We had a relaxed start, the pace of the trip is really great, I never felt we were rushing and was able to enjoy every second of the experience. My tendonitis was really sore but hopefully manageable.
I slept really well, though I needed my silk sleeping bag liner and a warm hat – the temperature at night near the glacier is much, much cooler. For breakfast I had a nice porridge oat, muesli, mixed seeds, cranberries and raisins mix topped off with milk powder and hot water. It was actually delicious and perfect fuel for the day. We didn’t have to pack up camp today.
The weather was totally different. We had a heavy mist in the bay as we paddled for one hour across to a permanent campsite on the far side so that Ruben could use a satellite phone to ask for a new communication device to be dropped off to him. It was really eerie with muffled sounds of the glacier rumbling like thunder and the sound of our paddles.
We hiked up the valley to a plateau left by a glacier and went swimming in a lake. It was pretty damned cold, but I can imagine that it would have been so much nicer on a sunny day. Was still fun. From a distance, the whole area looks like bare rock, but as you get closer you can see a huge variety and coverage of stunning wildflowers and moss on the pretty metamorphic rocks which have all been worn smooth.
We returned to the permanent camp at the bottom of the valley and had lunch AT A TABLE! It was pretty exciting at this point to be eating and not getting dusty from sitting on camp chairs on the floor. I had some lovely cheese on cracker bread, chicken noodles, carrot, pate and some milkybar followed by a big cup of instant coffee with La Lechera condensed milk.
After changing back into our kayaking gear we headed back out into the fjord to explore some of the most spectacular blue icebergs that had made their way over to us. These had truly breathtaking colours and shapes. I hope I never forget this experience, it was just beautiful.
We made our way up towards the glacier, stopping about 500m, and by this point the wall of ice looked humongous and some of the towering spires looked quite precarious. Nothing calved while we were near. We travelled back to camp through the slush. It was a longer day out than I had expected, but spending time out with those big blue icebergs was just fantastic. One of the most amazing things I have ever done I guess.
I had quite a lot of time before dinner so I climbed up the hillside a bit to get a better view of the glacier and relaxed listening to Ruben’s cooking music. Dinner was a delicious aubergine veggie dish and we had such a great vibe in the group. I’m definitely going to miss this group and the outstanding cameraderie.
After dinner I went for a wander and watched the beautiful sunset. The camp was silent when I returned and I settled down quickly listening to the thundering of the glacier, looking forward to another relaxed start.
👍🏻
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