Paddling Under the Polar Sun: Sea Kayaking the Inglefield Fjord
An ACC member for over a decade (Edmonton, Calgary and Rocky Mountain), Kate was introduced to the mountains through summers in New Hampshire/Maine and winter trips to the Colorado Rockies. She first picked up a mountaineering axe in Scotland while doing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Edinburgh. After a few years in the lowlands of Ontario, she headed west to Alberta where an Intro to Mountaineering course led to a full blown mountain addiction. These days, when not leading the surveillance & epidemiology team at AHS, Kate can be found scrambling, climbing (rock & ice), hiking and backcountry skiing. She coordinates the BITS program for Calgary Section, is on the public engagement (PEAS) committee for the ACMG, serves on the ACC national safety and leadership committees & spent 6 years on the CAA board before becoming an affiliate member. In recent summers Kate has been giving her back (a bit of) a rest, and starting to get back into boats. After a 12 day canoe trip on the Nahanni in 2024, this past summer she took a big step and participated in a guided sea-kayaking trip around the Inglefield Fjord in far northern Greenland.
Greenland has long a been both a waypoint on and locale for expeditions led by famous Arctic explorers like Rasmussen, Peary, Nansen and Franklin. An island more than three times the size of Alberta with a population of just 56,000, it is a land of vast expanses, extensive fjords, ice & snow, fascinating flora & fauna and rich cultural history. While recent years have seen a surge in visitors to the southern parts of Greenland, the north is far less touched by tourism. More than 1000km north of the Arctic Circle, Qaanaq is the northernmost permanent settlement in Greenland. Founded to house the Inugguit resettled from Thule, now the site of the Pituffik (US) Spacebase, it sits nestled on the narrow strip of rocky tundra between the Greenlandic ice cap and the Inglefield Fjord. It’s home to about 500 Greenlanders/Kalaallit - many of whom are direct descendants of polar explorers - a plethora of sled-dogs, a general store, church, school and no hotel. Life in Qanaaq is still tightly bound to centuries of tradition and to the land. Though relatively rarely visited by those from outside Qaanaq, the fjord is a spectacular setting for extended sea-kayaking trips. This past summer, I was fortunate enough to take a roughly two-week sea-kayaking trip to Qaanaq & the Inglefield Fjord with Black Feather. The seven of us - four clients and three guides - spent about 10 days on the fjord and four days in Qaanaq. Blessed with calm and mostly sunny weather - and the midnight sun - we were able to explore the vast expanses of the fjord, kayaking by massive glaciers, soaring cliffs and icebergs of every size & shape and exploring the land on foot.
However, it wasn’t just the views, flora and fauna that left a lasting impression, but the rich history of the land and the people - and their generous welcome to their land & culture. Our campsites were often on/by campsites and earth houses used for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years by the local Greenlanders. We were also extremely fortunate to have 10-time Greenlandic Kayak Champion, Greenlandic kayak maker and kayak guide Maligiaq Padilla as one of our guides - his ability to translate and teach us about the land enabled interactions with those in Qanaaq, local hunters and residents of remote hamlets that provided a unique insight into the life in the far north. I hope my slides and recollections will provide a window into Greenland, our sea-kayaking trip and the culture, history and people of Thule District.
Required Items to Bring:
Arrive early or stay late for a bite and beverage at the Mine Shaft Pub at Origin at Spring Creek. You can purchase a drink at the Mineshaft and bring it to the presentation. Guests are responsible for their own food and beverage. The presentation is compliments of the Rocky Mountain Section.
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