I am not sure how much sleep any of us got last night. Today, we pulled out of base camp 2 and field season came to an end. We needed to meet at 7 am with bags packed; not a problem for me, I think I was up by 5. As usual, this amazing place always has something new to share. As I came out of the tent, the landscape was splashed with the most amazing light from the morning sun.
I glanced up at Lil' Nug glacier - the mere toe of a glacier that is no longer. I wonder how much longer this glacier will be in existence. Lil' Nug is one of the reasons why we picked this camp site. From maps created in 1950 and 2012, Lil' Nug has shrunk considerably. Lil' Nug is responsible for the beautiful turquoise lake in front of the camp. To listen to a dying glacier is a profound experience.
Before long, we heard the chopper coming our way. You can actually feel the noise from the chopper inside your belly. I could not wait to go ice cap hopping - such an exhilarating experience.
As we were leaving camp, I glimpsed to my left and spotted our El Capitan in the distance. Our moraine hike from the day before had us hiking around the base of the cliff.
I absolutely love to look over the nanataks to see if my eyes can scope out prime locations for moss vegetation. By the end of field season, I was beginning to understand the patterns to look for - veg hunting is so much fun!
We had found a nanatak on the map that was high on the ice cap. We were so excited to visit the location. It did not disappoint. High in elevation with some of the oldest bedrock we had seen all field season. The pictures do not do justice to this land. It was so steep and I am continually amazed how our chopper pilot could set down in the most precarious places.
As we headed toward the fjord, the majestic giants rose into view.
At times, it appeared as if the glaciers draped into the valleys that lead down to the fjord.
Some of the most beautiful patterns in nature are found in ice.
We were all snapping pictures to try to capture the day. However, no amount of digital imagery will ever do this landscape justice.
At our last stop, Jason was trying to see if there was any veg locations. He decided to hike up to higher ground. Can you spot him on the glacier? I call him, "GlacierA mass of ice that persists for many years and notably deforms and flows under the influence of gravity. Man."
On our way out of the region we were treated to images almost too difficult to describe.
One of the last forms I saw in the area was Twiliogerne. These two high peaks I first spotted on our first moraine hike out of base camp 1. They seemed so far away; today we were treated to a spectacular view.
We then traveled to Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, which was about an hour away. As I watched out my window, the glaciers faded into the horizon, the land softened and became hilly with hundreds of lakes pooling between the hills. As we approached the coast, icebergs began to dot the water below us. These 'small' icebergs were larger than small islands. Nothing here in Greenland is on a small scale - Greenland is the place of giants.
Comments