Arctic Circle Trail: Day 12

Bread, ham and cheese for breakfast. It’s great to eat something that doesn’t need to be mixed with water.

The weather has cleared overnight. Retracing my steps out of the valley, I see what was hidden in the rain last night.

An eagle soars high above the glacier, before diving after a small bird, the pair rising and falling as if tethered by an invisible string until they are too small to be seen.

The exposed road, where I was battered by the weather, is a lot more inviting under a blue sky.

It’s midday, and my tour was scheduled to leave Kangerlussuaq at 1 pm, so I head off along the road toward Point 660, catching up with another group parked at a viewpoint. They are Danish journalists on a tour to study the criminal system. They were due to fly to Nuuk to visit the only closed prison in Greenland, but their flight was cancelled. It’s quite something: Correctional facility. The rest of the prison system runs on an open model, with prisoners reporting to prison between 9:30 pm and 6:30 am each day.

Eventually, my tour “bus” catches up with me. It’s one hell of a vehicle and needs to be to get us to our destination. The road gradually deteriorates and recent floods have almost washed away one of the bridge crossings.

Someone spots musk oxen on the hillside and we all pile out. They are too far away to capture on my camera. One woman dashes up the hill to try and get closer. Good luck with that one. They run over the ridge and out of sight.

We make several more stops to take in the magnificent views.

The road ends at Point 660, and the guide takes us a little way out onto the ice sheet. I’m glad I brought my hiking poles as I can venture out a little further than the rest of the party. It’s hypnotic. The ice stretches to the horizon, full of beautiful shapes and contours.

Without any reference points to provide perspective, it’s easy to create illusions. The river tumbling down from the mountains is just a tiny stream running from a few small mounds. I’m crouching down low against the ice to take the shot. The visible ice crystals are the only sign that all is not as it appears.

Our guide is kind enough to give me the arctic explorer shot……all of 100 yards.

We stop off for coffee on the journey back, taking the opportunity to walk down to a waterfall.

Someone takes a sneaky photo and sends me a copy later. I was lost in thought.

The evening light is gorgeous when we arrive back in town.

Dropping my pack at the lodge, I walk to the airport cafe for a meal. The airfield is lit up against the hillside. The first US air base was built in 1941. I’m struck by an extract on an information board explaining how difficult the posting was for young soldiers:

“Suddenly they are alone, a few lives pitted against all the forces of the North. The darkness is coming on faster and faster, and every day the thermometer drops a little lower. The newcomers fight down a rising panic; it cannot get any colder; they cannot possibly survive if it gets colder. And still the thermometer goes down a few more notches each morning, the shadows lengthen like a tightening noose.” B.Balchen Come North With Me.

My Greenland trip has come to an end. I’ve loved it all and learnt a few more things about myself.

The trail provides isolation — the chance to lose yourself in the stark beauty of the tundra. With each day, the world you left behind fades and there are only the decisions in front of you. How can I get round that bog? What do the clouds signal? Where will I sleep?

And yet, the trail offers companionship at the huts when you seek it. I met kindred spirits and feel enriched by having spent time together.

Finally, the trail tests you — with the right preparation and respect for the environment, there’s nothing you can’t do.

So that’s three hikes completed from National Geographic’s 100 Hikes of a Lifetime: The World’s Ultimate Scenic Trails. Only 97 to go! The problem is some of them take six months. At my current rate, I’ll still be plodding round when I’m 100. That’s a comforting thought.