“At 6:15 this morning, I was debating whether or not to push the button to make an announcement and wake everyone up,” Expedition Leader Andreas said at recap this evening. “At 6:20, I pushed that button.” While this might not be met with cheers on an average day back home, today’s call was more than worth it as National Geographic Endurance left the Denmark Strait and entered her first day of a long voyage around Greenland. We were greeted with remarkably calm seas and stunning early morning light – a luxury as the high Arctic slowly shifts from its 24 hours of summer sun back towards the twilight (and nightfall!) of autumn. The sheer walls of East Greenland’s glacier-carved fjords rose to meet us, icebergs dotting the water at their feet. Amongst the icebergs, we spotted the reason for the early call: a group of twenty or more humpback whales feeding close by. We cut our own breakfast short for an early Zodiac ride to view the spectacle! The afternoon saw the ship navigating uncharted waters towards the former U.S. military airstrip Bluie East Two, where we enjoyed exploring remnants of the base and spotting late summer Arctic wildflowers while soaking in a beautiful first day in Greenland.
8/21/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Sydbay, Greenland
On our last expedition landing of the voyage, guests had the chance to visit Sydbay, the former site of the community of Sisimiut. Here we were able to see how this island has been continually inhabited since time immemorial. We viewed the remains of early Dorset housing, Thule tent rings, and sod houses standing alongside a modern Inuit seasonal fishing and harvesting cabin. It was not difficult to see what attracted people to this location for such a long time, as the landscape and seascape teams with a bounty of natural resources and traditional foods. Throughout our journey across Kalaallit Nunaat (the Indigenous name for Greenland) we were able to see the seasons begin to change. Even though we are just barely entering into late August, hints of autumnal colors, from browns and golds, to vibrant reds and majestic deep purples began to spread across the tundra. The beauty of the season made the island’s inhabitants, a colony of snow-white Arctic hares, stand out against the autumnal backdrop and black lichen covered rocks. A fine mist carried by ocean winds transformed this vibrant landscape into dreamy, muted colors that will stick with our guests long after our voyage is over.
