Words:
MIKE DEVLIN
Photos:
Mary Jelliffe &
Chris Heaney
Mike Devlin paddled with Andy Hall, Chris Heaney and Mary Jelliffe. Local logistics, accommodation and general support provided by Rasmus Paulson of Tasiilaq Tours. https://eastgreenland.com/ providers/tasiilaq-tours/
The pristine paradise of Sermilik Fjord, East Greenland
Woken early this morning by the warmth of the sun and clear blue skies, we breakfasted in our beautiful campsite surrounded by panoramic views of majestic mountains, high snowfields, and mountain glaciers. This was going to be a special day.
Looking out across Sermilik Fjord, the clarity of the air betrays distances. Our route for the day offers an amazing journey amongst ice and bergs released into the ocean by the massive Helheim, Fenris, and Midgard Glaciers. An unimagined experience amidst floating ice and bergs adrift , reflecting a vibrant turquoise in tranquil seas.
Growlers and white monoliths, every size and shape, our journey Tolkien-esque, an adventure in time as we make passage towards the village of Tiniteqilaq (the first local settlement stop of our trip), amongst these extraordinary manifestations of a millennia of precipitation.
As we embark on our day, it is again hard to believe we are several hours paddling from the far shore of the fjord and further still from our destination for the day. Nonetheless, on this day, at this time, distance and details are not essential to us. Taking our time, attempting to take in, appreciate and understand the scale and the beauty surrounding us, our only focus.
Our whole day was a stunning, serene vista of ice, snow and mountains, with distant bergs looking ethereal as they, and we, drift wraith-like, ghostly apparitions through layers of sea fret. All the more magnificent and awe-inspiring as we make our way in a world of silence, save that is, for the occasional crack and creak of ice, flow of melt water and the occasional, sometimes not so distant sound of thunder, as bergs collapse and capsize.
Shaped by their long journey from ice cap to sea, via rivers of ice and their tumultuous collapse and release from glacier snout, and then by sea, weather and climate, their size and scale are difficult to comprehend. These white, blue, green and black, often massive formations dwarf our presence amongst them. Domes, towers, spires and arches – imagined shapes (space ships, medieval fortifications and high apartment blocks) that change perspective, entice and captivate our imaginations, stretch our comprehension and understanding of what we are experiencing as we paddle by and around them.
Formed from compacted snow over a millennium (a time line impossible to comprehend), floating despite their enormous size (only 10% of a berg is visible above the water) and because they are formed predominantly from fresh water and therefore less dense than saltwater.
Intense, translucent blues
Predominantly white, due to the less compacted nature of the yearly accumulation of snow and the passing of light reflecting through bubbles of air within. Older, denser ice, compressed over time, has fewer air bubbles, allowing blue wavelengths of light to penetrate and create the most intense, translucent blues caused by impurities, such as dissolved organic matter or by the presence of marine ice. Black ice is caused by sediment from glacial bedrock or by a layer of dirty ice that has formed in a crevasse.
Our overall visual perspective of the ice changes and is enhanced by daylight. Clear blue skies, direct sunlight, overcast skies and reflective glare all create different but equally magical views.
Spectacular scenery
As we make our way towards the far shore, each of us becomes immersed in the spectacular scenery and this fantastic world of ice, unable to fully grasp the nature of our experience. Convinced only that we would be unable to articulate our experience to anyone at home, we were grateful, however, that we had been allowed to experience both the overall scene and the conditions.
Our journey this day continues in the same way: a trip through a 360-degree panorama of mountains, a journey amongst giants. This was a day we didn’t want to end, and indeed a day that continued to enthral us to the end… as we pitched tents at our final destination, we did so in the company of a pair of Humpback whales… truly a day of superlatives.
Of course, not every day of our trip was quite so spectacular. Nonetheless our time in East Greenland was special.
So why were we there?
