Helicopter flight from Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq
Helicopter flight from Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq.
Seeing Qaqortoq for the first time, flying in on the helicopter from Narsarsuaq. Qaqortoq translates from kalaallisut to "white."
Dad in Qaqortoq, taking a hike around town on the first day!
View from Hotel Qaqortoq. I lived in the yellow house to the right of the blue building with the tall chimney.
Pops on Tasersuaq, the big lake, just next to Qaqortoq. Tasersuaq holds all the drinking water for the town.
Qaqortoq, from the view of a boat in the harbor.
And another.
A large iceberg in the fjord outside of Qaqortoq.
Pops with a big iceberg, stuck on the coast at low tide.
Qeqqussat, which pairs well with fresh mussels.
Qaqortoq, from the view of the bridge next to Kalaalimineerniarfik. To the left you can see the office of UNESCO Kujataa and Innovation South Greenland (the blue and red striped piece of the harbor building). The other half of the building is used for Royal Greenland shipping. (Taken on my phone)
The road conditions in Qaqortoq in March. Grateful for my yak-traks while I learned how to walk safely on icy inclines. (Taken on my phone)
Pops in the necessary float suit.
Myself in a float suit, looking truly like a marshmellow.
View of the fjord from a mt window. (Taken on my phone)
The harbor in March, with the ice breaking. (Taken on my phone)
Broken ice in the harbor. (Taken on my phone)
View of town from another window. (Taken on my phone)
Sealskin qajaq with bone accents in the Qaqortoq Museum.
Sealskin qajaq in the Qaqortoq Museum.
Carved walrus tusk in the Qaqortoq Museum.
White-out view from my window in Qaqortoq. Storms were common this time of year.
Ivalo and I after attending my first kaffemik! Kaffemik is the party for all sorts of celebrations: birthdays, confirmations, graduations, etc! The celebratee opens their home foran open house all are invited to, with plenty of traditional food to go around plus a handful to a dozen desserts to go with your coffee. (Photo taken on my phone)
Photo from a hike up into the mountains (qaqqat) above Qaqortoq.
Photo from a hike up into the mountains (qaqqat) above Qaqortoq.
Photo from a hike up into the mountains (qaqqat) above Qaqortoq.
Northern lights above Qaqortoq.
Arnaq -- the park ranger with UNESCO Kujataa and one of my close friends -- and I after a hike into the mountains above Qaqortoq. (Taken on my phone)
Qaleralik (Greenland halibut) caught by Jens Peter.
Jens Peter with his catch of the day, Nataarnaq (Atlantic halibut).
Nipisak (lumpfish) at Kalaalimineerniarfik. Popular for it's roe.
Saarullik (Atlantic cod) at Kalaalimineerniarfik.
Innovation South Greenland office. This first month, I helped work on some film projects, record a small award ceremony, and set up logistics for a wilderness first responder course. I also planned for the upcoming summer projects with the UNESCO Kujataa staff.
Allan and Arnaq at a lunch at Innovation South Greenland.
A sheep farm, Eqaluit Akia, awarded a business award and locally carved trophy.
Kalaalimineerniarfik and Qaqortoq on a nice winter day. The sun was out, so people gather behind the building to enjoy sunshine even in March!
Houses up up and up. Living at the top can mean seeing the fog roll in from across the mountains by the sea and the best view of the northern lights. It also means that you may be in the mountain fog while the sun's out in the harbor!
Harbor on a winter day.
Snow crab for dinner.
Dried fish -- yum!
The winderness first responder class I helped coordinate at it's start. Learned a lot from attending the course (though it was taught in Danish...) and joining on the round-Tasersuaq training day.
Wilderness first responder training, including dragging someone in a stretcher to safety on the snow.
Aviaja postholing, which was happening constantly around the lake.
Niels, Aviaja, Lasse, and Heidi with a safety blanket. Aviaja demonstrating the cold tolerance of sheep farmers.
