A SEA OF ICE

A sea kayaking expedition in Greenland

By Jean-Luc Grossmann

Photography and words : Jean-Luc Grossmann

Shortened version. Original story in French.

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Early in our six-week, 360-mile expedition into the fjords and ice fields of Greenland’s northwest coast, Thomas Truninger, Rafic Mecattaf, my brother Sylvain, and I paddled into the Uvkusigssat Fjord. At that time, we didn’t know whether our planned 25-mile land crossing at the far end was even possible, nor could we be certain that the 60-mile-long fjord was ice-free.

The Inuit would often answer our questions with the word ‘imaqa’, meaning maybe.

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Yes, it was a hard day … One of those days that makes you feel alive!

On day 14, we entered the narrow fjord of Inukavsait under a sky of leaden clouds. Snowflakes, carried by the wind, whipped against my face. I pulled energetically on the shaft of my paddle, staring into the dark horizon. A gull passed in front of my kayak before rising at a vertiginous speed, its cry choked by the wind. In the distance, steep cliffs bordered a mountainous chain of bizarre shapes – glacier tongues flowed to the sea, and an arch was perfectly sculpted amidst the entrails of a huge iceberg.

The atmosphere is surreal, and we wish to stay for a moment, observing the whims of nature. However, we listen to our instincts – the small inner voice that warns of danger and demands caution and action.

Three-quarters of the way through the great 40-km channel, the cliffs still plummet to the sea, offering no opportunity to land. Huge, freshly formed plates of pack ice threaten to block our way. In this labyrinth of moving ice, we paddle as a group, staying close to one another and to the shore. On several occasions, the coastal ice is too thick to pass through, forcing us to pull our kayaks to the next ice-free channel. Exhausted, we finally find a place to camp. Lacking the energy to cook, we improvise a meal before quickly falling into a deep sleep.

Yes, it was a hard day – one of those days that makes you feel truly alive!

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For two days, pack ice kept us from reaching the small village of Nuqatsiaq. This photo was taken on the third day, after a storm had dispersed the ice blockade, allowing us to paddle through it and become the first people that summer to reach Nuqatsiaq from the sea.

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Sylvain with the biggest cod of the trip

The first thing we would do after setting up camp each evening was to go fishing. We sometimes covered the fillets in herbs and kept them in plastic bags at the bottom of our kayaks. It’s like a fridge down there, and this technique gave the fish a good consistency and taste. We ate like kings, often cooking mussels for starters or snacking on raw sea urchins.

We wash in seawater, and when possible, we rinse ourselves in the clear, freezing water of a small stream, following a ritual we jokingly named "the full body wash." The climatic conditions allow for such a ceremony only once a week.

After a good night’s rest, we begin the four-day crossing that will forever stay in our minds. We form two teams, each pulling one of the kayaks along the ground with a harness, then return to take the next kayak. Each of our kayaks weighs 100 kg. We pull with all our strength for 10 hours a day, trying to stay on grassy, less rocky terrain. The effort is intense, and our food is rationed because we don’t know exactly how long it will take us to reach the next village. Each of us has to push ourselves to our physical and mental limits. We cross three nearly frozen lakes. From a distance, the second lake appears impassable, but as we get closer, we notice a narrow open-water channel. We enter it without wasting time, not wanting it to close in front of us. Our kayaks split small ice plates, creating a sound like a million crystal bells ringing.

On the third day, we reach an elevation of 400 meters above sea level and begin our descent to the sea on the other side. We are now finely tuned and moving quickly. We can sense that the sea is close.

On day 4, we reach the river we hoped to kayak down, but instead, we find a wild stream with a massive amount of water. To enter it would be pure suicide! Even though we are exhausted, we decide to keep going. The banks of the river are hilly, and we have been pulling for 12 hours straight. The plain and the hills pass by us. Suddenly, at the top of a small hill, I see Sylvain raising his arms in the air and shouting. I join him. An intense joy washes over me, and within seconds, all my pain disappears. There, finally, is the sea! An imposing landscape unfolds before us. The glittering curves of Laksefjord contrast with the surrounding islands like a monochrome photograph. Soon, Rafic and Thomas join us.

For a long moment, we stay here side by side, our eyes fixed on the sea, and we realize what we have been through.

The Inuit love to laugh, talk and play games

While kayaking, there is plenty of time to think, and my thoughts often turn to the Inuit. This Arctic people have lived for thousands of years in this extreme environment. Their survival is a remarkable example of human adaptability to such conditions.

The Inuit's contact with the modern world has changed their traditional way of living, but despite this, they have managed to preserve their values.

Now, we live in a world that moves faster and faster, where our own interests often prevail when we should look to the example of these generous and jovial people. Despite the immense size of their country, everyone knows everyone. The Inuit enjoy meeting, sharing tales, and singing and laughing together. For them, mutual aid and sharing are essential values. Throughout our adventure, we often notice that the real warmth within the ice of Greenland resides in the friendliness of the locals.

The Inuit also rely on the sea’s bounty. Rafic had the honor of cutting into the belly of a seal after it had been skinned. The villagers then offered us raw blubber and still-warm pieces of liver. In the three small villages we visited, seal meat remains a staple food for the Inuit people. They also hunt whale, walrus, and polar bear for food, but there is a quota on these species.

The low Arctic sun illuminated the strange cell formation of this lost iceberg. In summer, the icebergs become vast floating sculptures, embarking on a long and uncertain voyage with only the wind and the current to guide them. From our sea kayaks, we witnessed a true demonstration of their size as they towered high above us, and when the sun shone on these icy behemoths, their beauty was breathtaking.

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Suddenly, the horizon darkens, and the coast emerges through the fog. In a couple of days, our adventure will come to an end, and a feeling of melancholy overcomes us. We have traveled a total of 600 kilometers and taken over 350,000 paddle strokes.

More importantly, we lived for 45 days away from the rush of human civilization, witnessing the incredible power and beauty of our natural world. We experienced an intense and unforgettable adventure as we navigated a sea of ice.

Several publications in magazines worldwide : OutThere, Adventure Kayak, Grands Reportages, Animan, Paddle World, Passe-Frontières, Greenland Today, Ocean Paddler, Globetrotter, Canoe Kayak FR, Canoe & Kayak US, Terra, 30 Degrés, Evénement, Kanu-Magazin, Kayak Touring, Paddles, Voyages Voyages, …