Collectively, our purpose was to visit these Arctic Landscapes, kayak in the spiritual home of the sea kayaker, attempt to identify with an indigenous Inuit culture intertwined with the Arctic environment, and to contextualise the places visited, landscapes and experiences of the Trans Atlantic Air route expedition led by Gino Watkins in 1929/30.
Our paddling objective would take us from Tasiilaq to Watkins Southern Camp near Hundee. along with a return paddle via Johan Pederson Fjord to Tiniteqilaq, Kuummiut, the abandoned American airbase at Ikatek (Bluie East), and finally returning to Tasiilaq. Along the way, we would visit old Inuit winter settlements and summer camp sites.
Allowing for contingencies, weather, boat support, flight variables and team fitness, we allowed approximately 18/20 days for paddling. Our reward is an amazing team and individual journey in a unique environment. Insights into managing climate, changing sea scapes and conditions (mostly reasonably measured, at times however, wet, windy and wild), ever-moving brash ice and bergs to navigate (some the size of small islands), and a wildlife tick list that includes the world’s top predator.
Arctic landscapes
Making a return to East Greenland, specifically the Angmagssalik area was never an ‘if’ for me, it was simply a when.
Greenland, the world’s largest island, is an immense, remote wilderness extending 1660 miles north to south and 650 miles east to west. East Greenland has only two areas of habitation, Scoresby Sund in the north and Angmagssalik, an archipelago of islands and settlements 600 or so miles from the southern tip of Cape Farval.
As such, the east coast feels more remote than the west coast, and the Angmagssalik area, a vast environment in its own right, provides a dramatic ‘snapshot’ of the vast scale and pristine nature of the greater Greenland.
Stunning panoramas of the coastal mountains, glaciers, snowfields and of course the Greenland Icecap. Impressive ice fjords and coastal tundra, vegetation composed of dwarf shrubs, sedges, grasses, mosses, lichens and vibrant flowering plants, adapted to the harsh Arctic climate,
Inuit culture
As one travels these islands and fjords, one can’t help but reflect on the harshness of life here for the Inuit peoples of the past, for whom this was home. While summer weather can be relatively mild, stable and sunny, there is no doubt that winters are harsh, with many dark hours to the day, cold temperatures, snow, high winds and lots of ice. All the same, the area is some 150 kilometres south of the Arctic Circle.
It is clear from the writings of Knud Rasmussen (1879-1933), Arctic explorer and anthropologist and indeed Gino Watkins (1907-1932) and his team (writing in 1929-1932) that the Inuit lived a subsistence lifestyle, feeding themselves, clothing themselves with only what they could hunt and catch. A tough and resilient people managing to live and hunt in often severe conditions and extreme cold, and doing so until the post-war years of the 20th Century.
Transient summers travelling between favoured summer camps selected for their access to trout, char and salmon, as well as seal, walrus, whale and bear. Travelling in family units by kayak and umiak (family boat), living under skin tents.
Harsh winters, living in turf houses kept warm only by seal blubber lamps and a single soapstone cooking pot. Home to perhaps several families and the focus of their whole winter existence, save for time when the hunters were able to take to the ice with sledge and dogs.
Indeed, our journey took us past numerous such camps and settlements, with traces of camp areas and turf houses evident, along with the remains of graves on exposed rocky foreshores, a testament to very hard, often short lives and practices that highlight resilience, community and indigenous heritage.
Greenland ‘Qajaq’ culture
At the heart of Inuit culture is the Qajaq or Kayak as we know it. Inuit kayakers (beginning to learn their craft as early as five and six years old) and hunters were celebrated within their culture as the providers of the key elements of their subsistence lifestyle.
The ‘Qajaq’ or Kayak is at least 2,000 years old. Further inferential evidence places their origins back another 2,000 years and possibly longer.
With evidence of some 40 different Inuit kayak designs, there were two primary uses for kayaks: those used in sheltered inland lakes and rivers to pursue Caribou, and those used in open ocean to hunt sea mammals.
