The Northwest Passage

We departed Victoria on August 30th bound for Edmonton to start our journey with Adventure Canada to the Northwest Passage aboard the Ocean Endeavour. Originally we were to begin our journey in Yellowknife but sadly the whole city has been evacuated due to wildfires so a quick change of plans was made which I am sure involved many headaches for the company but they did a great job.  After a couple of nights at the Renaissance Airport Hotel where we met up with Bea and Susan from Ottawa with whom we did the Heart of the Arctic last year we set off on Friday the first of September.  We flew by the charter air company Summit Air up to Kugluktuk where landing on a gravel airstrip we went by bus to board the ship by zodiacs. Kugluktuk was formerly known as Coppermine and is a predominantly Inuit village of approximately 1400 hearty souls.  After boarding the ship and going through the mandatory drills we set off on our adventure.

This is the route we taking through the Northwest Passage

Meeting up with Bea and Susan who we did the Heart of the Arctic with

The charter plane that will take us to the start of our journey 

Our first glimpse of the Arctic as we prepare to land

Not exactly the biggest terminal we have ever been to!

Rather barren looking town of Kugluktuk

No manicured yards in this town

The Ocean Endeavour awaits our arrival 

Gearing up to get on the zodiacs for the trip to the ship

View of Kugluktuk from the ship

Another part of town

Sisimiut Greenland

Saturday the 16th of September we made our last stop on our adventure before heading back to reality.  We stopped to explore the small town of Sisimuit which is the second largest town in Greenland. Although it is 75 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle warm currents keep it ice free all year and it is one of the fastest growing cities in Greenland.  Fishing and fish processing are the principal industries although the town has a growing industrial base and a shipyard.architecturally Sisimuit is a mix of traditional single family homes and communal housing with apartment blocks built in the 1960’s during a time of town expansion.  We were taken in small groups by a local for a tour which was very informative.  Our guide was born here and now a mother of three is a school teacher.  She willingly shared a host of information about growing up and living in a northern community and how things have changed over time.  One can not own property here but can apply to build on leased land and then own the home.  Most homes are built on rock as the permafrost is constantly changing and the buildings would shift .  We had a taste of Greenland at one of the hotels which featured whale and muskox as well as dried fish.  I think I will stick with our west coast diet though it is interesting to experience what others eat on a daily basis.

Leaving Sisimuit we started our journey towards the Kangerlussuaq airport which is 190 kilometres down a beautiful fjord framed on both sides by towering snow covered mountains. What a wonderful sight as we came to the end of our voyage.  As we were to have a 0430 start in the morning we went to bed at a decent hour but to our delight we’re awakened by an unexpected announcement that the Northern Lights were biding us a farewell to this magical part of the world. Standing on the upper deck and trying to absorb this natural light show was a perfect goodbye to a part of the world most only ever read or dream about.

All the homes in Greenland are very colourful. Historically the colour of the house indicated your profession. Today our guide told us in the winter the colours give some relief from all the white of snow

Kayaking is very popular here with the kayaks being extremely narrow 

Abandoned boats sat everywhere in all these communities 

Homes perched high on the rocks away from the permafrost 

An example of an old home built of stone and mud

An array of colour!

The church sat high on a hill looking over the town

A freshly caught caribou drying in the sun

Town cemetery in the middle of town. Graves are three meters deep due to permafrost. No cremation 

Hard to say wether these boats are still used

Busy harbour with blue fish packing plant

View of town from the ship

The actual route that we did take on this expedition 

Entering the fjord to head to the airport 

Surrounded by picturesque views

Our final northern sunset

Magical northern lights 

Kept changing shape

Hard to capture the beauty

Mostly green in colour but spectacular 

Farewell Arctic!

