Today was the day I had been waiting for with much anticipation! I got to hike on a glacier today!
We took our glacier Uber (a.k.a. the Zodiac boat) to the spot we were going to begin our hike. Ajo (whose name is spelled using my initials – that seems like a sign, right?) was our captain for this ride. We had met Ajo the night before at the dome tent camp. He was the first employee of the Tasermiut Company that I met who was Inuit. He entered the “cafeteria” tent, took some pictures of us, and then played this song for us.
So I knew that today was going to be a fun boat ride.
We also had another guide along with us, this one (whose name is escaping me right now) was specially trained for mountain climbing.
Mountain climbing?
Along with the inability to carry a tune, I am equally as inept at walking on most surfaces – smooth and flat can challenge me. So the idea of wearing crampons and climbing up a sheet of ice with a mountain climbing expert…well…this seemed a bit out of my range of ability.
We got to the site (more tomorrow about Ajo as a captain), hiked back to the area where the crampons, ropes, and helmets awaited, put our gear on, and started our ascent.
The hike was amazing and not as difficult as I thought it might be. The crampons reminded me of those old school skates I used to wear to skate around my grandma’s basement. I did require the services of both Jara and Alex to tighten my crampons once we got started on the hike as they seemed like they were going to fall off, and I am pretty sure that Jara and Alex had an earlier discussion about making sure I didn’t lose it on the mountain, so they were extra cautious with me. I always seem to end up with a babysitter on these trips.
Of all the experiences I had in Greenland, this hike was probably my favorite. Seeing the glacier from a boat is beautiful and awe inspiring. Walking on it, though, puts a different perspective to it. It is just so hard to believe that there is that much ice! The purity of the ice and water is just amazing. I drank water truly straight off the glacier! And the sounds of water flowing, ice cracking, chunks falling – it is like hearing the musical scoring of a sculpture garden. *Sigh* – I hope this was the first time and not the last time I get to have this experience.
Amy Oswalt 