THE NORDIC SERIES, DAY 4
GREENLAND
Glacier, ice sheets & the northern lights. I was picked up at 12 by my guide Erval and to my surprise it was a private tour, result! We first stopped at Russell Glacier. We also saw a frozen outdoor pool, an air crash site from 1968, and a golf course.
I WAS DRAGGING MY JAW ACROSS THE ICE COMPLETELY OVERAWED BY WHAT I WAS SEEING
PLANE CRASH
The plane was part of an eight-plane U.S. fleet from Reykjavik. Five landed, but three couldn’t find Kangerlussuaq airport and ran out of fuel. They were only 15km from the town and although it sounds simple, if they had followed the valley they would have eventually come to the airport.
Glacier, ice sheets & the northern lights
MY GUIDE
The road was bumpy and very icy but my driver was a madman, a madman in control so after the first 5 minutes of sh*ting myself I knew what he was doing. Driving towards the glacier, I constantly pinched myself to believe it was real. Greenland’s unique scenery and landscape are unmatched.
FACTS….
- There are glaciers all over Greenland, which more or less actively produce icebergs at different times of the year, mainly in the summer.
- The most productive is the Sermeq Kujalleq glacier at Ilulissat Icefjord, which is also the most visited.
- Icebergs are found throughout most of Greenland, all unique in shape, color, and size.
RUSSEL GLACIER
As soon as we could see Russell Glacier we took ourselves off road and continued until it was time to go on foot. We walked about 200 meters to see the glacier’s full glory. The breathtaking view and cold temperature were overwhelming.
Glacier, ice sheets & the northern lights
JON SNOW
I’ve seen and walked on glaciers before, but getting this close to the ice wall was new. Its size is incomprehensible. I was lucky enough to be able to get my drone up for another few shots and after around 30-40 minutes we headed onto the ice cap again driving through some scenery that I will never forget!
Glacier, ice sheets & the northern lights
THE ICE SHEET
People have asked me, “why are you going to Greenland” and the truthful answer – “to walk on the ice sheet”. If I could somehow convey the sheer size and mass of this thing you would soon understand why.
In fact I am currently on my flight back to Denmark and if we were to fly from the north to the south it would take almost 5 hours. To put that into perspective if you were to fly for the same length of time from Portugal to the east of Europe you would cross 14 countries….and back again! Remember its ice, fucking ice!
RELATED READ: SWIMMING WITH SHARKS IN THE GALAPAGOS
So as you may well have grasped I was excited for this. The views driving towards the ice sheet were stunning. The ice sheet appeared as a huge mass of white lava pushing outward.
FACTS….
- The ice sheet 1.8 million km2 in area.
- Its total volume is 2.7 million km3 – that’s the same as 7% of all fresh water on earth.
- If it were to melt then we would experience a 7 meter rise in sea level.
- The highest point is 3,300m.
- It is more than 3,500 m thick.
Glacier, ice sheets & the northern lights
WONDER OF THE WORLD
The road ended and we put on our snow chains and set off on foot. Now at this stage I didn’t really know what to expect, 6ft deep snow or preciously thin ice. But I needn’t worry about either of those things. In some places, the ice sheet is over 3.5 km deep. I flew my drone again, overwhelmed by the incredible sights.
LUNCH VIEWS
I no doubt could have stayed there for hours to help try and take it all in but that would be almost impossible no matter how long I stayed. We headed back to the car and off for some late lunch in what is probably the most impressive picnic destination I’ve seen.
The views were amazing, and Erval, the guide, made me an egg and bacon sandwich with chocolate sticks and green tea. He must have got a memo from someone who knew me. I honestly didn’t want this day to end but believe it or not it was about to get a whole lot better.
ROBOKKLAN
Arriving back at the hotel I made a quick reservation for Robokklan, the famous Greenlandic restaurant here in Kangerlussuaq and after our luck last night during the northern lights I could see the sky was clearing so I made a beeline for my camera.
At this stage I wasn’t sure if the lights were clouds or not, there was no colour, until the camera revealed the first image. It wasn’t perfect but at least I knew the Northern Lights were now here. After a few shots we decided to take our cameras down to the restaurant just incase!
RELATED READ: VOLCANO HIKING IN GUATEMALA
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS
The food was great, traditional Greenlandic buffet which had everything form Musk Ox (great) to Mink Whale (one of the worst things I’ve tried (up there with the snail in Cambodia LINK).
During the meal we frequently went outside to keep an eye on the lights but there was nothing so when the bus arrived to take us we decided to hold off and wait hoping for a change in the weather and it was completely worth it.
We went to the lake where the aurora borealis performed an incredible light show. I captured some of my best photos ever. I was absolutely spoilt today but there was plenty of risk involved if coming here. The lights are never guaranteed and it took me the best part of 24 hours to get here, fortune favours the brave and it all paid off!
THE FAROES
Tomorrow morning, I head back to Copenhagen for a few hours’ sleep, then to The Faroe Islands for a big surprise!
FINAL THOUGHTS
Well well well, I couldn’t have wished for a better time in Greenland, every box tick with flying colours. See the full reflection post here
NEXT UP
After a quick night back in Denmark its off to the Faroes, another absolute gem in this part of the world! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
136/229
This post is part of The Nordic Series, click to explore or for episode 1 click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
Question Time
- Have you been to the ice sheet?
- What did you think?
- Have you seen the Northern Light
Let me know in the comments below . . .
