June 7, 2008 – After a great night (day) sleep in the igloo, I was ready for a tour of the icebergs. Seeing the icebergs up close is so much better than seeing them on TV, even if it is HDTV! Due to high activity, Ilulissat has the most icebergs in the sea more than any town in Greenland town is situated on the mouth of a 40km icefjord that produces 20 million tons of ice per day, or the equivalence of the amount of water used in NYC in one year! The chunks that break off can produce tidal waves up to 33 feet high, making the sea a very treacherous and dangerous place.

We took off from Ilulissat with a brief stopover in Qaarsut, an airport with a gravel runway! I was puzzled when the airport tower said Uummannaq, and the pilot explained when I asked that the town of Qaarsut is actually an island accessible only by helicopter, and is accessible from the Uummannaq airport with just 15 minutes of flight time. We took off once more and landed in Upernavik where a taxi quickly brought us to the pier. We didn’t have any time to look around the town, but we were more than happy to meet our hosts for the next few days! We met Nielsine Kunden, a hearing social worker who arranged for us to meet Niels, the Deaf hunter from Innaarsuit. We also met another person, Pele, who would accompany us on our hunting trip. The next leg of our journey would be by speedboat in the frigid Arctic cold! We rode two small speedboats, and I was stunned when I saw a dead seal floating by a fishing speedboat. We had to remind ourselves that we were experiencing and witnessing true Greenlandic life! David rode with Pele while I rode with Niels; we had to wear extra layers of clothing to keep ourselves warm in the open sea; the air was only 20 degrees but by speedboat, it was a 0 degree wind chill!

The speedboat coasted by several icebergs, giving us an even more up close view, allowing us to feel the different moods of the icebergs; some were happy, some angry, each shape had its own story to tell. Passing in between two enormous icebergs filled us with adrenaline as we realized how small and insignificant we were. I couldn’t imagine diving in the icy water, and I was putting all my trust in Niels to navigate us around the jagged ice edges. By the time we arrived in Innaarsuit an hour later, my face was frozen solid!

My first impression of the town was how rustic it was, with no roads, cars, restaurants, or hotels. Only 169 people lived in the town, and it was just a small true Greenlandic village that certainly was very colorful! Niels gave us the grand tour of the village which included a school, plenty of snow, and countless dead seal from the hunters daily work. We were invited to his house where we discussed plans for tomorrow’s video assignments before Niels brought us to his parent’s home. There, we saw a polar bear’s skin and skull and the head of a seal! Niels’ parents’ home was a true “trophy” cabinet, with more fur hanging, and four ivory tusks of narwhal (unicorn whale) which was 5 feet long and 25 pounds! The tusks were so beautiful and nearly flawless, it was an amazing experience just entering their home! Niels agreed to take us to different places tomorrow, and we were pleasantly surprised that Niels’ parents signed well enough to communicate with their son, considering he was the only deaf person in town!

David and I had to buy some food in advance because the kiosks in Upernavik and Innaarsuit would be closed by the time we arrived Upernavik very late. We bought amazingly delicious canned smoked salmon, yogurt, and biscuits. Our stomachs were satisfied and we settled in bed for a long, exciting day hunting tomorrow!

Related posts:

1. Greenland – Day Six
2. Greenland- Day Five
3. Greenland – Day Eight
4. Greenland – Day Seven
5. Greenland – Day Three
6. Greenland – Day Ten
7. Greenland – Day Two
8. Greenland – Day Nine
9. Greenland – Day One