Breiðafjörður, Iceland, 7/31/2023, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Arctic
Yesterday, our journey to explore Iceland and Greenland began in Reykjavik, the capital city of Iceland, under a typical glaucous blanket of sky. Clouds enhanced the sense of mystery surrounding the unseen rocky terrain and the people and culture inhabiting it. Embarking National Geographic Explorer late in the afternoon, we were welcomed to our home for the next two weeks. We had the mandatory safety briefings and orientations necessary for a life at sea.
Today, we were introduced to the diverse expedition staff. These individuals will serve as naturalists and guides for the voyage. We sailed into Breiðafjörður, or “broad fjord,” on the west coast of Iceland, spotting wildlife and broad vistas as we approached Flatey, the “flat island” near the head of the fjord. The weather had turned bright, sunny, and calm as we approached our first expedition landing; it was a beautiful summer day to begin our explorations.
Growing up in the Appalachian foothills of the Garden State, Rob instinctively knew it made a lot more sense to head over the hill into the fields, forests, lakes, and streams behind his house, rather than down the road to the shopping mall in front ...
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Today was our last full day in Greenland. We all had a good sleep-in after last night’s trivia competition. Dave gave us a wonderful introduction into the Lightroom post-processing workflow as we sailed along through the fog. Aleqa followed with an extensive lecture on politics and political interests in Greenland. We all learned so much. After lunch, Andreas gave a sobering talk about climate change in the Arctic. Shortly after, we went outside to enjoy the warm summer temperatures in Greenland. Just outside Itilleq, on the west coast of Greenland, the fog finally lifted. We went out in the Zodiacs for one last time to explore the majestic fjord environment that surrounded us. What a spectacular end of the voyage. Back on board, we celebrated the end of our voyage with the guest slideshow assembled by our photo instructor, Dave. Captain Yuri wished us farewell as we sailed along into the fog. Photo caption and photographer: Beautiful scenery in a fjord near Itilleq. Photo by Patrick Webster
Today we woke up to breathtaking West Greenland scenery: the morning sky was overcast with high clouds, and National Geographic Explorer was surrounded by many large icebergs. Uummannaq is the northernmost point in our “Edge of the Arctic” journey, and our morning approach was a spectacle to remember. It felt like the icebergs were on parade to welcome us to the town. With 1,407 inhabitants, Uummannaq is the eighth largest town in Greenland. Uummannaq Mountain rises very sharply to a height of 3,838 feet, towering over the town and offering an excellent, postcard-like photo opportunity to its visitors. We anchored and took our Zodiacs ashore to explore this quaint little town on foot with our naturalist staff. Some of us opted for a longer walk in and around town towards Uummannaq Mountain to stretch our legs, while others preferred to stay around the harbor and pay a visit to the town museum. We have been carrying an unusual donation for the museum. While visiting Uummannaq, a guest from a previous voyage recognized her great grandfather in a photo in the museum collection. She sent a wonderful collection of books, photos, and old artifacts from her great grandfather to Lindblad’s New York office with the request that they be donated to the museum. We had the pleasure of delivering the memorabilia to its new home. After our morning activity, we repositioned across the fjord to our afternoon landing site in Qilakitsoq. In 1972, eight mummified Inuit corpses were found by Hans and Jokum Gronvold, two local hunters from Uummannaq. We saw three of the mummies in Nuuk National Museum earlier in our voyage, and visiting the site where they were excavated was an emotional experience. They were buried high up in the rocks, 700 feet from the old winter settlement of Qilakitsoq. The scientist who studied the mummies and artifacts dated them to the late 15th century. One of the mummies, known as mummy number one, was determined to be an infant boy who died at the age of six months. Archaeologists involved in the excavations mistook the boy as a doll at first since his corpse was so well-preserved. Further research on the mummies revealed many insights about Inuit lifestyles. Tired but happy, we reluctantly bid farewell to this unique place and took our Zodiacs back to National Geographic Explorer . On board, we had a special teatime with delicious Swedish pancakes. For dinner, Filipino chefs Jeff, Danilo, Conrado, Randy, and Adrian delighted us with a wonderful selection of dishes from the Phillipines.
On National Geographic Explorer this morning, we awoke underway on the final approach to a beautiful part of Disko Bay off the southeast coast of Disko Island. We haven’t traveled very far (less than 40 nautical miles) since last night’s wonderful sighting of humpback whales near Ilulissat. The area near shore was filled with huge icebergs and a decent swell, which made our landing a bit spicy. Our Zodiac drivers did a great job of safely transporting guests, crew, and staff to the shoreline to prepare for a wonderful morning. As usual, we set out in different interest groups. The long, adventurous hikers went way up on a ridgeline, and guests enjoyed spectacular views over the shoreline. The moderate hikers walked up the valley towards a canyon. A leisurely walk focused mostly on the shoreline. The photo walkers barely made it off the landing but were somehow the last ones back to the landing site to return to the ship. The photo group found many amazing subjects to photograph, ranging from wide angle shots of the amazing landscape all the way down to the details of the fascinating plants on the tundra. Disko Bay is known as Qeqertarsuup tunua in Greenlandic and Diskobugten in Danish. It has been an important location for centuries. Its coastline was first encountered by Europeans when Erik the Red started settlements in 985 CE on the more habitable western coast. These two settlements, called the Eastern and Western Settlements, were subsistence economies that survived on animal husbandry. Soon after the Western Settlement was established, Norsemen traveled up the coast during the summer thaw and discovered Disko Bay. Their special interest was due to the area’s rich sources of walrus ivory, seal pelts, and whales, all of which could be used in a variety of ways. These products became the main exports and income source for the Greenlandic settlers who traded with Iceland, the British Isles, and mainland Europe. Without these resources, the settlements may not have lasted as long as they did. In the afternoon, the bridge team of National Geographic Explorer repositioned the ship to the Sullorsuaq Strait, where we lowered our fleet of Zodiacs to set out and explore the vast icebergs near the mouth of Torsukattak Fjord. It was an incredible way to end the day. Overall, today was a very memorable, enjoyable, and exciting day spent exploring Western Greenland.
