When we woke this morning, we were greeted with beautiful skies. Time to do a full day glacial hike to obtain vegetation and rock samples.
Lil' Nug Base camp 2
Being the klutz of the group, I am always apprehensive about these days; but also eager to give it a try. We needed to carry our inflatable over to the fresh water lake and use it as a water taxi to reach the further shoreline. Glancing back over our shoulders, we spotted our own "El Capitan" in the distance.
Greenland's El Capitan
As I took my first steps up an incline, I nearly stumbled over some debris. It turns out that it is a piece of shrapnel from some sort of aircraft. We have no idea how, where, or when it was deposited here.
Hinge from an aircraft found in the field
Jason tends to motiviate us by telling us the ice cap is just over the next ridge. There are MANY ridges in this area.
Just over the next ridge
Looking back you can see the turquoise blue Lake Qaqatsiaq and Lil' Nug glacier in the distance. Our camp is on the northern shore of this lake.
Once we reached the ice margin, it was time to look for prime sample locations. We were aware that the sky was getting a bit ominous, but we loved how the skyline created a dramatic backdrop to our images.
Hiking to the rocky outcrop. If you look to the far left of the picture you can see Twiliogerne - the high peak from our long walk at base camp 1.
Can you solve the mystery that nature has left behind?
Jason and Alia scope out the view
As we crossed over the ice, we came upon 3 separate piles of caribou bones. We still are unsure what event caused these animals to die and when the event occurred. The preservation is so complete, that even the discs between the vertebrae are still intact.
Caribou remains
Three separate piles of different individual caribou
Vertebrae
Vertebrae and disc
Skull with antler still attached
As we were walking across the ice, the loudest noise one could hear was the rumbling in our bellies. These hikes push the body to its limits and burn through the calories. We needed to find a lunch spot.
Good place to take a break
You have to be careful about stepping off the ice onto the solid rock because quite often the ice in melting under our feet.
The sound of melting glaciers constantly fills the air
During our lunch conversation, one of us looked up and realized the storm was brewing. Time to pack up, sample collection would end for today, throw on the rain gear and head back to camp.
Those clouds had a surprise in store for us
Polar storm Avy getting ready
Within minutes, rain and hail began to fall. Visibility dropped rapidly and taking pictures was no longer a priority. We retraced our steps the way we came and made it back to camp safely. Within minutes of getting into camp, the winds picked up to gale force and we battened down the hatches for the next 10 hours.
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