ALONE IN THE ARCTIC: MY JOURNEY ON THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL (DAY 6)
ALONE IN THE ARCTIC: MY JOURNEY ON THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL
Day 6
SEPTEMBER 7TH, 2014
(INNAJUATTOQ to NERUMAQ)
MILES WALKED: 9.9
Inside view of Innauattoq Hut
I slept well and woke up to a chilly morning once I unzipped my sleeping bag and reentered the environment of the hut. These huts are primarily used in Winter for dog sledge and snow machine trips so there’s often no gas left for the heater which is the case this morning. Innauattoq is by far my favorite hut! Not only is the setting picturesque, set upon the shores of a mountain lake with a hilly island at its center and ridge lines encircling its boundary like a coliseum, but it is well designed with the only breakfast nook on the trail.
It’s almost winter in Greenland so the temperatures have been below freezing at night and not much warmer during the day. Snow is a constant threat but I’ve come prepared with map and compass should the “trail” be covered up, and extra food if I need to wait out a strong storm. After dealing with freezing rain and mild hypothermia a few days ago I’m hoping the weather gods have had their fun with me and will keep the skies relatively clear until I reach the coast and the safety of Sisimiut. I make a note to consider bringing 0 deg F sleeping bags and possibly mountaineering tents next year when I return with my first group but then realize that I’ll be trekking this route a month or so earlier with considerably warmer.
After a lazy morning sitting around drinking coffee after breakfast and enjoying this beautiful spot, I gather up the motivation to head out, collect my gear and hit the trail. I cross the stream leading to the lake and then hike gradually uphill, looking back occasionally at the hut thinking that if I was on the Appalachian Trail in the US this would be the perfect spot for a “zero day” (a day of rest where you hike 0 miles). But I’m not in the US, I’m in Greenland and the first snowfall of the season is due any day now.
Looking back at the hut (Just to the left of center on the shoreline)
As I climb onto the ridge I lose sight of the lake and my 5 star hut. I walk alone through a valley and quickly catch sight of several reindeer nearby, feasting on an Arctic fall bounty of moss and lichen. Though they keep an eye on me they don’t run away and I’m able to snap a few photos from a distance. This area must almost never see hunters as I see more and more reindeer throughout the day, the highest numbers of the trip by far.
My hiking partner
I find one deer, a large bull, actually walking on the trail in front of me, stopping every so often to look back as if to say; “Hey, quit following me!” I enjoy his company for a while, careful to not get too close and scare him away. Eventually he grows bored of me and wanders uphill but this won’t be the only notable encounter of the day.
Shortly after parting ways with my Reindeer buddy I’m heading downhill, descending into a lower valley with a stream running through the middle and long ridge like hills that only rise up about 50’ but stretch in long lines through this section of the valley. My eye catches movement and I’m surprised to spot another hiker heading in the opposite direction. We’re too far away to speak but I figure we’ll meet on the trail in a bit before realizing that we are on completely different paths, proving once again that the Arctic Circle “Trail” is more of a general path of travel than an actual trail, with countless options for travelers to vote with their feet.
The beauty of Arctic Fall
Though we never meet I later surmise that he was another American, a young guy from Baltimore with more time than money on hand so after arriving in Sisimiut he decided it was cheaper to pay for 8 days of food than for the 30 minute flight back to Kangerlussuaq and set out on the return leg of his journey. I based this conclusion on an entry in the trekker journal at Nerumaq hut that I read later that night.
Hiking alongside the stream and squeezing through a thicket of scrub birch and willow trees I come upon several Ptarmigans that flee down the trail after they notice me, their tiny legs aiding their escape while their long necks lead the way. The terrain has been fairly wet today with several swampy bog sections of summer thawed permafrost. Water has poured in the tops of my waterproof boots at times and both the socks I’m wearing and the spare set in my backpack are soaked through.
As the valley turns northward I follow the path and climb a short rise that provides a full view of the steep, rock walls of the valley and the massive slides they have previously produced. The hut looks tiny in the midst of this scene, set smack in the middle of the nearly flat valley floor. I walk closer, happy to find my home for the night with plenty of time to relax and settle in before dinner. Today was a pretty short day but after 6 days I’m growing tired and am looking forward to Sisimiut in 2 days. I’m dreaming of a hot shower, food that isn’t freeze dried, and socks that are dried. You know, the finer things in life. I don’t even know what my dining options will be in Sisimiut but it has to be better than reconstituted chicken teriyaki.
Nerumaq Hut
This valley must be quite the wind tunnel at times as the hut is tied to the earth with steel cables running up and over. It’s small and identical to the hut at Ikkattooq but the water source is a picturesque fast-flowing stream surrounded by yellow and green vegetation that stands in contrast to the deep reds and yellows of Arctic fall I’ve been enjoying for most of the journey. The water is cold, clear, and tastes delicious as it flows through this uninhabited landscape on its way to the Davis Strait.
The weather tonight is calm but I learned from my new Inuit friends that a storm is expected in the next day or two. I drift off, warm and cozy in my sleeping bag, once again the sole occupant of a hut in Greenland.
The water source for Nerumaq hut