NEW!
How to dress for cold weather kayaking. Now on YouTube! Click HERE.

GREENLAND QAJAQING...the real deal

COMING SOON...

A link to take you to a group of photos I amassed for a presentation aboard ship on the origins of Greenland kayaking...where it all began. I'd discovered a huge treasure trove of photos, poring through the dozens of photos provided by a Danish museum, and then the excitement of finding original photos mounted on the wall of the tiny 2 room museum in Ittoqqortormitt. The woman minding the displays that day allowed me to take the 8 x 10's off the wall to photograph them. Her countenance reminded me of the Dalai Lama, joking with a huge, warm and friendly perpetual smile. She graciously held out a seal skin and allowed me to photograph her holding it. The original qajaq was covered with seal skins.

It was sad and disheartening to find that the one tiny Greenland village we visited on the east side was losing its Inuit culture. Even though Inuits still lived there the only kayak in the village is owned by a young German woman who had built it and brought it with her when she moved into the community 2 years ago. Fortunately she befriended an older man, a former kayak hunter, who could teach her the culture of the qajaq. This is him but his name escapes me. The two plan to teach Greenland kayaking to schoolchildren in the community.

As a sidenote, the only husky team in town is owned by a fellow named Gary who is originally from London's East End. But he's been transplanted 20 years, the first 18 in the Canadian Northwest, and now here on the east coast of Greenland, in Ittoqqortormitt (pr. it-toe-core-tour-mitt). With any luck perhaps he can get a few of the village kids interested in dogs and sledging as well.

I look forward to getting to work on creating a separate page to display the early photos of kayaking and hunting in East Greenland. Stay tuned.

PUFFINS AND HERRING

Approaching Isfjorden at the end of Adventfjord. Cabins in the distance.


"Monkey brains," the local name given to rocks found in glacial streams. The deep creases resemble ginger cookies but they're very round, and some nearly perfect. The smooth one is the size of a small cannon ball. Tove collects monkey brains, we collect lucky stones.


Tove and I pose by the flag in front of their cabin. Barely a breeze, a rare calm day.


The view behind us, from Tove and Tommy's cabin, across Isfjorden to the distant mountains and glaciers.
On the trip out I skirted a medium sized school of herring with dozens of kittiwakes feeding on them. A little while later I drifted up to this puffin.

KAYAKING IN ADVENTFJORD

On the way out I saw this curious little guy. I drifted quietly while it came swimming straight toward me. When it got to about 12' away (4 m) it turned and took off.

Here's today's plan. To kayak out to the far point on the far (north) side of the Adventfjord, a distance of about 6 miles (10 km) one way...just like paddling from Sheldrake to Aurora, or the Inlet Lighthouse to the Myers Point Lighthouse. Not a big deal today with a breeze, but for the past few days the wind has been fierce from the southeast, gaining the strength of freight trains over the glaciers and ice cap for 50-60 miles until finally funneling down this fjord out to sea, at left in the photo. Coupled with a strong 3-4 knot current running with the incoming tide it's been challenging finding favorable conditions. It's either that pesky southeast wind or a blasting north wind, barreling off the glaciers across the big fjord, Isfjorden. Or maybe I'm just a wimp and looking for easier paddling while on shore. We've had our share of wind out in the fjords of Spitsbergen! It doesn't get any calmer than this is today.

The above is a view from my hotel room window. The kayak sits on a pyramid shaped rack, seen in this photo as a small yellow lump next to shore, to the right of the buildings (enlarged photo below). The far view shows glaciers and mountains on the far side of Isfjorden, a distance of 25-30 miles distant. The surrounding soil features are tundra atop permafrost, which in summer is now found 10-20 cm down.

The guy who owns one of the small cabins on the far point is a kayaker, too. With his friends last weekend they schlepped carpeting out to cover the floors and then stayed over. The only reason they could and not fear bears was they'd also brought along a dog and several rifles.

A polar bear was shot two weeks ago, a rarity these days as they're protected throughout the entire Arctic. A group of Russian geologists was in the field hiking up on Nordaustlandet, the big island off the northeast corner of Svalbard about 100 miles from here in Longyearbyen as the guillemot flies. The bear approached, yet, after 5-6 warning shots in the air, continued forward progress. As it charged the group they had no choice but to shoot it. Locals are saddened, this isn't the intended outcome. But it must have been one hungry bear, as most have left these parts following the sea ice and seals northward. A hefty fine of $10,000-50,000 can be levied if the bear is more than 30 meters away and not in fully engaged, aggressively charging motion. According to locals there's always a threat of bear anywhere around the village out of range of human civilization.

