Day 3 - More Adventures in Greenland

The morning wake-up call came only four short hours after falling asleep in the cozy and comfortable Igloo. Daylight was still as bright as it was at midnight. Don went to breakfast and let me snooze awhile longer as our day’s schedule was packed full of adventure. The expedition was split into smaller groups and we joined Group 5 for our first stop of the day. We took a scenic guided hike in the area of the ancient settlement, the former Inuit Village of Sermermuit approximately 1.5 kilometers south of the city where we found beautiful views of the ice fjord. Our guide Hanna, pointed out various arctic plants of Greenland including arctic lilies. We were blessed today with wonderful weather. Following the hike, we took a walking tour of Ilulissat. We visited the Museum of Ilulissat that is housed in the childhood home of the great arctic explorer, Knud Rasmussen. We made our way to the only church in town where the entire population seemed to be inside with the Lutheran confirmation celebrations. We saw native costumes complete with beaded shawls and sealskin pants, worn by both young girls and women. The men’s costume consisted of a plain white shirt and black pants. Our time for souvenir shopping was limited then back to the Hotel Arctic for lunch. We had about 45 minutes for lunch before we were scheduled to go on a helicopter ride to the glacier on Disco Island and a stop at the village of Ilimanaq—a remote settlement on Disco Bay opposite of Ilulissag. Our departure was delayed due to heavy ice encountered by some of the earlier groups coming back from Ilimanaq by boat. We finally arrived at the airport to board our helicopters once they landed, unloaded, and refueled. Don drew the co-pilot seat in a lottery. The 45 minute ride across the bay was spectacular with views of the icebergs of all shapes and sizes. We landed atop the glacier on Disco Island where the dog sledges and mushers awaiting our arrival. We dressed in seal-skin pants and parkas and had our first primer on sledging. The snow was soft and mushy due to the sun and very warm temperatures. The musher readied the dog team and soon commanded the dogs to run by uttering “yip, yip, yip” in a quick, staccato voice.
Too soon our dog sledge turned around and or ride ended where it began. We made our way back to the building to shed our sealskins and have a champagne toast with our fellow travelers. I was lucky enough to have the co-pilot seat on the way back to Ilulissat and learned that the pilot had to land on an iceberg only once for training. He said that the best bergs were just large enough to support the weight of the aircraft, and were smooth on top which indicates that the iceberg has already flipped. The helicopter brought us back at approximately 130 mph which is a good speed for the Bell 222. The shuttle picked us up at the airport and transported us down to the harbor where we boarded a boat for a cruise to the ice fjord. Our boat’s captain drove the boat through the deluge of icebergs quite skillfully. We took pictures of the massive icebergs from a much closer proximity on the water. Don volunteered to “fish” out the ice needed to chill our drinks. The glacial ice made a unique cracking sound when the whiskey was poured over it. Our voyage soon ended and we hiked up the hill from the harbor and back to the hotel for dinner. We missed the lecture by the geologist, by delays in our schedule throughout the day. Early departure scheduled for the next morning, required bags to be ready for pickup by 4:45am. We were exhilarated and exhausted at the same time following our last day in Greenland that was packed full of adventure!