Off to the Arctic (Toronto, Kangerlussuaq, Sisimiut)

September 09, 2015

Off to the Arctic (Toronto, Kangerlussuaq, Sisimiut)

With out going into details, I had this trip (see next ten posts or so) land into my lap for close to free (a heartfelt thanks to Brad, and indirectly Casey - for this great opportunity). The trip was "Into the Northwest Passage", a 17 day adventure with Adventure Canada. It was an amazing trip; I went from never having seen an iceberg, nor a polar bear to seeing more icebergs and glaciers than you could come close to counting, and lots of polar bears, amongst spectacular scenery. It truly was a trip of a lifetime (and no it wan't all that cold- highs mostly in the low to mid 40's).

So, here's the first few days. Brad and I flew to Toronto - spent two nights in Toronto - did some exploring of the city by public transportation - had a great Thai dinner, toured the Hockey hall of fame, and knocked around downtown Toronto. Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America (Mexico City, New York, Los Angeles are 1,2, and 3; Chicago is number 5). It has impressive architecture downtown, and the hockey hall of fame was fun.

Leaving Toronto early on day 1 of the trip, we flew in charter jets to Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, via Iqaluit, Baffin Island (the capital of Nunavut, the newest province in Canada, created in 1999, carved out of about two-thirds of eastern Northwest Territories). Kangerlussuaq means "Big Fjord" in Greenlandic, which is appropriate since the town sits at the head of the longest fjord in western Greenland, almost 170 kilometers long. The town has a long paved runway, the result of the USA building a base here in WWII, as a refueling stop for planes going to Britain from the USA. Many Greenlandic sled dogs here, and we did a brief tour of a hilltop with great views of the surrounding area before taking our first zodiac ride out to our ship, the Ocean Endeavor.

The Ocean Endeavor is a 200 passenger boat that can shove ice, but is not an icebreaker. It's basically a cruise ship, that is capable of plying arctic waters.

We cruise all night and arrive the next morning in Sisimiut, a pretty town in SW Greenland (the second largest town in Greenland), where we toured the town with a local guide. Unfortunately, I came down with a particularly nasty cold the minute I landed in Greenland. The first three days or so were the worst with gradual improvement after that....I managed to infect a sizable portion of the passengers (I'm blaming it on the hockey hall of fame, the DIA bathroom, ??).

We will be above the Arctic Circle for the remainder of the trip!!

Here is the daily information from Adventure Canada about our first day and destination.

Embarkation Day — Thursday August 20, 2015
Kangerlussuaq

"Söndre Strömfjord is one of the longest fjords in the world and features 168 kilometres of superb scenery! Kangerlussuaq, the town at the end, means 'the big fjord’. Although the fjord crosses the Arctic Circle, like the oceans here, it does not freeze. Locals can thank ocean currents for this, making this part of Greenland a centre for whaling and fishing all year. The USA built an air base here in WWII due to the relatively mild weather and strategic location in relation to Europe. Although the military base closed in 1992, the strip is now Greenland's main international and domestic airport. The area is distinguished by fantastic nature and rich biodiversity. There is nowhere else in Greenland where it is so easy to go so far into the interior. The landscape features enormous glacier formations, which have ploughed deep into the dramatic tundra. On the plain between the fjord and the inland ice you will find Greenland's biggest herds of musk ox, reindeer, arctic foxes, the highest concentration of peregrine falcons in Greenland and more than 250 species of plants. "

And the Daily Quote:

"The fair breeze blew, white foam flew, the furrow followed free, we were the first that

ever burst into that silent sea.”

–S.T. Coleridge

The daily info about Sisimiut:

Day 2 — Friday August 21, 2015
Sisimiut
People have lived in the Sisimiut area for 4,500 years. The first 2,000 years, the people of the Saqqaq culture occupied the area. Approx. 2,500 years ago, new people brought the Dorset culture to the Sisimiut area. They lived here for 1,500 years and were followed by the people of the Thule culture - the ancestors of the current population. All these cultures came from Canada. The people primarily lived on fish, birds and mammals such as whales, seals and reindeer. Sisimiut lies on the west coast of Greenland, seventy-five kilometres north of the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth and indicates the southern extremity of the polar day and the polar night. It is the parallel of latitude that runs 66’33’39 north of the Equator. Sisimiut means “the inhabitants at the foxholes” and remains ice-free all year. These ice-free conditions in the sea around Sisimiut, including some of Greenland’s deepest fjords, allow us to sail in waters that are home to many whales and seals.

Inuktitut word of the day:
Kinauvit? — What is your name?

"A journey is a person itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policies and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us.”
—John Steinbeck

Toronto subway

Sisimiut, Greenland

Flying over Baffin Island

Arriving in Greenland

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (Greenlandic sled dog puppies)

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Sisimiut, Greenland

Sisimiut, Greenland, Greenlandic Sled dogs

Sisimiut, Greenland, (4 of only 150 horses in all of Greenland)

Sisimiut, Greenland (old sod house)

Sisimiut, Greenland (not far from a wolf)

Sisimiut, Greenland

Sisimiut, Greenland; kayak demonstration

Toronto, entrance to Hockey Hall of Fame

Toronto, Outside of Hockey Hall of Fame

Toronto, The CN Tower in the middle of skyscrapers. It is a 553.33 m-high concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.