We had cruised over to Disko Island during the night; the captain had maneuvered the ship into the little bay just outside Queqertarsuaq, Disko Island’s main town (with around 900 inhabitants) and a day around the islands network of walking / hiking paths was waiting for us.
Similar to the landing in the Evighetsfjord a proper hike was on offer – with an estimated distance of 6 km (one-way), a limited gain in elevation – but pretty much off-road and suitable only for the surefooted. Goal of the hike was, to reach Kuannit with its beautiful basalt columns and arches.
The hikers were the ones to get ashore first once more, we turned out a group of about 20 this time. We first made it through town, then down the black-sand beach into the back country following an actual hiking path.
The weather had turned into, what one does expect from Greenland – the wind was blowing and snow was hitting us almost horizontally. But that did not stop us – we eventually made it to our destination. On the way back we even took a slight detour to get a glimpse of a waterfall.
On the way back we found a sheltered area at the beach, which provided a perfect opportunity and starting point for a quick, refreshing bath in the ocean – complete with icebergs swimming in the background (estimated temperature of around 4°C / 39°F).
As usual we made it back to the ship well in time for lunch (that’s indeed an amazing fact about this type of cruising … you never know, what will happen ashore – but one thing is sure, when you get back to the ship, a meal is certainly waiting for you).
In the afternoon further short excursions were on offer. The weather by now had turned even worse, so not many made it back ashore. I was one of them – originally I wanted to have a quick look into the museum (which had just closed by the time I had gotten there), so I decided to join for the beach walk led by our biology expert – to get back to the beach – but take it from a different angle.
Thanks to wind and snow, I was chilled to the bone, when I returned to the ship an hour later … good, I had a nicely warmed up sauna waiting on the ship 😉