Aviaja laughing as I'm clearly suffering from a major sprained ankle! (Photo by Sarah Woodall)
Erik, my coworker at Innovation South Greenland working with hunter fishermen, and I after planting his garden in the spring. (Photo taken on my phone)
Aqqalooraq picking Elna and I up from Narsarrsuaq (we got caught there in bad sailing weather for a day) to sail to Sillisit sheep farm!
Chili chillin' on the windowsill at Sillisit.
The boat is pulled up and down by the tractor every time it's used. This keeps it safe from storms and rrough water in the fjord. The rock forms a natural boat launch.
Taking the boat into Qassiarsuk, one of the sheep farming towns, to collect the mail. (Photo taken on my phone)
Aline after herding two sheep down an entire mountain to the boat. They had been wild all winter. Turned out that the white one was fully wild, so Sillisit kept it. Specifically border collies are used as sheep dogs in Greenland.
Sillisit in springtime, the snow is melting.
Kira and I went for a long walk on the hills around Sillisit.
Kaju
Chanel (named for Chanel West Coast by Aqqalooraq)
The mountains and ice still on the fjord around Sillisit.
Chanel
Bomba, Aqqalooraq's parents' dog, protector of chickens.
Kaju joining me for a walk along the coast.
Aline looking over her kingdom.
Sillisit sandstone.
Sillisit sandstone.
Sillisit sandstone.
Basse, Bella, and Louie grazing on the field in spring. Louie is used by Aqqalooraq for sheep herding. Bella and Basse belong to one of the kids, Rikke. Bella is Basse's ma.
Bean and Chili giving each other some cuddles.
Kira and Basse after giving him some snacks (compost).
A sunny day in springtime at Sillisit. You can see that the grass is starting to grow again. (Taken on my phone)
Transporting rams and ewes that were difficult to herd toa small island for easier collecting in the fall.
A grocery trip to Narsaq with much ice in Tunulliarfik Fjord.
Low tide in the Narsaq harbor shows the difficulty of spring sailing in Tunulliarfik fjord.
Narsaq in springtime, with Qaaqarsuaq ('big mountain') behind. This is the mountain that centered in the country's mining debate (Urani naamik), which was recently decided against opening the Qaaqarsuaq to uranium mining after strong protest from locals and farmers.
Aqqalooraq keeping a newborn lamb warm before trying to get her adopted by a new mom. Lambs have to be covered in the adoptive mom's fluids to have a chance to be accepted. Lambs that can already walk (and may try to run away frrom their new mom) have their legs tied and are wrapped around their adoptive sibling to increase their chances of acceptance. Unadopted lambs are raised as 'bottlefeds' by the farmers. (Photo taken on my phone)
The first lambs I midwifed by myself! There weere many more (over 100) to come. (Photo taken by Kira on my phone)
Kira hanging out in a window of the barn after we climbed around the rafters. Kira and I were lambing partners, so we woke up at the same time, went to the barn together at 9am, took shifts in the barn together, and went to bed at the same time for the month of May. For the month, the family (& myself) spent more of our time in the barn than out of it!
Brown lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
White lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
White lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
Allarpalaartoq (mixed color) lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
Kira with "Elna's sheep." For fun, the family picks bottlefeds and competes to see who's sheep get the best lambing record -- a total score taking into account number of lambs, health of lambs, and weight of lambs.
Kira feeding the sheep a snack.
Some ewes with their lambs outside the barn before being released. All -- except bottlefed lambs -- sheep are released into the mountains for summer. Unfenced, the fjords themselves are the fences. Sheep are herded back from this land mass in the fall.
Black lamb with their mom at Sillisit sheep farm.
Chanel wants a cuddle during my 3 o'clock coffee break outside.
Afternoon feeding time at Sillisit. We fed at 8am and 4pm. (Taken on my phone)
An attempted, but unsuccessful, lamb rescue. (Taken by Avioq)
(Taken by Avioq)
Kira and I were on the early night shift. We would go to the barn at 10pm and leave at 1am. The light got brighter and brighter every night, and we were treated to many beautiful skies on our walk to the barn.
