Last days

Massive fjords, small kayaks, homeward bound

23–25Aug24 Friday—Sunday

We spent the last two days in the Scoresbysund in various locations.

I kayaked on two half-days, the basic unit of activity. I love it though the wide range of personalities and skills presents a slight challenge. It crosses my mind to dust off my very old kayak in the garage, but we’ll see.

I went ashore to see the foundations of a prehistoric Thule summer camp, one of the precursor peoples to the Inuit. Perhaps 1,000ybp? They’re now holes in the ground, but were comfy with rock and sod walls, skin roofs, and good water views.

Otherwise I stayed on board and got a solitary’s eye view of the yellow coated squads in their Noah’s Ark Zodiacs—two by two, ten per craft, now sit, now stand, now packs off, now packs on—putter away into the vastness. Then two hours later, putter back.

Yesterday evening we weighed anchor for the last time and slipped down the immense sound—I’m running out of adjectives—into the night. This morning we woke in Denmark Straights and will keep rolling gracefully forward downhill to Iceland to dock in Reykjavik in the morning.

The seas are very calm, vindicating the voyage leaders’ decision to dally in Svalbard an extra two days. Without that we would have had severe seas, weather and a few lost lunches.

A few days ago I mentioned Maslow’s Hierarchy, but he and I forgot the most important need of all—a good internet connection on the high seas.

So… next you hear from me will probably be from my accommodation in Reykjavik.