04.-06.08. Sisimiut
- The planned flight from Kangerlussuaq to Sisimiut was cancelled so we had to fly an hour earlier and leave our lodgings without breakfast. The rain showed how lucky we had been for the last 2 days on the ice. The accommodation in Sisimiut was a proper if teetotal hotel, but the rooms were not yet ready on our early arrival so we first visited a nearby craft centre. On sale were various ornaments, jewellery, garments and other objects made from walrus tusks, reindeer horn or sealskin. Later I viewed the harbour and some of the town in the rain. In the evening the group trekked up to another hotel at the top end of the town where we had ordered in advance ‘game of the day’ (muskox, reindeer or whale) for dinner. It turned out to be whale which I did not want to eat on principle, so I changed to the fish of the day.
- Because of continuing low cloud it was decided to make the lower of the 2 planned walks on this day. The route followed a rocky headland out beyond the harbour and passed some evidence of much earlier primitive dwellings. There were fine views out over the sea to a range of glaciated mountains further South (Kangaamiut Sermiat, 1760m?). After this fairly short walk we visited the local museum learning something about the history of the colonisation. Sisimiut was, like the other places on the coast, first established as a whaling station.
- The next day was still overcast but we set off to climb the 549m high Palasip Qaqqaa anyway. The terrain was similar to that of Northern Scotland with bogs and rocks, but was quite steep with fixed ropes in places, so three of us took an easy option and walked back along the coast. There were beautiful beaches on the way although they were home to some midges. The sun began to shine and the town looked attractive with all its colourful houses. On the edge of the town we passed the area where the sledge dogs are tethered, each with its own kennel where they are fed regularly by their owners. Other breeds of dog are not allowed North of the Artic Circle for fear of diluting the breed. We walked round the whole town which even has small lakes with bog cotton situated within it, between the houses which are built on solid rocks. Eventually reaching our hotel from the Southerly direction and could on the way again see the distant mountains still partly shrouded in mist. After a meal in a Chinese restaurant the group boarded the ferry to Aasiaat at 21.00. I was in a compartment with 3 other men, including the guide of an Austrian group. The sea was calm but covered in mist so nobody was out on deck looking for whales or anything else, as suggested in the programme.
Sisimuit region
