Most people live a life of peace and despair...
I want to live meaningfully, to face only the most basic facts of life, to learn what it can teach me, not to find out at the end of my life that I have not lived.
— Henry David Thoreau
Jordi wrote in the logbook he shared
The following article is from Kudo, by Stephanie
Waking up in the morning, not knowing why, I began counting down the last time on the boat. In the time since, whenever I think about this problem, I feel an inexplicable sense of loss. At the same time, waking up in unfamiliar waters is one of the most enjoyable things in the world, surrounded by a sense of anticipation of exploration.
The expedition leaders, both holding binoculars and focusing on what to look for around the ship, realized that "there may be surprises today." ”
The Great Fjord was also named by the Carl Ryder Expedition expedition in 1881-92. It is named after the large number of Arctic hares he found in the region, which were abundant at the time and rare now at that latitude.
The tundra covers the hills at the foot of the mountain, the large slopes of the fjord are covered with a lush carpet, and the whole mountain is divided by several streams and small canyon-like valleys. It's a beautiful place, and there's often a chance to spot musk oxen.
Not long after breakfast, in the morning Briefing, everyone was asked to sign up for a hike to see the musk ox immediately according to their own situation and physical strength.
Isn't this the "wilderness, wildlife, adventure" I dreamed of? With joy and excitement, Equip yourself with the fastest speed ever, and wait on deck to set off.
Captain Jo skillfully allowed rembrandt to slowly approach the opposite hill without disturbing the musk oxen, so that the ship's friends who were not ready to land could observe the musk ox in the best conditions.
The teammates who remained on the boat photographed our group along the better beach, approaching quietly and slowly, to the lower position of the musk ox, and then hiking straight up the hillside along the tundra. A few hundred meters away from the musk ox, we slowly stopped and stuck our heads out to observe.
It is a desolate place, but there is still life in this seemingly barren land. The rough red cliff surfaces are available for summer visitors to make a temporary home.
Great life, musk ox. This year's calves also have to face Greenland's most fearsome weapon, the harsh winter. Before winter comes, they reveal their final secrets.
They have a soft, thick, fluffy brown coat that is several times warmer than wool, which can help them withstand the extreme climate of minus sixty degrees Celsius, and with this outfit, they can adopt unusual survival strategies to live freely on the tundra. In the wind, they also do not look for a place to hide, but stand high in the wind for most of the winter.
In the extremely harsh island conditions of greenland tundra, only a very small number of species can survive here all year round. About 10,000 musk oxen had to survive the Greenland winter. Before 1900, a large number of Greenland reindeer were frozen to death every winter in this area, but on the tundra, every corpse was not wasted. In the tundra winter, prey is hard to come by, and even Greenland's most cunning predators have to rely on corrosion, while a corpse provides a good meal.
In the winter months of the snow-capped Arctic tundra, it's important to maintain decent camouflage, and even in Greenland's harsh environment, many animals can still find a way to survive. Lemmings do not hibernate throughout the harsh winters in the north, where the nine months of the year are cold. Instead, they are more active, digging burrows and tunnels under the snow, enjoying fresh grass while biting down on some and storing it. On the ground, the temperature may drop to fifty degrees Celsius, but below this, the temperature rarely falls below minus two degrees Celsius.
The musk ox is one of the most tenacious animals on the tundra, and autumn is its mating season, so named because the male musk ox emits a strong odor during the mating season, the female weighs up to 400 kg, and the male musk ox weighs up to nearly 500 kg, fighting fiercely for the right to mate with the best cows. The roots of their two corners are thick corner plates, skulls up to 17 centimeters thick to protect the brain, and when they collide with each other, the speed is nearly 40 kilometers per hour, but if both sides refuse to back down, this peak duel can become a battle of life and death.
As october begins, the days are getting shorter, the nights are getting longer, and the survival race is nearing its end.
The musk oxen leisurely grazed, stopped and walked, and after a while they would look back at us two-legged starmen and then look at their own ranks.
Because of the harsh climate, short rays of light and cold temperatures, tall trees could not survive, only low shrubs and mosses. If some moss is destroyed, even if it is only a small piece, it will take nearly a hundred years to grow out? Looking at the few vegetation on the ground, compared with the huge size of the musk oxen, I couldn't help but sigh.
