Monday, October 01, 2012

Greenland: Third Day

Another relatively settled day dawned which was reassuring as first kayaking of the day was going to take us across from Ikerasak to the Nuussuaq Peninsula.  This huge peninsula, jutting out into Baffin Bay divides Disko Bay from the fjord systems around Uummannaq.  Rising to over 2,000 metres and heavily glaciated, paddling around it was going to take seven days, traveling through some dramatic scenery.  
As we crossed to the peninsula we had our first sighting of whales on the trip, they were quite distant but from their size and behaviour we assumed that they were Fin Whales, little did we realize what was still to come in relation to encounters with these huge creatures.  
On the crossing our eyes were automatically drawn towards the spectacular glacier, at Sermiarssuit, as it carved its way through the surrounding hills.  It provided an appropriate and inspiring place to stop for lunch, in what proved to be the last sunshine of the day.  
When we launched after lunch the cloud base was dropping and the wind increasing, creating less than pleasant conditions, although it significantly increase our speed over the ground.  With the following wind we covered 6 nautical miles in one hour.  
Eventually though conditions resulted in us leaving the water, but not before we had covered another 21 nautical miles for the day.  For once the inconvenience of hordes of insects were forgotten as we looked for shelter to cook the evening meal. 
 
The spectacular Sermiarssuit glacier carves it way through the coastal mountains 
 
 A beautiful berg appeared grounded relatively close to the shore.
What a place to land!
 It is hard to imagine a picnic spot with a more dramatic backdrop.
 Nicky is dwarfed by the moraines of the retreating glacier.
 A splash of colour in an otherwise grey landscape
Agnes following the shoreline as we headed north west.  The blue skies of the last few days have long since disappeared.
Evening meal, sheltering from the wind but with some welcome relief from the insects.

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