The Fjords of Greenland

Leaving Nuuk we visited a couple of the beautiful Fjords of Greenland. There are no roads between any of the towns and villages of Greenland due to the topography and this is the reason more people own boats than cars.  Another interesting fact is that north of the Arctic Circle the only breed of dog that one is allowed to have is the Greenlandic sled dog in order to preserve the purity of the breed.

The first fjord we ventured down was the Kangerlussuatsiaq Fjord which is 75 km long and 2300 feet deep.  It is framed on both sides by towering mountains which are some of the most popular climbing spots in Greenland.  At the head of the Fjord a large glacier reaches down into the water.  We explored the glacier by zodiac and sat amongst the floating ice chunks listening to and watching the glacier calf off large pieces.  Surrounded by snow covered peaks it was magical.

All trips come to a close and we finished this one by sailing down the Kangerlussuaq Fjord to the town of the same name which has a population of 500 and boasts Greenland s International airport.  The airport was previously a US airbase during WW II.  From here we flew out on a private charter to Toronto on our way home.

The light on the mountains of Greenland at sunset was spectacular 

Travelling down towards the glacier the water was a beautiful green due to run off from the ice

A smaller glacier with pristine snow at higher elevatio

The Ocean Endeavour anchored so we could go exploring 

Getting close to the glacier in the zodiacs

Birds having a rest on the chunks of ice that have calved off of the glacier

This puts into perspective how thick the glacier is at sea level and it gets much thicker as it goes up the mountain

Even with mostly cloud cover we caught some beautiful reflections in the ice covered water

Looking back at the ship with the jagged peaks behind

The different forms that the ancient ice takes on as it has been compressed over the years was fascinating. The brown at the waters edge is also ice

Sailing up towards the airport

The route we took on our Heart of the Arctic trip with Adventure Canada 

Davis Strait and Nuuk Greenland

Davis Strait, the broadest strait in the world is at the northernmost part of the Atlantic Ocean and runs between Baffin Island and Greenland.  Our crossing took a full day plus some during which time there was plenty to do on the ship with lectures, films art classes and even meditation.  One could learn some throat singing if so inclined.  I took a water colour painting class from an Inuit artist which was really fun.  I am the first to admit that I have no painting ability but my finished product was not terrible.  The crossing was a bit rolly but nothing that bothered us though others suffered.

Our first port of call in Greenland was Nuuk.  Greenland is an island country that is part of Denmark and Nuuk is the capital of Greenland with a population of 20,000.  The only way in is by boat or plane.  One thing that really surprised us that for a city this small they had huge marinas with high quality boats. As it was explained to us by our guide the only way residents can get out of town is by boat so anyone that can afford one has one.  The town has quite a tourist draw and we visited the museum which was well set up and walked through town browsing through many of the art stores.  As it was a Sunday stores that were not designed for tourists were closed but that was not what we were there for.  Most of the residents live in apartment or condo buildings with very few single houses.  In the old part of town the colour of the house indicated what your profession is, for example black is law enforcement and red is medical.

At the beginning of the crossing the skies were clear and the seas were rolling

As the crossing progressed the seas got rougher and the fog rolled in. Icebergs were spotted in the distance but not a lot to see

My feeble attempt at watercolour but the class was fun and Nancy was entertaining and way too complimentary 

Nuuk is a port city so for the first and only time on the trip we were tied up and walked off the ship to explore the town

Beautiful setting with actual mountains in the background 

Huge marinas for all the residents boats

Beautiful sculpture at the base of town sitting on a rock in the ocean

Display of National costumes in the museum

Frame of a traditional canoe all held together by leather so it would flex. This would then be covered with seal skins

Petrified mummies that were found in the ice and eerily well preserved 

Beautiful location for a cemetery with the local traditional white crosses

Assortment of colourful single family homes, rare in this city, perched on the point in town

Akpatok Island and Killiniq, Nunavut

The morning of the 28th we cruised over to Alpatok Island where we spent the afternoon exploring by zodiac.  Alpatok Island is at the north end of Ungava Bay in Hudson Strait and is named for the thousands of akpats or thick billed murres that nest on its vertical cliffs.  When the fledglings are ready to make their death defying leap from their nest to learn to fly there are polar bears waiting on the beach below to catch the unsuccessful ones.  The seas were calm and we saw thousands of birds and a couple of polar bears on shore though they were a long way off.  A ring seal popped up close to our zodiac and gave us a good look as well.  Evening provided another spectacular sunset.

On the 29 th we arose bright and early for an excursion into Killniq .  This is an abandoned Inuit village on Killniq Island which is separated from mainland North America by the McLelan Strait.  Originally started as a meteorological Station in 1885 and then an HBC trading post in 1904 which left in the 1920’s the Inuit village grew around this port.  In 1978 it was decided by the government that this village would no longer receive support and all the residents were re-settled in other host communities of Nunavut.  We came ashore in a picturesque bay where an abandoned freezer house stood like it was still waiting for the residents to bring and store their meat and fish for the year.  The houses still stand ,though in bad state of repair and the workshop still has a tractor in it.  Old boats lie abandoned on the grass, though they definitely would not be sea worthy.  There was a power station and it was interesting to se how all the wires ran along the ground and were held down by rocks placed every couple of feet.  Quite a hilly village and was a bright sunny morning so a very pleasant morning.  Our wildlife sighting consisted of a very large Arctic hare.  Back on the ship we set sail on our longest crossing, that of Davis Strait as we head towards Greenland.

Approaching the bird sanctuary and on the outlook for polar bears.  We did see some but one needed binoculars to get a good view.

Cruising towards the island.  Thousands of birds surrounded us and a ring seal popped up beside us.

