Greenland 2017 (3/3): Paamiut – Narsarsuaq |
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Places | Western Greenland; Paamiut, Arsuk, Qassiarsuq, Narsarsuaq |
Time & length | August/September 2017, 7 weeks |
Partners | David Hertel, Bernhard Wolf, Madeleine Paulik, Philipp Schwarz |
Wonderful packrafting adventure, even though it started with a few disappointments: Bad weather and insufficient fitness of a travel partner made us loose time and we had to change the route significantly. Soon after, I had an accident and needed to be evacuated by helicopter. The second part of the trip (Arsuk – Narsarsuaq) went well, although someone stole from our food cache and made us starve for a week. At the very end of the season, I spent another ten days alone in the area around Narsarsuaq and had time to relax and explore the region.
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I put together a quick Greenland teaser, just click on this Youtube link.
The trip started as a group of three: David, a good friend of mine, climber and guide form Alaska, Bernhard, a friend and photographer from Vienna, and me. Bernhard only joined me on the first leg of the trip (Paamiut – Arsuk), in Arsuk two other friends of mine (Philipp and Madeleine) joined me in Arsuk for the second leg. David was going to travel with me for the entire distance.
We had two food caches deposited by my Belgian friends with the sailing yacht, one HERE, the other one HERE.
Getting to Paamiut wasn’t easy, since several flights around that time were delayed or cancelled due to bad weather. The three of us arrived on August 16, one day later than scheduled. In town, we properly packed our backpacks and bought a shotgun and ammunition: Local police strongly recommended to take a firearm since several polar bears had been spotted in the region not long ago. It’s common for polar bears to float from northern Greenland to the very south on large icebergs, were they can become a threat to farmers and villagers.
The rain started only minutes after we left town, and soon after we realized that Bernhard struggled heavily with the weight of the backpack. We were very slow and took many more breaks than I usually do with other fellow travelers. The next thing we had to do was crossing 5 km-wide Kvanefjord, after that it was pure wilderness and a long distance to Arsuk – once we would cross this fjord, there was no turning back. Before doing so in the next morning, we discussed our situation: We knew that the rain would get harder and last for several more days. Plus, my partner’s lack of fitness made reaching Arsuk in time almost impossible, that much we could already tell.
It was raining and storming in Paamiut and no local fisherman wanted to take their boat out on the open sea. We found shelter in an abandoned building that we had to clean up a bit before pitching tents inside while it was pouring outside, temperatures were just slightly above 0°C. That was August 17.
The rain got worse in the next few days, still no luck at the harbor. On August 20, a Sunday, we went to church – it was warm and cozy inside. Apparently church-goers help each other out: The next day we were offered a community flat with warm water and heating.
In total, we spent a whole week in Paamiut, waiting for a fisherman to take us south. When the rain turned into drizzle one late afternoon, David and Bernhard paddled around the islands a bit while I explored town and found the local dumping ground… which is located right at the shore, where the waves could continuously take the garbage into the ocean.
So we picked up our food and got ready to hike south.
I stayed and rested in Qaqortoq for a week, while Bernhard and David continued their way to Arsuk. Here are pictures from the helicopter ride and the town of Qaqortoq.
I took the passenger ship (Arctiq Umiaq Line) to Arsuk on September 6 and reached the settlement in the next morning.
Here are the pictures from September 7 to 13.
We were devastated to see that our food cache got raided – somebody stole two thirds of our supplies. All the snacks, the salami, expensive dry fruits, a bottle of Whisky (it was Philipps birthday)… all gone. Weeks later I found out who it was: A female guide from the Spanish travel agency “Tasermiut Expeditions”, they admitted to stealing from us, at least to taking some of the supplies. What an awful thing to do, actions like these can cost other people’s lives.
Anyway, we had to make a decision: Can we make it to Narsarsuaq with the little food we had left or do we have to shortcut to Narsaq? Philipp, Madeleine and I decided to push through, regardless of the hunger. David was too hungry, he decided to stay with us for two more days and then turn south to reach Narsaq a few days earlier.
So we kept going together until we split up on September 18.
Here are pictured from September 18 to 21.
Anyways, ten more days to relax, calm down and be on my own was just right for me. I explored the area around Narsarsuaq and then hiked north to Eqalorutsit Kangigdlit Sermiat where I did day hikes with an igloo-shaped cabin as a base. It felt really good to end the season that way.