Journal

When we woke this morning, we were greeted with beautiful skies. Time to do a full day glacial hike to obtain vegetation and rock samples.

Lil' Nug Base camp 2
Lil' Nug Base camp 2

Being the klutz of the group, I am always apprehensive about these days; but also eager to give it a try. We needed to carry our inflatable over to the fresh water lake and use it as a water taxi to reach the further shoreline. Glancing back over our shoulders, we spotted our own "El Capitan" in the distance.

Greenland's El Capitan
Greenland's El Capitan

As I took my first steps up an incline, I nearly stumbled over some debris. It turns out that it is a piece of shrapnel from some sort of aircraft. We have no idea how, where, or when it was deposited here.

Hinge from an aircraft
Hinge from an aircraft found in the field

Jason tends to motiviate us by telling us the ice cap is just over the next ridge. There are MANY ridges in this area.

Just over the next ridge
Just over the next ridge

Lake Qaqatsiaq and Lil' Nug glacier
Looking back you can see the turquoise blue Lake Qaqatsiaq and Lil' Nug glacier in the distance. Our camp is on the northern shore of this lake.

Once we reached the ice margin, it was time to look for prime sample locations. We were aware that the sky was getting a bit ominous, but we loved how the skyline created a dramatic backdrop to our images.

Twiliogerne
Hiking to the rocky outcrop. If you look to the far left of the picture you can see Twiliogerne - the high peak from our long walk at base camp 1.

Can you solve the mystery that nature has left behind?
Can you solve the mystery that nature has left behind?

Jason and Alia scope out the view
Jason and Alia scope out the view

As we crossed over the ice, we came upon 3 separate piles of caribou bones. We still are unsure what event caused these animals to die and when the event occurred. The preservation is so complete, that even the discs between the vertebrae are still intact.

Caribou remains
Caribou remains

Three separate piles of different individual caribou
Three separate piles of different individual caribou

Vertebrae
Vertebrae

Vertebrae and disc
Vertebrae and disc

Skull with antler still attached
Skull with antler still attached

As we were walking across the ice, the loudest noise one could hear was the rumbling in our bellies. These hikes push the body to its limits and burn through the calories. We needed to find a lunch spot.

Good place to take a break
Good place to take a break

You have to be careful about stepping off the ice onto the solid rock because quite often the ice in melting under our feet.

The sound of melting glaciers constantly fills the air
The sound of melting glaciers constantly fills the air

During our lunch conversation, one of us looked up and realized the storm was brewing. Time to pack up, sample collection would end for today, throw on the rain gear and head back to camp.

Those clouds had a surprise in store for us
Those clouds had a surprise in store for us

Polar storm Avy getting ready
Polar storm Avy getting ready

Within minutes, rain and hail began to fall. Visibility dropped rapidly and taking pictures was no longer a priority. We retraced our steps the way we came and made it back to camp safely. Within minutes of getting into camp, the winds picked up to gale force and we battened down the hatches for the next 10 hours.

Details
Author
Tina Ciarametaro
Date
Location
Quglugianguit icecap
Expedition
Shrinking Arctic Icecaps
Weather Summary
Variable

View Comments

Comments

Mon, 08/18/2014 - 06:09

IMSMackenzieG

Hello again!As I was looking at your pictures and reading your posts, I was thinking, "I can't imagine, physically, what you are going through." Were you required to do any training prior to your trip? If so, what did you have to do? Do you feel as though you were prepared for the environment you encountered?
I look forward to meeting you and hope you have a great rest of your trip!

P.S. When I looked for an answer to my first question, the text box was blank. Uh oh! If you have a chance to answer the first question, that would be great! Thank you!!

Mon, 08/18/2014 - 09:49

IMSclydes

Hi Mrs. Ciarimetaro,It sounds like so much fun out there! I was wondering what you get to eat for lunch. Do you get to choose? Or are you supplied with the same food that everyone else eats. Any idea of what kind of plane that shrapnel could be from?

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 05:06

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSMaxS,that has been one of the two mysteries of the camp this year. When I get home I am going to have to do some research. We do not feel that the animals had been hunted either by humans or a predator. Very intriguing...