Musk oxen continue to make adequate reserves in advance for the winter of food shortages, and they will face the worst season. Cloaked in a thick coat and draped with a giant patch of "ex-boyfriend mask" (dodo said after seeing the photo), they filled their stomachs and they were ready for the challenge. For all kinds of creatures, the last period of autumn is very important, and to survive the harsh winter that follows, it is crucial to be able to prepare enough. Animals that cannot tolerate the harsh winter environment leave the area in autumn. And the musk ox resolutely stands here, facing a strong opponent, the arctic winter, the challenge of endurance will last for more than six months.
The "spear cannon" is mounted in the favorite camera position, focusing on the picture in the camera. The musk oxen were aware of our movements on the shore, and the leading cows began to move higher up the hill with their herd, but could still see them from a distance, and another musk ox slowly joined their ranks from the low ground behind a small valley, and finally the musk oxen all climbed over the ridge and disappeared from our sight.
Greenland's vast expanse remains inaccessible, and if a large number of tourists flock to it, the land may soon lose its pure and pristine beauty, which has been formed by millennia of loneliness.
▵ Scared! It was discovered~
▵ Musk Ox Leader: Behind, hurry up and feed, there are two legs star people shooting us ~
After a while off the ship, subconsciously looking for our "Sweet home", the Rembrandt followed us all the way to the calm sea of the fjord, and the teammates on board waved at us. The front tongue of the glacier, which reflects white light on the opposite bank, spreads along the valley towards the fjord. Just in front of the glacier floats a piece of medium-sized ice floes, all arranged under low clouds.
We had plenty of time to explore some of the lower parts at the foot of the Red Cliffs, an area cut by deep canyons that make the shoals of Rødepynt so spectacular.
The Falcon has left in this season. I walked on my own, and returned to the state of inexplicable loss in the morning, stopped by the expedition captains, and the center of the crowd "grew" several "ivory" bone objects, reindeer antlers, from the soil. Reindeer have been extinct in this area for about a hundred years, and the roots of their antlers are buried deep in the tundra belt, and lichens are wearing on them.
In a few weeks, the land will also be sealed under snow. The animals here have to learn to survive in this incredibly harsh environment. Temperatures plummet again, well below freezing.
Musk oxen have lived in the cold north for forty thousand years and once shared the land with long-haired mammoths. Until now, they have insisted on a never-ending battle for survival.
The tundra was getting quieter.
As winter approaches, sea ice gradually spreads southward.
I thought again of polar bears, for whom the return of ice meant that hunger could be alleviated. They can finally return to their own hunting ground on the frozen sea. Like all animals that live above and below the ice, polar bears have adapted and are able to survive in one of the harshest habitats on Earth: Greenland.
On the way back to the rubber boat along the small canyon, you can see a string of foxes and down duck footprints, but they are rare.
"How's it going?" The teammates on the ship asked us who had just returned to the cabin. "We've recorded a video for you."
Distant mountains long, cloud mountains chaotic, Xiaoshan Qing ~
Compared to fjords that have been to other parts of the world, such as Norway, Iceland, etc. Greenland's fjord peaks are more rugged and rugged, revealing a pristine, pure, mysterious and gloomy beauty at any angle. Tens of millions of years of glacial geological movement have carved out countless vertical peaks with a drop of one kilometer, and in the endless thousand-year silence, the desolation and loneliness of ancient times are permeated.
Like a treasure trove hidden in the fog of the open sea, it has world-class scenery but little is known. One of the world's largest and longest fjord systems, Scoresbysund stretches inland for 340-350 kilometres from the coastline, with countless spikes lined up in a row, surrounded by huge peaks and cliffs, with clear lines carved out like blades, glaciers flowing vertically between the peaks, and blue ice tongues probing into the sea. Any weather and light gives a shocking and surreal feeling.
Walled fjords, exposed rocks, ice of various shapes dotted the deep blue sea, and against the backdrop of today's belt clouds, the special light makes everything around them magical. With our Rembrandt as a foreground, it is not enough to take pictures with a camera.
Scoresbysund's most impressive fjords show its majesty for us to admire, while the sun shines behind us and the layers of clouds envelop the cliffs around us.
