined alongside white-tipped cotton fiber grass blowing inwards the wind. Turning to scout the niggling blood-red edifice shrink inwards the distance.
DAY 8: Eqalugaarniarfik to Innajuattoq (and beyond)
Hiking Distance xix km (12 miles) | vii hours
It gets windy merely I care to abide by a decent camping ground location sheltered yesteryear hills on all sides. Pitching my Hyperlite Mountain Gear Echo II tent beside a modest pond equally a pair of snow-white arctic hares scout me from rocks nearby.
Mosquitos wake me the adjacent morning. I’m packed upward together with on the trail yesteryear 9am later on munching on wild berries & mushrooms equally a low-cal breakfast.
The path continues over a mountainous share dotted alongside lakes. Patches of permanent snowfall tin live seen on the peaks. Looking at the landscape, you lot teach a sense of how massive glaciers carved this valley long ago.
At the kickoff of the ii Innajuattoq huts I halt to accept an afternoon nap surrounded yesteryear the rugged Taseeqqap Saqqaa mount range. Walking downwards to the 2nd, larger hut I discovery my Danish friends Fleming & Ellen who’d passed me equally I slept.
They demo me where to cross the river ahead equally it drains from a lake. I hike on patch they select to halt their twenty-four hr catamenia early on at the cabin.
The Reindeer Family
Suddenly I consider ii reindeer 50 yards to my left. Then 3 more, including a baby. It’s a whole family! I carefully accept off my vivid orangish backpack, line out my camera, together with crawl on my tum commando mode upward a loma to test together with capture photos before they location me.
This is the closest they’ve been, together with I teach groovy shots.
Then the current of air shifts together with i of the males smells me (easy to practise later on a calendar week alongside no shower) together with sounds the alert yesteryear grunting to the others who rapidly run off inwards all directions.
Greenland’s arctic tundra is covered inwards flowers during the restrict & summer. Purple, blue, red, pink, yellow. I’m non certain what the names are — my favorite is a niggling blood-red i that looks similar it belongs inwards a physician Seuss book.
The trail passes through a woods at i indicate too! Well, what seems similar a woods yesteryear Greenland’s standards. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 grove of dwarf willow trees 6-7 feet high.
Campfire Fail
Grey clouds motion inwards together with the current of air picks upward again. I scramble to locate a goodness campsite before dark, stumbling upon a bird tent pitch that’s unfortunately exposed to mutual depression temperature current of air blowing upward from the valley ahead.
Luckily unloosen rocks surroundings the surface area — perfect for edifice a makeshift wind-break inwards front end of the tent. I test to low-cal a burn downwards using fluffy cotton fiber grass & twigs I’d collected earlier, merely the current of air is besides strong.
This is why I dearest emergency infinite blankets.
You never know when they’ll come upward inwards handy. I e'er pack a sturdy version for long hikes. Wrapping it to a greater extent than or less my sleeping handbag helps trap oestrus together with protect from the current of air sneaking nether the lightweight tarp tent.
It’s a long, mutual depression temperature night, merely I care to teach some slumber dreaming of the huge, mouth-watering musk ox steak that I’ll devour when I hold out attain Sisimiut.
I wake alongside drool on my confront & thick fog hanging over the area. Onward! ★
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Packing/Logistics
Packing Guide
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