There are also ugly reminders of more recent history, none more notable than the abandoned military bases hidden in the mountainous terrain. One such American base we visited was littered with tens of thousands of rusting oil drums, rotting trucks and several dilapidated structures. Greenland was vital to World War II intelligence for reporting weather patterns that were approaching Europe and both Germany and Allied countries had operations in Greenland.
In between paddling, there was time to scramble on coastal peaks and explore the rivers and lakes. Because of the low animal (and human) population, this is one of last places on earth you can still safely drink out of the streams – and the cold, glacial water is divine!
After two weeks of navigating icy inlets and pristine wilderness, it was back to Tasiilaq to prepare to return home. One last hike to the summit of a 2,500 foot peak in town gave an astounding overview of the land: dangerous but inviting mountains cascading inland as far as the eye can see, surrounded by a magic carpet of glaciers that wind their way to the horizon, a mosaic of sea ice drifting in the deep blue-black water and patches of ice and snow plastered to the steep mountainsides and in the dark valley shadows.
East Greenland is unlike anywhere on earth. Beyond the majestic Arctic scenery, it is home to a culture that is one of the last to be absorbed by modern times. Unlike so many other nations, theirs has not been reduced by disease, warfare or forcefully stolen by impatient while settlers, rather they are a people who have endured a millennium of Arctic living only to be exposed to the world at large a bit later than most. The transition has all the rife hazards of abrupt cultural shifts, as many of the techniques that were perfected in the lonely wilderness are refitted for a world of electric lights, babbling television, refrigeration and industry. To be able to sample this transition in a land so unapologetically beautiful and brutal is humbling.