Some sheep and lambs on the first day of releases! Off to enjoy the summer.
A mom enjoying the freedom of the mountains.
A lamb free-ranging for the summer. The ears are cut specific to Sillisit. All the sheep farmers have different cuts on the sheep's ears, so they can be idntified even if an ear tag breaks or falls off.
Kira and I holding two tiny lambs. Both were born very underweight and needed to be bottlefed and artificially warmed. Both of these lambs became year-long bottlefeds. Sillisit ended up with 8 bottlefed lambs for 2022.
Another walking-to-the-barn 10pm sky. (Taken on my phone)
Kira holding a brown lamb.
A lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
A lamb at Sillisit sheep farm.
Aqqalooraq, Kaju, and Chanel taking an ewe and her two lambs out to free-range.
Kira and Ben on a walk we took to the Sillisit sandstone. (Taken on my phone)
Kira and Kaju climbing on the Sillisit sandstone. (Taken on my phone)
Kira!
Kira!
Walking to the barn, 10pm.
One of the only places in the world the sheep are trying to hop beck INTO the fence! They're searching for a way to break into the hay fields.
Sometimes it's tiring to be a sheepdog, and you need a nap. (Taken on my phone)
Sometimes it's tiring to be a sheepdog, and you need a nap. (Taken on my phone)
Swimming in the warm sun and cold water with Kim and Kira.
One rock is enough if you're best friends! Alina, Kaju, and Ben. (Taken on my phone)
Bella had a foal the day I left Sillisit to go to Qaqortoq for my work with UNESCO. This is Bella and new foal, Bee.
Rie from Campus Kujalleq let me house-sit for the summer. It was a beautiful home and perfect for art and dinners with friends. (Taken on my phone)
Rie from Campus Kujalleq let me house-sit for the summer. It was a beautiful home and perfect for art and dinners with friends. (Taken on my phone)
Rie from Campus Kujalleq let me house-sit for the summer. It was a beautiful home and perfect for art and dinners with friends. (Taken on my phone)
Myself, Aka, Ivalo, Sikkersoq, and Sarah enjoying cookies and long chats. (Taken on my phone)
Julia visited me in Qaqortoq
National day qajaq show, including qajaq rolls, in the harbor of Qaqortoq.
Julia enjoying a stone carving with her new Puuki Pottery earrings.
Iva, myself, and Julia on National Day, by the docks. (Taken on my phone)
Fireworks outside the sports hall on National Day.
Julia on a walk around town, by Tasersuaq.
A home on the edge of Tasersuaq.
Hearts of stone, carved next to a walkway in Qaqortoq.
The river down the middle of Qaqortoq, which brings water from Tasersuaq to the sea. A popular fishing spot for kids.
Flower valley in Narsarsuaq. Our path took us along the water and then straight up the mountain in the back.
A pond in a cold water stream that was a perfect dip on a hot day.
Near-vertical piece of the trail. Julia and Arina climbing up.
But the view was worth it! Here is a glacial river. It's opaque from the glacial silt carried within it.
Arina taking pictures and film of the whole adventure.
The Greenland Ice Sheet, the second largest ice sheet in the world (after Antarctica) and quickly melting due to global warming.
Julia and I hiked down to wander onto the ice. Julia enjoying a stretch on the ice sheet.
And myself doing the same.
Only big cheeses here! (Taken on my phone)
Ice sheet, lake, and river. A land of water.
Aka, enjoying our sail back to Qaqortoq.
Aka, I, Sarah, and Arina enjoying the sunny day. (Photo by Julia Stuart)
Arina and Julia on a walk we did up the hill above Qaqortoq. Arina grew up in town, and so we got to hear some great teenage tales.
