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Happy ice age

September 2017
A 15-day adventure by Merry Read more
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  • TravelerHappy ice age
    3
    Day 9

    Water is life - and life is beautiful :)

    September 11, 2017 in Greenland ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    We've had such a fantastic day! After a bad night - I couldn't sleep much - we woke up to a lovely landscape covered in a sprinkle of snow that came down during the night. Our usual blue sky was back and we thought the valley looked just enchanting.

    The sun did not change the fact that water was EVERYWHERE though and the rivers were unusually high, so we got to do two more river crossings in our sneakers. The water is so cold here that you pretty much need to force yourself to take each next step into more ice water :) Besides the two "pants off" crossings, we had tens of crossings hopping from rock to rock and even more crossings of just jumping over little creeks. Apparently just before we got to Greenland, it had been raining every day for two weeks straight and that water was all coming down the rivers now.

    The water was getting kind of annoying and when we got to more swamps or when the trail would morph into a creek, I could hear Johanne sigh and I'd share the frustrations. But we came up with a song to help us remember that "water is life - and life is beautiful" ;) Either way, we're so thankful for this amazing weather we've had, I did not expect so much sunshine and blue skies and while the icy winds always made sure we don't forget we're in the Arctic, we stayed dry for most of the trail and even when we got wet, we stayed warm.

    Ooh, and I had to share: picture 4 shows Johanne's hiking boots. They were not exactly the biggest fans of the hike and starting losing its soles, but Johanne made due with rope, which in my opinion makes her the hero of this trail! :)    Read more

  • TravelerHappy ice age
    31
    Day 11

    West is best

    September 13, 2017 in Greenland ⋅ ☀️ 4 °C

    We made it to Sisimiut! Quite a few days earlier than we thought, but there are much worse problems one could have ;)

    Our last day was another sunny hike full of beauty and adventure. We crossed a wide fjell, covered in snow and really enjoyed the views of the fjord and the mountains. We had a few more river crossings and both were tricked by all the snow and ice up here. I stepped on a stone that was covered in (to me) invisible ice and slipping, I banged my knee against a boulder. Johanne slipped while crossing snowy rocks and found herself standing in the river, the boots completely covered in ice water. So since we were so close to town, we decided to just hike all the way and not camp on the way as we had planned. I would have loved to stay a few more days, but am also very happy I get to clean more clothes, and take a hot shower in town :)

    It's been a really beautiful journey with lots of fun, adventures and time for talks, reading and to think about some of the stuff that might fall aside in busy every day life.

    Oh, most importantly here are our three favorite recurring jokes of the trail:
    1. "In Sisimiut, there are SO MANY ACTIVITIES."
    This one started on the bus back from the ice cap, where I sat with three proud Greenlandic guys talking about their beautiful country. It was nice to learn from them. I asked what I should do or see in Sisimiut (their hometown), and they replied there would be SO MANY ACTIVITIES. I asked for an example and they became still and then eventually said "you'll see when you get there". So we stayed in much anticipation and excitement to see ALL the exciting things to do and see in the small city of Sisimiut - once we get there!
    2. "Water is life"
    This recurring joke was just a constant reminder not to get frustrated with all the water in the trail. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it might have made Johanne only more annoyed, but most time it was a fun joke to laugh about many times a day ;)
    3. "Huh - have you guys tasted the water from this big lake?"
    This one was added to our repertory on one of our last days. We were near the fjord and talking to the Belgians when they had just cooked dinner and one girl noticed something tasted funny. "Have you guys tried the water from this lake? It tastes weird" "No, we carried water in from the river. Because this lake is a really big lake, called the Atlantic ocean..." ;)    Read more

  • TravelerHappy ice age
    3
    Day 15

    Big city life ;)

    September 17, 2017 in Greenland ⋅ 🌬 2 °C

    Whenever I get back into civilization from a long hike, I have this strange feeling of disappointment for a short while. I understand that most people love getting back, finally able to sleep in a warm big bed, taking showers and eating fresh foods. Actually, I do usually go straight to a grocery store to stock up on carrots and fruits :) and it's not that I don't like hot showers and large comfy beds. I think I just enjoy the outdoors so much more and have learned to keep myself happy, warm, clean and well-fed when on an adventure.

    But there's of course wonderful perks to civilization - a cozy AirBnb with views over the ocean (whales included in the view! ;) ), meeting people and learning about the local life, chai lattes in cafes, and of course internet access to call the people I love and miss!

    And so we filled our days with some laziness, some exploring and (for me) starting to get back into work - which I really enjoy these days :) We also went fishing for a delicious cod, saw the sky filled with northern lights on 2 nights, and made great new friends. One of my favorites was a day hike, on which three local sled dogs tagged along for the adventure and followed me around almost 8 hours up steep mountains, crossing rivers (they had to swim), and taking breaks for some puppy cuddle time :) Sisimiut is a small town with much less activities than the guys from day 2 made it sound, but filled with lots of beauty and adventure to be discovered.

    Johanne, thanks for an amazing time, I'm sure this was not our last adventure together!    Read more

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