We spent the day exploring a fjord called Kangerdlugssuatsiaq (Evighedsfjorden in Danish) in Western Greenland. In the morning, as we approached the mouth of the fjord from the south and left the Davis Strait, the fog slowly lifted and revealed this dramatic landscape.
This vast, uninhabited wilderness area is characterized by glaciers. Throughout the morning, we observed many impressive cliffs, waterfalls, jagged peaks, snow fields, hanging glaciers, and tidewater glaciers. The highlight of the morning was boarding Zodiacs and exploring from the waterline to the face of the tidewater glacier that drains down from the Maniitsoq Ice Cap.
In the afternoon, expedition leader Andy Wolff found us a wonderful beach to make a landing on for a bit of exploration on foot. Various groups were formed for a strenuous hike to a glacier, a photo walk, and a leisurely walk around an outwash plain. The photo walkers made it about 100 yards along the beach in a two-hour period because there were so many subjects to photograph and opportunities to experiment.
The weather has been wonderful over the entire voyage, but particularly today which had nearly zero wind and warm temperatures. The temperatures are concerning, as they seem somewhat abnormal when considering past records.
Back on the ship in the evening, we enjoyed wonderful scenery from the lounge, dining room, and eventually from the outer decks as we made our way out of the fjord.
Overall, it was a wonderful, memorable, surprising, and action-packed day here exploring in Western Greenland.