Ilulissat, Greenland

Friday, September 15th we woke to brilliant blue skies which could not have been better for the wonderful day we had ahead of us visiting Ilulissat  and the Sermeq Kujalleq Glacier.  The glacier sits 250 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle and reaches out to the sea at the Ilulissat Icefjord.  This glacier is one of the most active and fastest moving in the world and calves more than 35 cubic kilometres of icebergs into the iceberg alley annually. In 2004 the Ilulissat Icefjord was admitted onto the UNESCO’S World Heritage List.  Two kilometres north of the Icefjord is the town of Ilulissat whose population of 4500 is swollen by 6000 sled dogs. It is the Center for shrimp and halibut fishing and as we arrived in the harbour there was a very strong smell of fish coming from the fish packing plant.

We started the morning with a 2 hour zodiac cruise amongst the icebergs. Our ride started out quite eventfully as the engine died just after we left the ship. There was a brisk wind blowing and the seas were fairly rough and we had to do a zodiac transfer at sea.  It was not everyone’s most graceful moment but all made it successfully to the second zodiac though a couple, not us , had quite a hard time of it.  Once off being down at sea level and gazing up at the massive icebergs was breathtaking.  Some of these icebergs will take years to disappear.  After our tour we landed in the harbour and took a 30 minute walk through town and up to the ice museum.  The building is an incredible architectural feat with wonderful lines that really seems to fit into the surrounding nature.the massive curved roof is made to be walked on and is a wonderful viewing point.  From the center there is a boardwalk of approximately one and a half kilometres that takes you out to the glacier while protecting the tundra and all the arctic plants.  The views as you approach the glacier are fantastic and once we reached the end of the boardwalk we were able to clamber up onto the rocks to get views from several angles.  The sheer size and magnitude of this ice field was hard to absorb and it was wonderful just to sit and take in this wonder of nature.  As we sat there we heard a loud calving in the distance which added to the experience.  As our time in Ilulissat ran out we reluctantly hiked backed to town and after a quick look around it was time to reboard the ship.  As the ship left the harbour we stayed out on deck as we were surrounded by ice and the Captain had to manoeuvre between the large pieces. What a stunning day!

Approaching Ilulissat in the early morning 

Still dark but more and more ice

Ice starts to sparkle as the light hits it

Zodiac transfer at sea

Cruising amongst the icebergs 

Icebergs of every size

This is only a small portion of a very large iceberg 

The ice museum 

The boardwalk leading out to the ice fields

Ice ,water and tundra combine to make a beautiful picture

Eric contemplating this massive creation of nature 

The textures of the ice were immense 

The ice appears to stretch out to the horizon 

The homes in Ilulissat are some same colourful ones you see in all the towns in Greenland we have visited 

The church has an ideal situation right on the sea with ice behind it most all year

Found this old light on the top of a hill to guide the boaters

Our ship awaits our return inside the ice we will have to depart through to continue our journey 

Qivittut ,Disko Island

Thursday September 14th started with a treat as we actually got a bit of a sleep in and breakfast was not until 0730 instead of 0600 as we were staying on the ship for the morning.  There ere several lectures on offer which was good as the weather outside was the worst we had encountered.  It was windy, cold and sleeting which did not invite you to go out on deck. Even when we did arrive at Qvittut Eric and I debated about getting off the ship to go hiking but we’re glad we did.  Once again the scenery was spectacular.  Lots of arctic plants were still in bloom showing off their wonderful colours. The tundra was spongier than it had been on previous hikes and you sank down at least six inches with each step certainly adding to the amount of exercise you got.  Took some time to sit by the lake and just try and take it all in. This is a land so different than home and we are so privileged to have the opportunity to explore some of these places that very few people will ever get the chance to.visit.

Position of Qvittut with relevant latitude and longitude 

Snow topped mountains coming through the mist

An Arctic lake set in the tundra. No one was tempted to take a dip!

Looking out towards the inlet we came into

One can see that the tundra is never ‘flat’

Magnificent areas of colour

Walk a little further and the tundra colour changes

Hill down to the zodiacs. Very wet and marshy. Thank goodness we chose to keep our rubber boots on

Was a great time on this location but as it is starting to rain harder it is time to get back to the ship