ALONE IN THE ARCTIC: MY JOURNEY ON THE ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL (DAY 8)
SEPTEMBER 9TH, 2014
(KANGERLUARSUK TULLEQ to SISIMIUT)
MILES WALKED: 14.3
Kangerluarsuk Tulleq
I woke up to snow covering the mountains about 500’ above me, with fog rolling in and the sky threatening rain. “Who cares,” I think to myself. The ground at my elevation is clear and I’m heading into town today. I finish what bit of coffee I have left and hoist a much lighter backpack onto my shoulders. I’m excited to get into town. Excited to finally have a hot shower, clean clothes and a juicy burger, but mostly I’m just excited about the burger.
The famous Mountain Toilet
My route takes me along the Kangerluarsuk Tulleq fjord for which the hut is named and the cloud ceiling is high enough to allow for great views of this beautiful area. Eventually I start to climb towards the top of the ridge and encounter the “mountain toilet” I’d heard about. The toilet, really an outhouse/privy, was a project of the construction school in Sisimiut but it looks a bit like an Alpine Chalet style clubhouse and is oddly the only structure around.
I continue on towards Sisimiut and come upon a broken dog sledge smashed against the rocks. It actually looks quite beautiful set against the stark backdrop and somehow seems to be a metaphor for Greenland, or at least the attempted settlement by the Vikings. It seems to imply that if you try to conquer the land you’ll end up broken on the rocks. Better learn to live with the land and adapt to it like the Inuit have done for thousands of years. I wonder what the real backstory is, take a few photos, and then continue on.
Broken Dog Sledge
Moraine that reminded me of ‘Houses of the Holy’
When I pass through an area strewn with large stones, probably a glacial moraine, Led Zeppelin and the album cover for ‘Houses of the Holy’ come to mind and stay there as my mind plays ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ which seems like the perfect soundtrack for the day.
I soon come close to a cabin that is nicely kept but appears empty. Probably a summer cottage or weekend retreat. The trail is more apparent now as I walk in the shadow of Nasaasaaq’s steep walls. When I reach the lifts of the nearby ski hill it seems likely that I’ll encounter people out for a hike or working to get the lifts ready for winter but I pass through this area alone. The fog rolls in again and is soon followed by rain as I press on towards town.
The steep slopes of Nasaasaaq
The well-worn route seems intent on leading me into more bogs, but after the soaking I took last night, I alter course and travel along the dry edges. Wandering along I catch my first glimpse of the ocean and the Davis Strait through a V-shaped frame formed by two neighboring mountains. With Led Zeppelin still top of mind, my cerebral DJ now spins up ‘The Ocean’ as I walk along smiling and moving to the music.
The ocean comes into view
The sign points the way
The runway for Sisimiut’s airport is now in view and soon the city itself as I am serenaded by separate packs of sledge dogs announcing the arrival of their owner and their mid-day meal. After walking around a lake I find myself in what seems to be a park on the outskirts of town and spot a sign pointing the way towards Sisimiut. I follow a jeep road and finally encounter a human. I’m excited to see him and look to start a conversation but he’s talking to someone on his phone and barely takes notice of me.
I travel alone along the jeep road and eventually reach a blacktop road that almost immediately splits into different directions. To my left the road is blocked by large boulders obviously intended to keep vehicles out but allow pedestrians through. To my right the road seems to enter an industrial workshop of some sort. The road to my left seems like a dead end so I cautiously walk past the workshop worried that I might be trespassing. It feels strange to suddenly be walking on such firm footing.
As soon as I clear the first building I find myself thrust into civilization as if entering a stage from behind the curtain. Many people are milling about, there are streetlights, and a bus noisily enters the scene. Sisimiut is a town of just 6,000 people but after 8 days of being mostly alone I feel like I’ve just parachuted into Times Square. I’m a bit dazed and feel out of place.
As I walk along the main road I take in the sights and sounds of civilization while still coming to terms with the sudden reality of rejoining it. To my right I notice a man walking on a near parallel road and carrying a saw. We were walking at about the same pace so as the paths merged we greeted each other and he asked me, first in Danish and then in English, if I had just come off of the trail?
I’ve arrived!
His name was Lars and he was a Dane living in Greenland and working as a social worker while his wife completed an assignment as a doctor at the local hospital. As we walked through town Lars made note of local points of interest and told me about life in Sisimiut. As our tour took us past a housing block I looked up to see a polar bear skin stretched across a balcony railing and remembered Peter telling me about the bear that was shot because it wandered too close to town. A sad but understandable aspect of life in the Arctic.
View of the harbor
Lars was meeting some of his other Danes for a child’s birthday party so I reached into my pack to grab a pad and exchange contact info. As I turned around his friends were suddenly there, looking to be introduced to the new American visitor in town. As Lars departed with Sophie, Ditte, and Kenny, I continued on down the main road looking for the bakery I’d read about while planning my trip.
The Seamen’s Home Hotel
After satisfying my “hiker hunger” with a sandwich and several pastries I start to head down the main road towards the Seamen’s Home Hotel but almost immediately I run into Søren and his wife and stopped for some friendly conversation. Eventually I check in at the hotel. The staff were incredibly helpful and agree to do a load of laundry for me even though this is normally only available in the morning. I take a long hot shower and relax in my room while waiting for clean clothes, rapidly reacquainting myself with civilization and all that goes with it, including eight days of emails.
I walk back through town that evening for dinner at the Hotel Sisimiut. The dining rooms is modern and comfortable. I relax in a booth by the window and order a beer and a Musk Oxen burger. For the most part it tasted like a beef burger that was cooked to ‘well-done’ and, still hungry from the trail, I devour it but have to admit that nothing beats beef as a burger protein!
After dinner I head over to Mikkel’s house and reunite with the extended family I met hallway through my journey. It feels like we’re old friends as I’m welcomed into their house and meet even more members of their clan. They try to feed me, even though I’ve eaten dinner, and it feels a bit like visiting a friend’s grandmother’s house. My favorite was dried, roasted, Angelica, sprinkled with a bit of sugar. It’s a delicious snack and after I express my affinity for it they pack up what remains in a large Ziploc bag and insist I take it with me.
After my visit with the family I head over to ‘Rejer’, or ‘Shrimp Bar’ for beers with Lars and his friends. There are two bars in Sisimiut, Rejer and Kylling (Chicken), and they are right next to each other forming a small nightlife district of sorts. Getting to spend time with new friends is always a great way to end an adventure and though I truly enjoy the night I’ve become accustomed to early bedtimes so I excuse myself and head back to the hotel.
It’s been an amazing adventure, my favorite thus far, and I can’t wait to return with clients the next year!