This is small town vibes, having a friend call out of their window at you as you go for a walk. (Photo by Julia Stuart)
I farm-sat at Sillisit for a couple days in the summertime. The fields were bright green and the hay was growing quickly. The wildflowers were out and the skies and water bright blue. A gorgous piece of the world. (Taken on my phone)
I think the pups missed our afternoon hangout. Ben and Kaju making up for lost time on the cuddle front. (Taken on my phone)
Willow and meadow buttercup everywhere. (Taken on my phone)
Kaju amongst the meadow. (Taken on my phone)
Ma was sweet enough to visit me during the summertime. Here's us on a nice hike above Qaqortoq! (Taken on my phone)
Ma and I took the hike around Tasersuaq. Quite different scenery than when I hiked it before with the WFR course in the snow!
Ma and I went to Sillisit for Kira's birthday kaffemik. Here's me saying hello to Blossom and Niniu. (Photo taken by Judy)
The bottlefeds get to graze inside the hay fields over the summer. (Taken on my phone)
Here's Blossom, she loves to be pet so she's chasing my hand. (Taken on my phone)
Kira and I reunited! Like everyday we are together, Kira wants a piggyback ride. (Taken by Judy)
Reconstruction of an Inuit winter turf home in Qassiarsuk.
A Norse ruin protected by UNESCO Kujataa in Qassiarsuk. For my work with UNESCO Kujataa, I made a 2d map and 3d model of these ruins in Qassiarsuk.
Norse reconstruction at Qassiarsuk.
Norse reconstruction at Qassiarsuk.
Malou and I on our way to Narsarsuaq to meet up with the wool conference. Malou was one of the farmers for Ipiutaq Sheep Farm.
A sunny summer day in Qaqortoq featuring Kalaalimineerniarfik.
Downtown fountain and the old section of Qaqortoq.
Qaqortoq with river beauty in flower in the foreground.
The Lutheran church in Qaqortoq.
Carved sculpture in the Stone & Man walk in Qaqortoq.
Carved sculpture in the Stone & Man walk in Qaqortoq.
Carved sculpture of a hand with yarrow in the foreground in Qaqortoq.
Qaqortoq harbour with meadow buttercup.
Aka with a fox trap ruin.
The icy fjord from a hike in Narsaq I took with Arnaq and friends.
The cattle farm in Narsaq, which is the only cattle farm in Kalaallit Nunaat Greenland.
Arnaq on our boat ride back to Qaqortoq from a weekend trip to Narsaq.
Sarah let me stay in her home for two weeks at the end of my summer stay in Qaqortoq. Here's the view from her living room atop the mountain!
Norse skeletal remains discovered in Igaliku.
Excavation in process in Igaliku, with Sara, Birte, Rikke, Dorthe, and Arnaq. They believe the remains to be part of a special area reserved for religious leaders in Norse times in Igaliku.
Stone ruin in Igaliku. This ruin lends its shape to the logo of UNESCO Kujataa. I was in Igaliku to make a 3D model and 2D map of the protected ruin area.
Arnaq and Tupaarnaq, the Igaliku site guide, talking to guests about the excavation.
The town of Igaliku.
Laundry hanging out to dry in Igaliku.
River running through a valley north of Igaliku. Arnaq and I journeyed to survey more area and look for ruins outside of Igaliku town.
A beautiful day and low water levels.
Arnaq recording a discovered cache site.
My last day in Qaqortoq, the view from a window in the UNEESCO/ISG office. I think the cloud formation looks like a bird in flight, accompanying me as I departed for Isortoq.
Carson and Snati on our first attempt to get to Isortoq Reineer Station from Narsaq.
My face after we pushed ourselves through a small channel with a pole and broomstick. The trip to Isortoq took five hours. (Photo from Carson Brown)
Working on fixing up the deck, one of Carson and I's projects at Isortoq. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Raising meat means being okay with the other end of the process. Here I am prepped to bag mince meat. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson on the porch, playing some banjo tunes on a late summer day. (Taken on my phone)
Me in Stefan's everything-all-in-one workshop. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson enjoying the water views.
Carson and the ice sheet, big smiles.
Sucessful arctic char catch by Connor in the waterfall about 20 minutes hike from the station.
Carson at the arctic char stream.
Antlers from the hunting camp returning to the reindeer station. (Taken on my phone)
David pulling in a fishing net set out. Isortoq Reindeer Station visible in the background.