The Greenland Inuit designed low-profile, low-volume sea kayaks with sharp upswept ends. Typically 17-18 feet in length, narrow of beam and with hard chined V-shaped hulls, these boats required the utmost skill from a paddler. Kayak and circumstance required the paddler to maintain continual balance with either paddle or body movements. Inuit paddlers responded with over 25 capsize recovery techniques and both self and team-rescue skills.
The kayak’s low profile shed water well and was difficult to spot from a seal’s eye view. Low flat decks, set up with harpoons and hunting equipment, meant they provided little capacity for carrying game, so Inuit paddlers usually towed their game using complex toggle systems and seal bladders. Paddles were purposely made long and narrow to reduce dripping-water noise when hunting, while maintaining a high wetted area to facilitate propulsion.
Arguably, the modern sea kayak is the culmination of many years of Inuit evolution, as well as contemporary developments to accommodate human physical advancements and modern technical/performance demands. Equally, one could argue that all modern kayak designs have undergone a similar evolution.
Gino Watkins and the Transatlantic Air Route Expedition 1930/31
While an undergraduate at Trinity College, Cambridge, Gino led the 1927 Cambridge University Expedition to Spitsbergen, exploring and mapping Edgeoya, the third largest island in the Svalbard Archipelago. A year later (July 1928 to May 1929). He returned north on an expedition to Labrador, accompanied by James Scott, exploring and surveying the upper reaches of the Hamilton River (now known as the Churchill River) and the Unknown River, becoming one of the first Europeans to see a series of significant falls.
Following his Labrador experiences, he gained the support of the Royal Geographical Society for the British Arctic Air Route Expedition (BAARE). The purpose of this 1930-1931 expedition was to investigate the possibilities of an air route from Britain to the west coast of the United States via Iceland, Greenland, Baffin Island, Hudson Bay and Edmonton. Along with his colleagues (Freddy Chapman, John Rymill, Quinten Riley, Augustine Courtauld, J.M. Scott, Capt. Percy Lemon, L.R. Wager, Alfred Stephenson, Lt. Martin). Lindsey, Flight Lt N.H. D’Aeth, W.E. Hampton, Surg, Lt E.W. Bingham and H.I. Cozens ). Gino proposed exploring Greenland’s east coast and inland ice, the least-known areas along its coast.
Sailing on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s old ship, the Quest, from London in July 1930, to Ammassalik in East Greenland, where a base camp was established at Hundee. On 8th September 1930, a meteorological station was established on the ice cap at 67°05’N, 41°48’W, where a series of observations was conducted. Several exploratory flights were made, during which a range of high mountains was discovered, later named the Watkins Mountains.
A series of sledging and boat journeys were made to survey and chart parts of this area of the east coast of Greenland and to examine the ice cap of the interior. An experienced dog-driver, it was on this expedition that Gino learned to kayak, becoming a skilled paddler and accomplished hunter. This skill was intended to support the expedition and his team with food.
On his return to Britain in 1931, Watkins began planning a Trans-Antarctic Expedition, but was unable to raise sufficient funding due to the worldwide economic depression. He decided, therefore, to return to his East Greenland Expedition 1932-1933, sponsored by Pan-American Airways, to extend the work begun during BAARE. Again, Gino’s primary responsibility was to feed his three companions, John Rymill, Quintin Riley and Frederick Chapman, through his hunting.
In August 1932, Rymill and Chapman discovered Watkins’ empty kayak on Lake Fjord, where Watkins had been seal-hunting alone. His body has never been found; he was aged 25.
There she blows
In addition to its stunning landscapes, East Greenland is home to a diverse array of wildlife and flora. While dispersed within this vast environment, visitors may be lucky enough to spot Ringed and Harp Seals and an occasional Walrus.
Whales are commonly seen in the waters around the archipelago. Humpback and Minke whales are common, while Fin, Narwhale, Pilot, Beluga and Sperm Whales are occasional visitors. We, ourselves, were lucky enough to have sightings of both Humpback and Fin Whale during several of our paddling days – magical and enigmatic experiences in themselves.
