Disko Island, Greenland, 8/24/2024, National Geographic Endurance
Aboard the
National Geographic Endurance
Arctic
Dramatic landscapes and beautiful basalt awaited us as we arrived at Disko Island. Unfortunately, the fog prevented us from a landing. Instead, we went on a stunning Zodiac cruise along the side of the old volcano and observed how basalt formed this part of the island. We continued to the grounded icebergs in the bay, where we spotted the most spectacular shapes and colors in the ice.
The afternoon continued with great lectures from our National Geographic Explorer Wade Davis and our cultural specialist Lars Abelsen. We are now heading toward the Canadian part of our expedition.
Anne has been diving around the world for about 20 years, starting in Mexico and continuing to the darker and colder waters of Sweden, her home country. The interest of diving started when she was growing up in the archipelago outside Stockholm, and ...
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The day began with our crossing of Davis Strait from Greenland Qeqertarsuaq to Nunavut Qikiqtarjuaq, both meaning big island in Inuit dialects. During the crossing, National Geographic photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins did a talk on the history of National Geographic photography and its power of storytelling and legacy. After lunch, we were greeted with a view of Qikiqtarjuaq, where we waited patiently for clearance from Canadian customs for our first community visit in Nunavut. Locals offered some interpretations of the surrounding areas. We soon gathered at the community centre, where the elder welcomed us by turning on a traditional Inuit Qulliq, a soapstone lamp. The Inuit greeted other travellers that visit settlements and communities in this way. The cultural performance continued with traditional throat singing by two locals. They displayed several different styles of throat singing. The community visit concluded with a hike across town for some. Others enjoyed guided walks to an Inuksuk, meaning the cairn that resembles a human, which served as path points to human settlements or hunting grounds since time immemorial in Inuit cultures. It was another lovely day on National Geographic Endurance .
Leaving the long, spectacular fjord of Kangerlussuaq after our departure yesterday, we encountered some choppy seas and windy conditions as we turned northwards towards Sisimiut. A little bit of movement can be advantageous when getting accustomed to being on board, especially at the beginning of such a long trip – and we were mollified by some spectacular lighting conditions on the mountains of western Greenland. Arriving in Sisimiut itself, we were greeted by the cheerful backdrop of the town’s colourful houses. There was a spread of local delicacies for us to sample, including capelin and musk ox, and there were options to explore the end of the famous Arctic Circle trail on a longer hiking excursion, or a shorter guided walk across town to learn about the area’s history and people. Finally, cultural specialist Lars and archaeologist Dan led a walk to the nearby archaeological site of Tele Island. Traces of both the Saqqaq and Thule cultures remain to tell of several millennia of human occupation. Following the captain’s welcome cocktails, dinner unfolded with increasingly calm conditions and fulmars following the ship northwards through a pastel sunset.