The murins resembled small penguins 

Every night presented us with magnificent sunsets

Approaching the deserted village of Killiniq

The village definitely had a picturesque setting though it was set far from any other civilization 

Remains of boats strewn on the land were telltale of how the inhabitants used the ocean for their source of food

Ocean Endeavour sits in the distance waiting for our return

We were visited by a large Arctic hare

Waterfront properties sit slowly falling apart

Equipment was just left and sits rusting where it was last used

Beautiful Arctic flowers grow amongst the decaying homes

Douglas Harbour, Quebec

Wednesday July 27th we arrived in Douglas Harbour,Northern Quebec under beautiful sunny skies and calm seas. The temperature was an unusually high 20 degrees. It hardly feels like we are in the Arctic.  After a very wet landing and a slog through a large expanse of rocky mud we were able to shed our rubber boots and prepare for our hike..  Our 8 kilometre hike took us over ancient glacier fields, over peat fields, over a hill to a beautiful lake in search of caribou and climbs up rock faces. It was certainly more than the moderate 4 kilometre hike that had been advertised but the scenery was breathtaking and it was a great way to spend the afternoon. The whole hike was lead by Laura carrying a gun and serving as our bear monitor.

Back on ship we sailed down to the end of this long harbour which was stunning.  Along the way we were treated to a show by a couple of beluga whales.  Out on the back deck while we enjoyed a cocktail we were served some traditional Inuit food including raw beluga, Arctic char ,ring seal and caribou. All was delicious except the seal liver which I could have done a pass on.  Life is good.

The tide was a long way out so it was quite a hike just to get to the start of our hike through rocks and beach clay.

Whenever we were on land there were always bear monitors on alert around the perimeters

The branch on this rock is actually an Arctic willow tree. Any trees that there are in the Arctic grow horizontally in the tundra.

Climbing to the top of a hill we came upon this fresh water lake with the ocean in the distance. We hiked out to the ocean and then up a rock face so we could get some panoramic views 

Beautiful views from the top of a long climb

Crow berries growing wild all over the tundra. Not yet ripe but apparently quite delicious. Would take a lot of picking to make a pie!

The tundra just seemed to draw you around the corner as we made our way down

Cruising down Douglas Harbour was very picturesque 

The assortment of Inuit food was interesting and some of it delicious.

Sunsets at the end of each day never disappointed and always got out the cameras

Cloud formations added to the beauty of the sunsets

Cape Dorset

Today July 26th dawned sunny and clear.  What a relief. We zodiacs into the town of Cape Dorset now known as Kinngait.  We were met by a local guide who has lived here for all of her 52 years .  Kinngait is a town of 1600 and is well known for its art, both prints and carvings.  We started our tour at the cultural print building which is a large modern building built in 2017 and is a co-op that any local artist can belong to and use as long as they have lived in Kinngait for 6 months.  Some locals first demonstrated some traditional toys and games as well as some throat singing before we toured the facility. A local artist demonstrated how each print is made by hand. 65 prints of each piece of art are made and the 50 that are the closest in colour etc are kept and sold and the others discarded.  The mould is then no longer used. Now a days they are using slate for the moulds.  The print he made was beautiful but would be thrown away as it was one that had already had 50 copies sold. We would have bought it in a heartbeat.  We visited the community Center where some locals had some wares for sale as well but not the quality of the Print Shop.  The town definitely showed more signs of prosperity than the last we visited as this has both a name for art and tourism giving residents opportunities for income.

In the afternoon we hiked in Milkjuak Park which is across the water from the town  the ground here is very peatty and cushiony to walk on but it is this environment that supports carpets on low growing Arctic flowers which were stunning.  The landscape was dotted with a variety of animal bones which have been left by hunters or other animals.  At the top of the hill there were some archeological ruins of stone houses that were believed to be more than a thousand years old.  What isolation and hardship that must have been!  Down the other side of the hill we came upon an ocean inlet where some ancient kayak stands remained. Kayaks were invented by the Inuit and were there method of hunting on the ocean until the introduction of boats and they would put their kayaks up on these rock stands to protect them from the huge tides experienced up north.  While contemplating the beauty we were treated to a visit by a beluga whale feeding in the inlet.

All and all a great day.

The colourful houses of Cape Dorset. Even from the water one could see that this is a more prosperous community.

The large blue building on the hill is the modern print co-op replacing the green and yellow one below it.  It is used by many of the artists in the community 

After an introduction to the toys and games of the traditional Inuit this elder and young girl gave us a demonstration of throat singing 

Beautiful carvings on display and for sale

This artist gave us a demonstration on the art of print making. Each print is made by hand

The finished print.  Such a shame it would be thrown away 

A carver working outside along the roadway sanding some of the pieces he was working on

Colourful community Center where other artists had some of there wares for sale. We were the first ship in three years but Cape Dorset art is sold around the world

Making our way from the zodiacs up to the park. Tides here are huge and change significantly in an hour or two 

The carpets of purple fireweed resemble small orchids and colourful lichen grow on the rocks

Cotton grass adds a lightness to the landscape.  The cotton is gathered and used to start fires in the home.

The park is an archeological site and this is the remains of an ancient house

Our guide at the park carried a gun in the event of polar bears and I have no doubt that she knew how to use it

Fields of flowers going to seed had a beauty of their own

This is a ancient kayak stand where the Inuits would put their kayaks up on after hunting and fishing to protect them from the tide and from animals

We were lucky to spot a beluga feeding in the inlet. There had been a whole pod of them there in the days before we arrived and the community had had a very successful hunt but apparently they took great care to clean up the beach before we arrived so as not to offend anyone.  It is their way of life.

This walrus head has been anchored in the sea for the creatures to take care of the cleaning so that the carver can make use of the tusks. This walrus was found dead on the beach.

The colourful lichen make a lovely contrast to the flowers and grasses.