East Greenland Expedition: Fonfjord – Exploring a City of Ice

On the morning of August 25, we sailed east through the narrow Fonfjord. There was ice to the left, and ice to the right, as if in a frozen ticker-tape parade. The buildings on either side of the avenue morphed into 2,000-meter granite peaks.

The clouds lay low, hovering around the fresh snow-line on the mountains, lending a distinctly moody atmosphere.

Yet there is life in this primordial landscape – sharp eyes on the bridge this morning spotted a handful of Narwhal – the elusive and nearly mythical unicorn/whale of the Arctic. These are very shy creatures – we saw a few blows and a few glimpses of mottled gray backs, nothing more.
By midday we had arrived off RØde (Red) Island, just where the fjord takes a marked turn to the north. We stopped amidst a fanfare of ice, lowered boats and spent the afternoon hiking and kayaking and Zodiac touring.

This was heart-stopping wilderness.