Qaanaaq, Greenland

Monday, September 11th we left Canada and crossed over to Greenland.  Greenland is the largest island in the world and is part of Denmark but has been under it’s own control since 1979.  It has a population of 57,000 people living in coastal towns as 80% is covered with a massive ice sheet that measure 700,000 square miles.  The number of icebergs that we are encountering is large as this is where they calf off of the massive glaciers and float out to sea.  Greenland also has the largest national park in the world but as it is mostly covered in ice I am sure it is not the most visited.

As we could not visit Gris Fjord the expedition team quickly got in touch with the people of Qannaaq to see if they coul accommodate us and they did more than that.  They welcomed us with open arms and proudly shared their heritage and culture with us. Coming into the bay in the early morning we were surrounded by snow capped mountains and there were icebergs all around the ship. Withe the addition of the early morning light it was just magical.

We arrived on shore by zodiac for a typical wet landing   Thank heaven for the supplied rubber boots!  We walked about the town of 600 people enjoying the multi coloured homes and buildings as well as the friendly smiles and greetings from the residents. After a visit to the church which they had open especially for us we went to their gym where they put on a cultural display.  Crafts people were selling their crafts and it was interesting to see what they make with skins and tusks of the animals.  There was also a lot of bead work.  One of the elders entertained us with song and drumming that had been passed down from his grandfather.  They stories were interrupted by a younger member of the town. When he sang the emotion he put into each word was so heartfelt.  Two young hunters showed a slide show of hunting methods for walrus and narwhal in this area using dogsled and kayaks. It is legislated by the government that all such hunting much be done in the traditional ways.  They had a sled and kayak present in the gym for us to see firsthand.  A couple of the young men put on a display of some of the events that take place in the Arctic games.  It was a very interesting display and all questions were welcomed and answered. A great learning experience.

After the cultural display we toured more of the town visiting the small but very well stocked local museum. They are very proud of the large piece of the Cape York Meteorite ,which fell to earth over10,000 years ago, and is the only existing piece outside the Smithsonian.  A visit to the ladies sewing house was very informative as they showed us examples of the clothing they still make today from the animal skins for warmth in the bitter winters.  The views from the town out over the bay which is dotted with icebergs is spectacular. This same bay will soon be covered with thick ice and dog sled teams will pull the hunters over it to their destinations.

The remainder of the cruising day was spent listening to various lectures on Arctic life while bundling up to go out and marvel at the passing icebergs that the Captain often passed by very closely.

Arriving in the bay in the early morning 

Was worth being on deck at 0545

The town awaiting our arrival 

The homes were very colourful and many were freshly painted 

The scenery from the town was picturesque 

The roads were a little muddy but they will soon be frozen solid for most of the year

The church sits alone on the hill

The inside of the church was simple but welcoming. Would have loved to have seen it in the dark with the electric candles on

The school was quite large and had a small play yard for the younger children but certainly no playing fields

The police station tells us their force must be very small

The elder who entertained us with stories and drum singing all in the native language 

The kayaks used for hunting

Heading out to the hunting grounds. They have their kayaks on the sled as well as their power boat which they are allowed to use to retrieve the narwhal once it is dead

The hunters sled

Narwhal tusks drying at a hunters home

The piece of the Cape York Meteorite composed highly of iron

The variety of colours are a delight with the beautiful bay in the background 

The supply ship arrived the same day we did and the bathe from the ship spent several hours unloading supplies for the winter when this whole bay will be frozen

The children at the school were concentrating more on us than on their studies

Traditional polar bear pants made at the women’s sewing house. One could have bought a pair but a little warm for our climate