Land mammals of the area include Stoats, Lemmings and Arctic Fox – regular cheeky visitors to our camp sites, often patrolling our camp area, awaiting our early morning departures.
Polar Bears, while most frequently found in the north and northeast, can travel along the entire east coast, reaching the south of Greenland with drifting ice. While not commonly seen, local hunters have an annual quota of bears they can hunt. So they are there, and precautions need to be taken to ensure camp security! That said, the most likely sighting of a polar bear will sadly be of the skinned variety, drying outside a hunter’s house in one of the settlements.
Among the bird species, Northern Wheatears, Northern Fulmars, Terns, Eiders, Gyrfalcons and White-tailed Eagles are commonly seen. The coastal cliffs are breeding grounds for Black Guillemots, Little Auks, and Puffins.
The Raven is also familiar. With daily sightings, they seemingly follow our journey around the archipelago, adding a fascinating perspective to our trip and an insight into Inuit culture, rich with stories featuring the raven as a trickster. Symbolising transformation, magic and mystery, the Raven’s ability to shape-shift and its role as a creator and deceiver in tales illustrate essential lessons about life and survival. It is respected and feared, teaching valuable lessons about ambition, consequences, and the balance of nature. The Ravens’ presence is often seen as a good omen, bringing luck and prosperity to those who encounter it.
Ikateq – Angmagssalik Fjord
Journeying as we did around the archipelago and settlements, old and more recent, was an inspiring and emotional experience. A vast, mostly pristine environment. Many incredible vistas and awe-inspiring landscapes. An arctic wilderness of peaks and glaciers, home to a unique flora and fauna. And then we visit Ikateq, Angmagssalik Fjord, the site of an abandoned World War II airbase – Bluie East Two (BE-2) – a stark contrast to all that is pristine and clean about this land.
Established in 1942 after an exhaustive search amidst the craggy peaks for a location that could support a 1500-metre runway, Bluie East Two operated mainly as an alternate airfield, as well as a base for meteorology, navigation and search-and-rescue.
Then, in 1947, the US simply shut the base down and walked away. Leaving behind the buildings, infrastructure and vehicles. Almost 80 years on, these relics of conflict, required to operate in such a remote location, along with thousands of barrels drained of fuel, are rusting, twisted and deformed – barrels disintegrating and still leaching into the water courses and fjord.
Geopolitical drive
Bluie East Two is a site in juxtaposition to the peace and serenity of Greenland, an affront to the island’s history and remarkable landscape. If anything positive could come from this human tragedy, it should be seen as a metaphor against the juggernaut of human consumerism and the thirst for technological advancement and superiority. The geopolitical drive for Earth’s rare earth minerals is focusing on Greenland in a way that can only bring further negative impact and disaster.
As our journey comes to an end, however, it is the wider beauty and pristine nature of this land, as well as the desire to explore and immerse ourselves in the landscapes of the polar environment and remote places, and the history of a culture that called this implacable and harsh land home, that inspires and highlights the necessity of preserving it and how important it is that the Inuit first nation peoples of this land are supported and protected from powerful ‘invaders’ desperate to exploit a wilderness that defines our fight against climate change.
It is only when flying out of Kulusuk, at the end of our adventure, mind-mapping our return to fjords and mountains ever more remote that one can begin to fully appreciate just how ‘vast’ this land is, how immense the Greenland ice cap actually is, despite losing between an estimated 200-270 billion tonnes of ice annually to climate change.
Other Greenland features
ingrid Ulrich, reveals her photographs of Greenland: https://paddlerezine.com/ingrid-ulrich-reveals-her-photographs-of-greenland/
South to north Greenland solo: https://paddlerezine.com/south-north-greenland/
Solitude in Greenland: https://paddlerezine.com/solitude-in-greenland/