Reindeer on an island nearby the station.
Stefan showing a knife he forged at the station. He makes his own tools, knives, hinges, and everything else he can muster. Stefan would go on to teach Carson how to forge knives.
Carson with a netted fish we later fileted and made for dinner.
Lexi, a sweet puppy at the station.
Outside in some rain at the station. Stefan and Freyja's house is up on the hill behind me. We were collecting wild willow to use in bark tanning reindeer and sheep skins. (Photo by Carson Brown)
A beautiful day for the long journey. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson on a gravel field potentially to be used for hay farming. The glacier visible in the background.
Carson collecting a soil sample.
Collecting a soil sample. (Photo by Carson Brown)
The team! Carson, Ginny, and David.
Beautiful fields and ponds near the ice sheet.
A view from above -- flew the drone around after making a map of the potential field.
A view from above -- flew the drone around after making a map of the potential field.
A view from above -- flew the drone around after making a map of the potential field.
David keeping an eye out for all animal bones we came upon. Here's him with a sheep ram skull.
Northern lights outside at Isortoq Reindeer Station. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Northern lights and the station. This was the house I slept in and where we ate, talked, hung out, and had fires. (Photo by Carson Brown & myself)
Carson at work, building a shelf to use for firewood.
Carson tanning a sheep skin with boiled willow bark we collected from around the station. Carson, David, and I all learned how to tan skins at the station.
Making reindeer antler buttons. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson using an ulu to scrape the sheep skin. Skins are scraped between each tanning to allow the tea to seep in. Three times is the minimum for a rawhide tanning, but this process is repeated more to make leather. Stefan taught Carson how to make these ulus, and the one pictured is one they made during our time at the station. (Photo taken on my phone)
Snati during a long hike the station crew did to the glacier.
Ginny, Carson, Manitsioq, David, Matt, and Heather with the ice sheet in the back.
Visit on the glacier.
Eqaluit (Arctic char) caught in a waterfall pond near the glacier.
Eqaluk being prepared by David.
Eqaluk being fileted by David.
Hot-smoking the char as we all start to realize it's getting late and we're far from home.
The char pond. The char get caught going upstream by the waterfall. We watched the sunset from here.
Carson Brown, fisherman extraordinaire.
Carson setting up the rod.
Reflective pond on our hike back to the station. We ended up getting back way past dark, but had the northern lights above us to keep us company, and Freyja on top of the final ravine calling out a whistle to guide us.
Here I am with the drone I used to map out the potential field. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Stefan showing me and David his quick filet. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Hot-smoking arctic char. (Photo from my phone)
Freyja admiring the view. This is the second potential hay field Stefan asked us to check out. Carson and I were driven by Manitsioq and Freyja on their boat to the spot, and we all enjoyed the fresh air while I mapped the area.
What a moment... enjoying rye bread, cream cheese, and smoked char on the porch. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Stefan and Carson's forged knife made with an antler handle. The dented line in the blade curves it slightly, making the blade stronger.
Stefan showing me how to scrape with an ulu. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Putting the lesson into practice and scraping my reindeer skin. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Stefan Magnusson, owner of Isortoq Reindeer Station.
Left Isortoq and had just arrived at Tasiusaq Sheep Farm for the sheep herding.
Tasiusaq, hay fields, and fjord waters.
Tasiusaq, river beauty in seed, and fjord waters.
Sheep herding outside of Qassiarsuk. Kilaasi, owner of Tasiusaq, on his atv.
Hopping on Carson's atv for a ride. I spent most of the time herding on foot, on steep sections the atvs and horses can't cover.
Driving the sheep to Qassiarsuk.
Driving the sheep to Qassiarsuk.
Kilaasi, Aaqqioq, Ivik, Mike, and Nukassi herding. The farmers in the Qassiarsuk herding group.
Getting towards town! Martina's son on horseback and Martina and Mike on atv.
Martina on atv making sure the sheep don't turn around as another up on the hill pushes the sheep down.
