Disko Bay - Day 14

After a truly memorable day exploring glaciated landscapes the day before, it was time to start to head west back towards the open waters.  The tide hadn't risen high enough to float the kayaks so initially we had to drag the kayaks through some rather sticky glacial mud.

Eventually with a falling tide and slight tail wind we made rapid progress through the narrows, reaching the open water relatively quickly.  For the first time on the trip we saw a number of groups of geese, close to the waters edge plus a some distant views of an Arctic Fox.

We finished for the day relatively early and some of us passed an hour or so rolling and rescuing.  Although the water was cold it wasn't as harsh as we had experienced on other days, which might have been because of the lack of ice floating in the water.

Whilst chatting about a particular rescue I swallowed 4 insects, which was an indication of what it might be like on the land.  That evening was the worst we experienced on the trip for insects.  To say they were unbearable would be an under statement.  It was impossible to be outside for more than a few seconds, the only refuge was in the tipi.  The lack of photographs for today, is an indication of what an impact they had that evening.  

It was an early night and probably 30 minutes was spent I nside the tent, ensuring that all the biting insects had been dealt with, before we settled down to sleep.

Probably the only negative aspect of kayaking in Greenland.

It wasn't that warm as we prepared to drag our kayaks across the mud flats in search of water deep enough to float them.

Looking west as we paddled out of the narrows.  The milky water indicates that we were still pretty close to the meltwater streams.

How often is that you across a roche moutonee, whilst out sea kayaking.  The glacial landscape was always revealing new features.

Lunch was taken on one of the small islands in an attempt to reduce our contact with the insects.  It seemed to work.

 The summit of the island was covered in a range of small plants and lichens.

Disko Bay - Day 7

Today was to be our only non-paddling day of the whole trip, and although it would have been possible to go on the water our thoughts were inland.  On previous visits we had seen a glacier at the head of the valley and we decided to try and reach the ice.

It was rather like walking across the tops of the Scottish mountains although only just above sea level.  Any views were obscured by the low cloud but we knew that there must be something up there.

Gradually the clouds parted and the glacier was revealed tumbling out the mountains.  Sadly we were unable to reach the ice because of the melt water streams but it was a truly memorable location, where we sat and ate our sandwiches. 
We had come to Greenland to go kayaking but this turned out to be one of the more memorable days of the trip.

Once above the initial slope the valley opened before us but the low cloud obscured any potential view, we just knew that there was a glacier there somewhere.

The going wasn't always easy but at least there were no insects to bother us.

Cresting a small ridge we gained our first view of a glacier.

 As we approached the clouds gradually dispersed revealing a superb mountain landscape.

 Progress was halted as meltwater streams carved their way through the moraine but what a view as we had our lunch.

 Just too wide, too fast and too cold to cross.

 By the time we arrived back at the kayaks the sun was shining from a cloudless sky, in complete contrast to the previous 5 days.

 The glacier was just visible from the campsite.

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.