Ø Fjord is actually a long and wide passage between Renland and Milne Land. It was also discovered and named by the ubiquitous Carl Ryder expedition of 1891-92 while exploring the island of Bjørn in September 1891. In fact, the norwegian direct translation is "island in the fjord".
There are no islands on the main channel of the fjord. But the name comes from Bjørneøer.
This scenic waterway we walked in the afternoon and evening was surrounded by the mountains of the large island of Milne Land to the south and Renland (part of Greenland) to the north.
— Jordi wrote in the logbook to share with you
The temperature had just passed through zero and a gentle breeze blew again, making the afternoon cold.
One by one, countless beautiful summits and vertiginous orange cliffs appeared on our path, half-obscured by low-hanging clouds. The most spectacular moment is when gaps in the clouds lower reveal the stunning mountains behind them. Scattered icebergs on the north side of the fjord sparkle in the afternoon sun, while the south side of the strait is in the shadows, revealing an intriguing beauty.
The sight was so much enjoyed by all of us and tried to capture these special little details on deck. Take a stunning shot at the deck, then head back to the cabin to rest and warm up, then head back to deck again to shoot, repeating the process over and over again throughout the afternoon to dusk.
During the voyage, mountains and impressive cliffs, up to 2,000 meters high, loomed above our heads, and huge icebergs seemed to escort the Rembrandt.
What happens to the kind little sister Sheng Ying and Dodo sitting opposite? Curiosity drives you to ask.
"We wanted Jerry to take a group of photos for us."
I said, "Shoot together!" I'm going to be your assistant. ”
"Go~ Fellow photography teachers, go to the deck to shoot the little sister~" I shouted in the lounge. When passing by Jordi's position, he was also called by the way, "China's qipao show, do you want to see it?" "
"We took a set of 'Chinese fashion' photos on deck during the afternoon," Jordi wrote in his journal. The two young ladies who accompanied us wore traditional Chinese cheongsam skirts and endured the cold of the Ø Fjord fjord in such an amazing environment. And I have witnessed their beautiful friendship with this beautiful fjord.
Among all the spectacular cliffs, the most striking is the famous Grundtvigskirken. At night, we find ourselves sailing beneath a vertical wall of rock, and we can see the grandeur of its 1,882-meter-high sturdy granite and gneiss, soaring into the sky and briefly appearing in the fog. Looking forward and backward along the fjord, there are several similar peaks around it, and countless hanging glaciers falling from steep slopes into the sea.
In the evening, it gets darker and darker, and the hazy sky obscures the last panoramic view of the fjord until we reach our anchorage in the Bjorne Islands.
▵ Thanks to teammate Miss Sister Sheng Ying quietly Mimi took a photo for me.
Every time after dinner, I habitually went to the bathroom to clean my teeth, and when I returned to the restaurant, there was a birthday cake on the table, and our chef made it for the birthday friends. I don't remember the first few times, as if I always missed singing birthday greetings for my teammates.
-To be continued -
About the rembrandt Van Lane we were riding on
About our expedition captain Jordi
The length is a bit long, please move to the first article:
Savage Tour World | Meet Rembrandt, in Scoresbysund Logbook 01
References for some of the contents of the full series:
Jordi shared a very professional and rigorous logbook;
Sharing lectures on wild nature travel, sharing lectures by Jordi, etc.;
BBC, National Geographic Documentary, research papers from various scientific expeditions, what I can touch;
The music is from The Album by Liv Mari Schei.
Travel Tips:
1. Whether on the boat or on the island where it lands, try not to make loud noises, which will disturb wild animals, interrupt their hunting, eating, taking care of their cubs, etc.;
2. Polar vegetation takes many years to grow as we see, so try not to trample on plants;
3. Be friendly and decent, do not hinder others, do not disturb others to rest, and try not to do things and remarks that make others feel uncomfortable;
4. Play photography in the polar regions, really protect your hands, because the cold will unconsciously freeze your fingers and nails, although wearing warm gloves;
5. Get enough sleep, otherwise you will miss a lot of details during the day if you are not in good spirits and inattention.
6. Keep yourself happy and don't think too much about it.
Welcome to the official website of the wild to www.yetravel.com, or pay attention to the public number wild to go to nature travel information (yetravel2014) to get more natural travel information.