Carson in foreground as we all take the sheep through the town of Qassiarsuk down the main road to the pen on the other side. The pen is used for the sorting.
Me! On the atv before the first sheep herding day! (Photo by Carson Brown)
The sheep in the pen, waiting to be sorted.
Mike and Martina setting up the pen. The banner is used to move the sheep, they see it as a wall and move away from it. Using it, we can push the sheep through a funnel and separate them into two separate pens -- one that goes to slaughter and one that stays.
Kira, me, and Heidi in the pen. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Kira, me, and Heidi in the pen. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson and I on the atv! (Taken on my phone)
The sheep being put on the ferry. The ferry takes them to the Neqi slaughterhouse in Narsaq.
Aaqqioq and I in the pen. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Helped harvest the potatoes at Tasiusaq during one of the non-herding days. (Photo by Carson Brown)
And helped collect some hay with Carson and Qupaluna. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Herding towards Qassiarsuk.
Herding towards Qassiarsuk!
Carson on one of Nukassi's horses during this herding day.
Some off-time from the herding, and Carson and I went on a qajaq ride in the fjord at Tasiusaq.
Carson & the ice.
Carson Brown :)
Sweet horses at Tasiusaq. All the sheep farmers in the area have horses they can use for the herding depending on the terrain.
A sheep dog and the atv at Tasiusaq.
Helping dig some post holes for a temporary fence around the hay bales so the horses can't get at them. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Kira and I and Carson on a walk to the waterfall at Sillisit. Getting to Sillisit started the work with the Kitaa herding group. Sheep farmers in south Greenland work collectively to gather sheep from the mountains. The region between Narsaq and Qassiarsuk is split into three different groups of sheep farmers who herd together. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Kira and I, major hijinks ensue. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Me all big smiles at Sillisit. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Sillisit waterfall with angelica in the foreground.
Angelica being taste-tested by Kira. Each stalk has a different strength of taste, and the male plants are milder than the females. Stalks are used raw in soup, dried for tea, or dipped in sugar as a treat. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Kira and Carson by some red clay soil around the Qassiarsuk area.
Herding towards Inneruulalik farm.
Herding towards Inneruulalik farm.
Kaju's first year herding! He's in his element. Sheepdogs are heavily used during the herding.
Aka, Kuluk, Aqqalooraq, Kira, and Naasunnguaq's daughter herding.
Sheep on a nice day at Inneruulalik farm.
A sheepdog helping herd down some sheep on the hill.
Final push down the channel to the pen at Inneruulalik.
Sheep in the pen at Inneruulalik.
Carson and Kira on atv herding towards Inneruulalik.
Aqqalooraq on Louie herding some sheep with the dogs up front.
Kira and a sheepdog-in-training at Inneruulalik.
Sheepdog-in-training getting some practice in the pen.
Kira and I in the pen at Ipiutaq farm. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Aqqalooraq moving an ewe. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Aka, Kuluk, and Carl in the pen outside Sillisit. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Elna and I in the pen outside of SIllisit. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Kira, myself, Elna, and Kim walking back from the sheep ferry. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Sillisit and a big Nope-esque cloud on sheep-loading day.
Carson and Kira outside of the pen at Inneruulalik.
Kitaa herding group collecting the sheep onto the ferry at Inneruulalik. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Myself at Sillisit :) (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson at Sillisit :)
Me and my second home (the sheep barn at Sillisit). (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson, Kim, Kira, and I went out in the first snowfall of the year to set up Kira's new rifle she got for her 12th birthday. (Photo by Carson Brown)
On the first step of the journey of departure, travelled to from Qassiarsuk to Qaqortoq. In Qaqortoq, Carson and I went out picking qajaasat (labrador tea). (Photo by Carson Brown)
Carson at Thai resturaunt in Qaqortoq, where I spent much time (and money) while I lived in town.
Qaqortoq, nearing sunset.
Mixed feelings about my last day aaaaall over my face.