Roads around here dead end in less than 5 km in any given direction (but for one road leading to a village 14 km away, where it then dead ends) yet are considered safe as traffic passes through every couple of minutes during the daytime hours. The most heavily traveled road is the one passing through the shipping district out to the airport a distance of about 4 km.

SUMMER FOX

The fox are wearing their summer coats. In winter they're pure white and have loads more hair, looking quite fluffed out.
We found this mother and pups on a scree slope near a bird colony. They tend to make their lairs high up the very steep slopes under a rocky outcropping. We saw some lighter colored ones, almost blonde, but had a hard time photographing them, they were just out of range.
The pups are nearly full grown. They're fattening up now, and the bird colonies appear abundant.

FLOWERS OF SVALBARD

Arctic Cottongrass Eriophorum scheuchzeri The quintessential tundra plant, this furry little grass is like rabbit fur against the skin. Ripened seeds float off on the breeze, like our dandelions and cattails. And, like those plants, is found in large clumps everywhere, but especially in Longyearbyen village where it's more fertile and protected.


Mountain Sorrel Oxyria digyna The leaves have a fresh aciduous taste and are rich in Vitamin C. They were uesd by locals to prevent scurvy and are great in salad. Grows in wet places and is common all over Svalbard.


Drooping Saxifrage Saxifraga cernua I found this little gem last evening, growing out of construction rubble in Longyearbyen village behind a row of shops.


Buttercup Ranunculus, but which species? Impossibly yellow and stunted. The backdrop gives you an idea of where many of these flowers are perched, high enough to grab every bit of sunlight available in their short seasons.


Moss Campion Silene acaulis Displays 'compass flowering,' developing flowers on the southern facing part of the cushion first. Enjoys a long flowering season and is found all over Svalbard.


Purple Saxifrage Saxifraga oppositifolia A sure sign of spring, it's the first to bloom and last to fade. Common all over Svalbard. Grows in North Greenland, at 83 15', the most northerly plant locality in the world.


Svalbard Poppy Papaver dahlianum Comes in yellow and white, considered the 'national' flower of Svalbard.


Mountain Avens Dryas octopetala

Here's a sampling of the tough little tundra plants thriving in the scree and rock rubble of the arctic tundra's moraine. Generally, they tend to have a sturdy taproot extending down to the permafrost, about 10cm below.

They thrive nearest bird colonies, rich in nutrients. Low bacterial action in the soil makes this region otherwise deficient in phosphates, nitrates and other essential salts.

One strong factor contributing to the abundance of these plant forms is the dwindling of the Gulf Stream as it pushes northward, snaking along the Norwegian coast and up into the northern reaches on the west side of the Svalbard Archipelago. The presence of the Gulf Stream creates a more temperate climate and is known as mild arctic-oceanic.

Most of these species propagate in several ways. Seeds, obviously, but also by means of bulbils, underground runners and viviparous flowers.

There are forms here I've recognized by their leaves. For instance the poppy, which in these parts has the distinction of being named the Svalbard Poppy, considered the 'national' flower of Svalbard.

Another are the many saxifrages. The leaves are so obvious yet stunted, they stopped me dead in my tracks. Other recognizables include lychnis, buttercup, Jacob's Ladder and dandelion (!)...all very tiny and dwarf.

The only 'trees' here are a willow and a birch yet they're so low to the ground and the leaves so tightly packed and stunted they're barely recognizable.

It's become a secondary highlight of the trip for me, learning, recognizing and identifying the various flowering plant species. First and most obvious of course are the presence of the polar bears.

Photo Credits:
Buttercup, Phil Wickens
Mountain Avens, Rolf Stange
~Anything and everything you ever wanted to know about Svalbard can be found in Rolf Stange's incredible book: Spitsbergen - Svalbard. Or check out his website. He's a veritable font of knowledge, very approachable and down-to-earth friendly. What he's accomplished in his short lifetime is an inspiration.
~Phil is my amazing co-worker, a superb geologist, mountaineer, historian, plant fancier, photographer, downloader of ice maps, gun and zodiac handler and all-around nice guy. Friendly and cheerful beyond measure. (And he looks great in drag.) Find his photo at left.
Other photos: various passengers, including S. Boyes.

Click on FLOWERS OF SVALBARD for complete listings and gallery. Wait 'til you see the arctic Jacaob's Ladder!

GLACIER CALVING