By Steve Behaeghel
Steve Behaeghel is a 31-year-old self-professed outdoor geek from Belgium—he and his wife Katrijn love traveling to remote wilderness around the world including Patagonia, Alaska, the Canadian Rockies, Pakistan, Scandinavia, and Greenland. Steve chronicles his adventures, along with outstanding photographs, on his website Patagonian Dreams. This trip to East Greenland took place from July 25 through August 12, 2011.
"Do not worry, it is very easy: you aim in direction of polar bear, shoot in head or chest, and bear will go away or be death," laughs the Inuit hunter while pushing a gun into our hands. He has just dropped us at the head of the remote Tasiilaq Fjord. "See you in three weeks," we cry, but the engine of his speed boat drowns out the farewell. We are 160 miles from the nearest civilization.
The euphoria is exhilirating: pep talks and victory songs are chased by the wind into the surrounding fjord. We are embarking on a self-supporting wilderness thru-hike along the wild eastern coast of Greenland. The fjord rises up into the huge glacial Tasilap Kua Valley, which will lead us north for 3 days to the outer reaches of the iceberg-filled Sermilik fjord. The fjord is the final boundary before the massive Greenland ice sheet and it also marks the Arctic Circle. From the Sermilik Fjord we will return south two weeks later by hiking back to where (we hope) the boat awaits.
A few weeks into the wilderness, completely removed from civilization, requires keen preparation, though each day is as unpredictable as the night. In this part of Greenland there are no footpaths or signs, let alone shelters or cabins. The only law is that of man versus nature. We are completely isolated and on our own.
Global warming is affecting Greenland significantly. Not only are the glaciers of the Greenland ice sheet melting at a startling pace, the melting Arctic pack ice is drifting south and bringing more polar bears into the region. These corners used to be ”polar bear free” during the summer months, but in the last few years more polar bears are being spotted along the fjords and around the Inuit villages. In Kulusuk, the village where we began our trek, we heard a number of stories about polar bear incidents in recent weeks.
We have been on many adventures to date, but what we experienced in Greenland surpassed all expectations. Gravity-defying granite walls shoot out of the fjords and valleys like knives into the air, huge glaciers fill the fjords with icebergs the size of football stadiums, and the evenings were filled with perpetual pink sunsets.
It's incredible how quickly we merged with our Arctic environment. Gone were everyday worries and our rhythm was set by the most basic things: walking, eating, drinking, setting up camp, and sleeping. The great physical challenge combined with spiritual liberation in a setting of no equal.
Photographs can't justice to the true scale of nature beauty, but this collection represents a taste of the the scenery that had us returning home with a tremendous appreciation for all that this rugged corner of the world has to offer.