ARCTIC CIRCLE TRAIL_2014
DAY 4: CANOE CENTER TO KANGERLUATSIARSUAQ
We woke up around 6:45am. Fan slept OK but could have used a shower. We woke up to mostly cloudy skies with a patch of blue directly overhead. For breakfast we had instant rice congee (gamsahabnida, H-Mart), into which we added some pork floss, and tea. The hot congee mixed with pork floss was delicious and rejuvenating. A,V,K headed out early, followed by the couple from Hamburg, Germany. We took our time packing up, swept the floors, took out the poop bag from the indoor toilet.
The weather appeared more promising than in recent days, so instead of taking a complete rest day, we tentatively planned to hike 13 km to “the beach” at Kangerluatsiarsuaq (lake) and camp there. The aluminum canoe that Alain and Klaus used yesterday was still on the shores of the the giant Amitsoruaq lake, so we decided to use it and paddle to the canoe frame at the western end of the lake. By the time we finished loading the canoe with our packs the sun had disappeared behind clouds again. This would be the very first time in a canoe for both of us.
We pushed off around 9:15am and glided over absolutely clear water that quickly became too deep for us to comfortably ponder. The water was a deep emerald green, and the bottom of the lake, visible at depths of up to several dozen feet, alternated between dark masses of vegetation and clusters of tan boulders. There were no fish to be seen, but a loon cried out for us to stay a little longer. Jie took the front of the canoe and Fan steered from the rear. After some initial zig zagging we had the rudimentary techniques under our belts and started to make good progress. To be cautious, we stayed close to shore most of the time and didn’t venture into the deepest middle parts of the lake.
The tranquil time on the lake was over too quickly as we arrived at the canoe frame around 10:15am. We unloaded the canoe, carried it ashore, and placed it upside down on the canoe frame to dry out next to three other canoes. The other canoes were all badly damaged, with at least two featuring huge dents and gashes on their sides. It’s a shame these resources were not taken better care of in the past. We rested next to the canoe frame and ate some snacks. Just as we set off on foot, around 11:15am, the skies cleared up to a perfect expanse of blue punctuated by cottony clouds. Our morale was lifted considerably by the improving weather and the rest our feet got during the 3 km canoe trip.
As we continued through the valley we saw two reindeer dashing along the western ridge. The view of Kangerluatsiasuaq lake was magnificent. Exposed rocky cliffs lined the valley wall to our right and were visible in the distance across the lake. By 2:15pm we were at the spot where the river empties into the lake. We found a relatively flat spot to pitch our tent a quarter of the way up the south face of the valley and dropped off our packs. We walked ahead about 1 km to look for other potential campsites but did not find any better ones. Fan was too tired to gain the next ridge and so we did not see the famous beach today. It became cloudy and windy. We headed back to our original campsite and pitched our tent around 3pm.
The ground was very soft and consisted of dried bog and fragrant Labrador tea (narrow leaved heath plant that can be used to make an herbal drink). Countless black bugs swarmed out of the ground with every step, but thankfully they did not bite. Although there were more bugs at this campsite it was also more sheltered from the wind. We spread our blue tarp in the vestibule of the tent and weighed it down with our packs, boots, and rocks which Fan carried up from the lake shore. We quickly warmed up inside the cozy tent and were able to relax for a while.
We decided to have a very early dinner at 5pm. On the menu were chili mac & beef, chicken teriyaki, and bacon for Fan. Because it was windy Fan suggested cooking inside the tent vestibule. But Jie insisted on cooking outside because it was safer, which we did behind a nearby boulder that was relatively sheltered from the wind. The strong winds gust up to at least 30 mph and the temperature began to drop into the low 40s, but it was cozy and warm inside the tent as we ate our delicious dinner. After a wet-wipe bath we climbed into our sleeping bags at 7:15pm. Jie fell asleep immediately; Fan fell asleep around 8pm. It rained lightly throughout the night and the winds did not ease up until the early morning. Our tent held up well in the strong wind.
Daily totals: 1.8 miles on canoe, 5 miles on foot, 5 hours.