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From Aappilattoq to Kangersuatsiaq N72 22 

 

 

We spend one day to the small village of Aappilattoq.

In front of us a field of icebergs. A young person of about fifteen year, Salmon, comes to see us with his boat. He brings us fresh drinks and a delicacy. He practically does not speak English. He takes us along to the village to seek water at the blue house. (in all the villages, there is a blue small house acting as fountain with water). The young people play with simple plays, the girls with the balls, a kind of game of bowls, the boys make sail polystyrene boats at the end of a stick.

Here, it is peaceful, people work of 9:00 to 15:00 with one hour of installation. Then, they leave in boat, leave, are found. Bent, a hunter and fishing professional, is presented spontaneously to us. An exchange improvised on the local situation begins. Object of a forthcoming testimony.

We leave of Aappilattoq by the broad one in order to avoid the labyrinth of ices. We move towards the glacier, the way is long. On the councils of people from here, we choose a bivouac in height, on a slope of rock punt, we mount the kayaks on snow. Our camp will be done with more than 10 meters height. Because, when the icebergs are turned over, those can form waves of several meters. We sail towards the part is of Isford, closest to the Glacier which moved back of more than 20 km in 10 years. What lets to us hope for a passage to the east. Nevertheless, as one could expect it, this passage is blocked by the pack on more than one kilometer according to our GPS, obliging us to make half turn to take another fjord. It will not be the last of the day, because not finding a bivouac, we are constrained to reconsider our steps, having forsaken a beach which does not enable us to position in height.

The high tide took down the deriving pack and one could attend a musical procession of ice. Contrary to other destinations, the locations carried out on Google Earth are any utility here to find a point of bivouac, even less, the topographic charts, where the green zones on the circumference coastal tally of nothing with reality. One finds them even on cliffs precipice. (Alain claims that they is algae.).


Nicolas had spoken to us about the sea urchins. We see a great quantity of it, just below us. We take down them with the paddles, and let us make them go up to us. At the last moment, we put the hands in ice-cold water to collect them. They are very copious and excellent.


The landscape changes, we have more cliffs which fall to peak in water. Some birds, in colony and by place. Close to the glacier, flights of eider duck. Here, of the kinds of gulls. We accost on a small beach, left brook, and we had to assemble the tent on high vegetation, in the middle of the holes and of the bumps. No the concern for water, there is everywhere, one can collect it on the spot, in the cast iron of the firns. In the night, it is necessary to move the kayaks on the rocks because of the tide. It assembles much more the night (1,70 m) that in the course of the day (60 cm).

The kayak of Alain takes water, on the level of the cockpit, and one does not manage to determine of which place. The venturis of the fjords, encourage us to walk on with shortest. Michel, our router weather announces weak winds to us, whereas we note the afternoon, we have break constant.

We take one day of rest, for a bathe in the marres, a ballade in mountain. The landscapes are imposing.

Taking into account the stage that we must make, to go in Kangersuatsioq, we decide to leave very early. Upright with 2:00 of the morning, for a departure with 5:00 We have fog all the day, obliging us to sail with the instruments during more than one hour to carry out a crossing of fjord. We go along the cliffs precipice to a few meters. With a course, other surprised, an enormous iceberg bars us the road. One moment, we question ourselves if it is necessary to circumvent it or pass between him and ground.

On arrival with Kangersuatsioq, after 8:30 not stop of navigation, from the children come to see us unloading, on the beach. They do not speak English, but remain there and help us to move the kayaks. We assemble the tent vis-a-vis the port. People of the village come to our meeting. The following day, we take time to discuss with the buildings. There are approximately 150 people, much trappers, hunters, fishermen. One can see it, with the number of dogs, of the sledges, the cut up seals, the cod which dries, of the fishermen who prepare the nets. The village is very pretty, with its handle in front of, its about thirty small boats, moored with the buoys. The teacher invites us to drink the coffee at his place, and shows us the drawings which it makes with the cuter.

During this week, the temperatures went up well. As a whole, we had very lenient conditions of navigation.

 

 

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