A child’s jacket made from Arctic Fox 

Departing Qaanaaq we passed many glaciers tucked into mountain crevices 

A stunning coastline 

The Captain loves to get up close and personal with the icebergs

Baffin Bay

Sunday, September the 10th was amazing.  We spent the morning in Baffin Bay playing amongst the sea ice.  Baffin Bay is located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland and is not navigable most of the year because of the ice cover and the high density of floating ice and icebergs in the open areas.  At 0830 we arrived to an immense area of sea ice accompanied by amazing light.  The photo opportunities were incredible.  More importantly one just had to take the time to take in all the beauty and nature that surrounded us. It truly was a church in nature. The sound as the ship broke through the ice was mesmerizing and the brilliant blues contrasting with the stark whites of the icebergs was stunning.  After a couple of hours of enjoying this amazing experience we came upon water where the sea ice was more spread out and our expedition leader Scott had a surprise up his sleeve.  The ship stopped and the zodiacs were lowered into the sea.  We were taken into small groups and landed on a piece of sea ice!  We got to spend 10 minutes walking around the sea ice floating in 1000 feet of water in Baffin Bay. What an unreal experience!!!  Certainly one we never anticipated and one none of the guides had ever done.  Everyone was thrilled and conversation on board was running high.

Before dinner Adventure Canada held a charity auction which they hold on each expedition to support the Ayalik Fund which gives those Inuit youth who would otherwise not have such opportunities a chance to build self esteem and confidence through challenging outdoor adventures meeting other young Canadians.  Many items made or written by guides were auctioned as well as experiences.  A great addition was the pour bears who dressed as polar bears poured you more champagne every time you bid.  People were very generous and over 20,000 was raised, the most ever.

The sun showing itself and starting to illuminate all this incredible ice

The ice starts to sparkle 

Almost daylight and another beautiful sight

The ship makes its way through the ice while we take in the beauty

Ice stretches in all directions

The crew clean off the snow from the bow so we can get down close to the ice

Wonderful mixture of colour

Icebergs. Mixed amongst the sea ice. Sea ice is salt water and icebergs are fresh

A zodiac out exploring the ice

Eric enjoying the water though I am sure he would love to take the helm

Landing on the sea ice

What an amazing experience!
I cannot believe I am actually standing on ice in the middle of Baffin Bay

The sea ice we were on taken from the drone

Large sea ice but one can see there are cracks

The videographer flying his drone over the sea ice

A beautiful clear pool at the top of the sea ice we landed on

Eric taking photos on the sea ice as the fog starts to roll in. GPS was used to return to the ship

Ready for the charity auction 

The pour bear topping up Eric’s glass after a bid

Dundas Harbour on Devon Island

Dundas Harbour overlooks Lancaster Sound and was long frequented by Arctic people’s and significant Thule sites are found scattered around Morin Point.  These are up to 1000 years old.  In 1922 the Canadian government decided to establish a RCMP post here to support its claim to the Arctic Islands.  This post remained open for almost 10 years and then was taken over by the Hudson Bay as a trading post.  HBC shut down the post after a year when they found none of the hunters came here to trade their furs.  We went ashore and did an 8 km hike over uneven but beautiful terrain out to the Thule site and back and then to the site of the RCMP a post  A climb up the hill to view the cemetery before returning to the zodiacs earned us a good meal.

Our next stop in the Canadian Arctic was to be Gris Fjord but unfortunately the ice flow decided to make that impossible.  The Captain said we could probably make it in but if we did we may have to spend the winter there and that was not a prospect that was very inviting though it was somewhere we were all looking forward to visiting as it is the highest inhabited settlement in the Canadian Arctic.  This is an expedition and plans change.

A snowy cold day for our landing at Dundas Harbour 

Sean leading the hike out to the Thule site at the end of the far point

Snow starting to blanket the hardy plants

These stone piles are Thule food caches where they put thei food to protect it from predators. This island was very fertile hunting ground and many came here just in the winter months for that purpose

This is a large animal trap from ancient times

These stones are in rings and are an ancient campground. The rocks are the pegs and held down the tents

Susie is pointing out what remains of a winter home that would hold a family of up to eight. The entrance is to the left. Her comment was that the entrance always faced the sea so that when you got up in the morning you could see where your days food was coming from

Hiking back towards the RCMP site. Very boggy at times. Glad we kept our boots on

Overlooking the RCMP a post

The home of the Inuit family that worked for the RCMP officers

Carcass of a sea mammal 

House that the two officers stationed here at a time shared

A beacon that the government erected when the island became uninhabited so to maintain sovereignty 

The cemetery sits high on the hill. Two young officers died here, both under somewhat suspicious circumstances 

Starting to see icebergs as sunset arrives

Heading north where we have been told we will encounter dense sea ice in the am. Anticipating with fingers crossed!