A dream that turned into a goal.
The idea of a trip to Greenland came earlier. While browsing through photos, I came across views of fjords and endless tundra. My heart skipped a beat – I wanted to be there. That’s how the plan was born to hike the Arctic Circle Trail – from the west coast of Greenland, from Sisimiut to Kangerlussuaq.
I had already had Arctic experiences – 15 years ago we spent six weeks in Alaska. But this time I knew it would be just as hard. The trail stretches over 160 km with no shops, shelters, or even cell phone coverage. Everything essential – tent, food, equipment – had to be carried on our backs. On top of that, there was no possibility of evacuation and the harsh wilderness of Greenland. We also couldn’t get insurance – no Polish policy covered areas beyond the Arctic Circle...
On a large and brand-new (3-year-old) Airbus A330-800neo, we flew to Nuuk, from where we took a domestic flight to Sisimiut. Most people choose the opposite direction to hike the ACT (Arctic Circle Trail) and… then they miss out on the canoe. But more on that later.
On July 19 we land in Sisimiut. The airport turns out to be a small hut, and we pick up our luggage directly from the staff. With the help of an elderly lady, we hitchhike and make it to town. There, we manage to get free gas canisters – fortune favors the prepared!
We set off on the trail around 5:00 p.m. The first 6.5 km are all about acclimatization, wonder, and… growing tension. Will I make it? Did I overestimate my strength?
Mosquitoes, mud, and icy rivers:
The following days were a clash with reality. The temperatures were high, the mosquitoes unbearable, the ground marshy, our boots constantly soaked. We crossed rivers – in just our underwear, wading into the icy water. Our legs ached, our skin burned. But we kept going.
Overnights? In a tent, and once in an Arctic hut. We met a handful of people from Germany, Denmark, Poland, the USA, and Australia – each with a different story, but all with the same goal.
After several days of hiking, we reach a hidden beach by the lake. I can’t believe my eyes – it’s so beautiful! 😍
We stay there longer – falling asleep at 11 p.m., waking up late, savoring the silence and the vastness. It’s here that I feel truly alive.
A new rhythm: canoe 🛶
On the great lake, after more than 120 km of hiking, we take a boat (they’re free) and head out onto the water. At first, I’m afraid of the waves – the lake is quite rough – but we quickly find our rhythm. We’re a really well-matched duo! In 2.5 hours we cover 12 km. Spending the night on a headland with a view of the water is our reward for the effort.
On the boat I hear from Marek: “So my wife dragged me into this wild trip!”
The finish line is getting closer...
On the sixth day we cover the last 8 km by canoe and then hike 15 km through the mountains. We camp by Lake Limnaeso – for the first time in a while, we have dry feet. Mosquitoes? They’re still around, but seem less aggressive. Or maybe we’re just getting stronger?
It was a tough journey. I stepped out of my comfort zone farther than ever before. Believe me, it felt like a thousand light-years, even though I consider myself quite flexible! But I’m coming back with something much greater – trust in myself, respect for nature, and a love for the emptiness where you can truly hear yourself.
160–170 km in 7 days, including 20 km by kayak.
Greenland – thank you!!!
Bathing in lakes, constantly wet boots, the chill despite the sun, white nights, 12-hour hikes...
This is not the end of the Arctic... The adventure still goes on...
We prepared for the Arctic Circle Trail more thoroughly than usual. We invested quite a lot in our expedition gear – we bought a lightweight tent and new, light down sleeping bags. We didn’t take any unnecessary items (well, maybe except for a headlamp), and thanks to that, our backpacks were relatively light for a 10-day trek (at least, that was the plan). Mine weighed 17 kg at the start, and Agnieszka’s backpack – 14 kg. By the end of the hike, they were down to 11 and 10 kg, respectively.
The Greenlandic tundra turned out to be quite kind to us in terms of how swampy it was. I had expected worse conditions, especially after listening to the stories of people we met at the beginning of our adventure. They spoke of rice fields, water up to the waist, swamps up to the knees... Meanwhile, I managed to walk with relatively dry feet (of course, using a rotational sock-drying system).
A lighter backpack than in the past made the hike far from torment, letting me focus on spotting musk oxen. However, since the oxen preferred grazing in other parts of these vast lands, I had to content myself with an excellent freeze-dried *Beef Stroganoff* from the Polish company LyoFood. Overall, we saw relatively few animals (at least compared to a similar trek in the Brooks Range in Alaska). So, there are two options: either there are fewer of them in Greenland, or we just weren’t lucky enough to come across them.