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 05:06

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSAlexandraS,We have been so fortunate to see so much wildlife. Today is our last day in the field and then I spend a few days in a science center before heading state side on Friday.

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 05:06

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSMacKenzieG,I am sorry to hear that my first answer did not go through. I send all responses back to PolarTREC and then they post for me. Could you please send your question again…I would love to respond.

As far as being physically prepared - I could have done more; however, no amount of time on a stairclimber could have prepared me for this terrain. It was grueling, exhausting, exhilarating and at times, frightening…. but so worth it. Now that I am back to civilization (we are now in the science research center in Kangerlussuaq) I am struggling with sitting still. On the first plane ride I felt like a caged animal. By this time in the morning, we would have already been either hiking or working on a lake.
On A

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 05:06

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSClydes,We share the same lunch each day - basically, snack bars, cheese, cheese, cheese, crackers and a bit of chocolate. Did I say we ate cheese as well? We are not sure about the plane but we are asking around.

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 07:43

IMSMackenzieG

Here is my first question that I sent...Hello Mrs. Ciarametaro! I was intrigued by all of the photos and stories you have been posting! Your descriptions of your day to day activities makes me feel as though I am there with you! Anyway, I am extremely curious as to what your food intake has been like? Are you living off the land or are you eating food that you have packed? If you are living off the land, what exactly are you eating? I hope you are warm and dry! Stay safe!

Tue, 08/19/2014 - 08:06

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSMackenzieG,We are not living off the land - The researcher that I am with sent duffel bags of food that could be prepared at camp. Prior to departing for our first camp, I was given the job of grocery shopping for fresh produce that would last a few days outside.

Breakfast usually was oatmeal, dried fruits, nuts and brown sugar - we did have chocolate chip pancakes 2 days
Lunch was crackers, cheese, snack bars - usually on the run - we were almost always out in the field for lunch
Dinner was either something mexican - w/out the meat, a rice based dish, mac and cheese, or occasionally I had Cup of Soup.

Fri, 08/15/2014 - 06:40

IMSandreaM

Hi Mrs. Ciarametaro! With an inflatable to carry and all your equipment, how many pounds equipment do you normally carry on each hike? Hope your having a great time!!

Fri, 08/15/2014 - 08:04

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSAndreaM,We only carry our inflatable to one lake and leave it there. Then we hike down to the lake and use the boat as a taxi to outer lake inlets. I am not sure how heavy our daypacks are on a hike; I can only tell you that it gives one a great work out!

Fri, 08/15/2014 - 11:10

IMSSophieH

Hi Mrs. Ciarametaro! The views on your hike look amazing! So sorry about that storm. It looked pretty scary! After seeing all of those caribou bones what animal or event do you think caused the death of the caribou? Grizzly bears? Polar bears?

Fri, 08/15/2014 - 13:44

IMSAnnabelleP

I love storms, and that one looks particularly awesome. I was wondering what makes a site a prime sample location?

Fri, 08/15/2014 - 16:05

Tina Ciarametaro

Dear IMSSophieH,We are not sure what happened to the caribou. They do not look devoured by any animal - most animals will eat some of the bones and definitely the soft disc tissue. We do not think they were killed by indigenous hunters because they do not waste any part of the animal. We do believe that they died all at the same time and that the bones have been preserved in the ice. The way a glacier moves, the lower/bottom portion eventually rises bringing up whatever has been trapped inside. It is a mystery that we will have to work on this year. I am very intrigued myself.

Sat, 08/16/2014 - 03:11

Tina Ciarametaro

We are looking for dead moss vegetation that has just been exposed by the melting ice margin.

Sun, 08/17/2014 - 06:48

IMSAlexandraS

I think that it's cool that you and the team found pieces of an airplane. I hope that you guys can figure out where and when it's from. Also, it exciting that you found bones, hopefully it give you some help and information on your expedition.

Sun, 08/17/2014 - 06:57

IMSMaxS

Hi Mrs Ciarametaro,What do you think was responsible for the deaths of the three caribou? And is there any way to tell how long they've been there?