ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL_2014
DAY 1: KANGERLUSSUAQ TO HUNDESO
We woke up at 7:30am and took our time breaking down camp. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal (with milk powder, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, raisins, pecan pieces, flax seeds) and tea. The oatmeal mix became our favorite breakfast of the trek. We repacked and managed to leave camp by 10am. Off to a slow start, but we improved the efficiency of our morning routine in the coming days.
The first several miles of the ACT follow the main road connecting Kangerlussuaq to the nearby harbor to the west. (Some people skip this part and take a taxi to Kellyville.) The fjord stretched on endlessly to our left, and slabby mountains towered over us on the right. Mostly sunny with brief periods of clouds, comfortable to slightly warm temperature. After passing the harbor the trail climbed more steeply toward Kellyville, a tiny settlement of scientists studying the polar ionosphere. We took frequent breaks and each had two bars for lunch. Upon arriving in Kellyville under increasing winds and clouds, a “local” kindly informed us that the weather forecast was predicting a storm in the next 6 hours with winds up to 50-60 mph (80-100 kmph). The rain and wind arrived soon after we put on our rain gear. With sore backs and feet we pushed on, arriving at the Hundeso caravan around 4pm.
The Hundeso caravan consists of a trailer home with an extension room. It was slightly run down but had a lived-in charm and was reasonably clean. Klaus, Alain, and Veronique arrived soon after us. We filtered water from the nearby lake and it tasted slightly brackish/salty but drinkable. The outhouse had a great view of the lake but the excrement was piled very high, within 12” of the user. There were many severed reindeer hooves scattered on the trail near the hut (which is supposedly used by hunters), and an old boat beached on the lake shore.
In the late afternoon extremely strong winds arrived that created swirling clouds of water over the lake and rattled the walls of the hut. Everyone gathered in the main hut to cook dinner as the wind continued to howl outside. We had Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Beans and Rice, Veggie Medley with home dehydrated mushrooms, and cheesecake (all Backpackers’ Pantry). The cheesecake was our favorite. We chatted over dinner and got to know each other. Klaus is a software engineer for a Japanese company in Germany. Alain is a political speechwriter, and Veronique used to be a social worker and is currently working for a theatre company. They’re both from France.
The wind died down a bit after dinner and we were treated to a magnificent sunset over the mountains and lake from inside the warm hut. We slept on bunk beds with soft mattresses and rested very well.
Today's totals: 6 hours, 12.5 miles.