The weather, on the other hand, was excellent – six sunny and warm days with temperatures around fifteen degrees, but feeling definitely above twenty. Most of the time on the trail we hiked in short sleeves and regularly took advantage of swimming in lakes and streams. It wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable had the weather been rainy – the tundra would have quickly turned into one giant swamp, and the joy of the trek would have vanished in the struggle against water and mud. For us, only one day was cloudy, but aside from a short drizzle, there was no rain. At night the temperature may have dropped to around ten degrees.
We met quite a few people (though no one heading in the same direction as us). I think it averaged about 15 people per day.
The ACT itself, as the name suggests, is a trail. You follow a designated path, which is marked quite well considering the distance and remoteness.
There’s a bit of a downside too. A few years ago, an ATV route was opened between Sisimiut and Kangerlussuaq. During the first two days of hiking (over the weekend), we saw at least ten ATVs, whose riders (mostly locals) seemed to have no concern for respecting nature. They drive wherever it’s more convenient, tearing up the tundra left and right. Along their tracks, you can often find cans, bottles, and all sorts of plastic waste.
If traffic increases in the future, or worse – if a road for cars is built – in my opinion, the ACT hike will lose its charm.
From the tundra, we moved into Greenland’s icy kingdom! ❄️
We reached the edge of the ice – Ice Cap 660 Point and Russell Glacier! 🧊
We stood where the land ends, and the Greenland ice sheet begins – Ice Cap 660 Point. An endless whiteness, yet the ice lives its own life. I hadn’t expected such diversity: rivers, wells, waterfalls, lakes! Yes! Every step felt like stepping into another dimension. 😊
It was here, on the ice, that Volkswagen once tested its prototype models.
On the way, we visited Russell Glacier. A mighty wall of ice, about 60 meters high, that creaks, cracks, and breathes with life. The glacier literally rumbled, and we felt so small...
At last, we found musk oxen. We had spent a week on the trail without seeing a single one, only to spot them in Kangerlussuaq by the river. And didn’t I say they like to hang out on the beaches?
From Kangerlussuaq, we flew 250 km north in a small plane to Ilulissat.
Instead of morning dew on the tent – colorful houses, the hum of fishing boats, and the smell of fried halibut. Instead of the silence of the tundra – the sounds of sled dogs and conversations in Greenlandic.
Ilulissat is a different world – a town perched on rock, surrounded by ice fjords and drifting icebergs!
We spent three days here, though the third was an unplanned bonus. Our airline, Air Greenland, had an aircraft out of service, so they sent us back into town with lunch vouchers. During our stay, we also hiked two trails among the icebergs.
Here I managed to fulfill one of my dreams – to see whales in their natural environment. And not just to see them… but to sail among them, surrounded by great, snow-white icebergs.
In Ilulissat, during an almost three-hour boat trip, I felt something that can hardly be put into words. The silence of the Arctic Disko Bay, monumental icebergs floating on the water like living sculptures… and then suddenly – the whales. They surfaced nearby, majestic and calm, their breath echoing like a whisper from another world, truly! They disappeared beneath the water only to emerge again further away, arching their backs and striking the water with their tails. The whales were hunting, with dozens of gulls circling above them, watching every move, waiting for their chance. They fed on what the whales had driven up from the depths. There was something primal in it, something entirely beyond our world. I felt like I was witnessing something real – wild nature unfolding in its own rhythm, indifferent to our presence.
Forgive me for not being able to put into words what I experienced in Greenland, but believe me – this journey is a true Arctic reset for both the mind and the heart!
For those who made it to the end, here’s a video of hiking the Arctic Circle Trail and our stay around Kangerlussuaq.
If you find our stories interesting or feel they’ve added something to your life, please treat us to a virtual “cup of coffee.”
Dodaj Komentarz
Twoja prywatność jest dla mnie ważna i ta strona nie rozsyła reklam:
- Wprowadzone dane będą publicznie dostępne na stronie
- Poza wprowadzonymi danymi będą używane niezbędne dane dla prawidłowego działania strony:
- adres IP (niedostępny)
- data wprowadzenia wpisu (publicznie dostępna)
- Twój adres email nie będzie udostępniony.
- jego użycie przyda Ci się przy dodawaniu wpisu w przyszłości
- adres email możesz też wprowadzić do powiadomień bez reklam
- Zgodnie z wymogami co do infromowania o cookies, ta strona używa tej technologii dla jej prawidłowego działania. Nasze ciasteczka nie służą celom reklamowym ani śledzeniu użytkowników. Nie są nikomu udostępnianie i wygasają same lub po usunięciu w przeglądarce.
Te zasady mogą ulec zmianie w dowolnym czasie i bez powiadomienia.
Komentarze (0)