Next step of the journey of departure: a two day boat ride up the coast to Nuuk. Some of the ride had beautiful views and nice paths through the fjords.
-- but lots of time it felt like this on the waves of the open ocean.
Calm fjord passway and blue skies outside of Paamiut. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Sculpture in Nuuk (Photo by Carson Brown)
David -- a friend from Isortoq -- brought Carson and I out fishing for cod.
Carson with a cod catch we fried up for dinner!
Arrival to Narsarsuaq, with bright white snow on white snow on white snow. Our flights took us from Newark to Lisbon to Copenhagen, to Kangerlussuaq to Nuuk to Narsarsuaq. We spent some time here, in this small community deep in the fjord, which I would visit many times over the year.
Travelling from Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq, my home base town if there was any, via helicopter.
Flying low through the mountainous fjords.
Helicopter flight from Narsarsuaq to Qaqortoq.
Photo from a hike up into the mountains (qaqqat) above Qaqortoq.
Qaqortoq from above. It's a harbor-based town, as all of Greenland's towns are. The sea is the center of all.
The northern lights above Qaqortoq.
Sarah, the tourism manager for south Greenland who was absolutely essential in helping me plan this fellowship. We went to check out Jens Peter, a fisherman hunter, at the docks.
Sarah, Sikkersoq, and Heidi on WFR field day.
Sarah and her constant companion (her camera!)
Elna and Aline looking for wayward, overwintered wild sheep on the mountain.
Sillisit sheep farm from above on the drone. The hay fields are still brown at this point in the spring.
Hayfield from above on the drone, still brown at this point in the spring.
Ptarmigan stomach with seed heads inside, a household decoration and craft.
Avioq, Elna and Aqqalooraq's neice who worked during the lambing. (Taken on my phone)
Kira and Kim playing with the bottlefeds. (Taken on my phone)
Avioq with Blossom, the first bottlefed. (Taken on my phone)
Kim and Kira playing with the bottlefed lambs outside, with Aqqalooraq and the dogs taking some sheep out. (Taken on my phone)
Beautiful willow which grows all over the place. Particularly good for tanning skins.
Sungaartuaraq. Ranunculus acris. Meadow buttercup.
Ivigaasaq. Carex bigelowii. Stiff sedge.
Seernaq. Oxyria digyna. Mountain sorrel.
Paarmaasat. Lathyrus japonicus. Beach pea.
Iva on our way out to Narsarsuaq from Qaqortoq. It was quite the boat ride, as the spring ice (which breaks off the east coast and flows around the southern tip of Kalaallit Nunaat Greenland before flooding into the western fjords) had arrived. This is also the best time for seal hunting, as the seals move with the ice, and for polar bear sightings, with the polar bears following the seals on the ice floe before swimming and walking back east over the ice sheet. (Taken on my phone)
Arina and Salik figuring out our hiking route for the day. Arina, as Snow Falcon Media, works with Innovation South Greenland, and their current collaboration was on a summer tourism film for south Greenland. Julia and I joined in on some hikes Arina was filming for the project in Narsarsuaq.
Isigammaasat. Pseudorchis straminea. Small-white orchid in Narsarsuaq.
Arina and her third eye (lens).
Blue ice from the glacier. Sailing in spring is more like obstactle course sometimes!
Obstacle course in the fjord en-route to Narsaq. (Still from camera video)
Tupaarnaq. Thymus praecox. Wild arctic thyme. Collected throughout the summer to use as seasoning on lamb!
Tikiusaaq. Campanula rotundifolia. Harebell. Edible and sweet, the flower is put on salads and eaten as a snack, or dried for tea.
Sibbaldia tridentata. Three-tooth cinquefoil.
Kira and I out by the barn. (Taken on my phone)
Arnaq giving me a tour of the gardens at Eqaluit Akia, where we attended a kaffemik. (Taken on my phone)
Ma at Inugssuk Cafe.
Artwork celebrating the history of Qassiarsuk.
Potentilla anserina. Silverweed.
Potentilla anserina. Silverweed.
Uummataasaq. Rhianthus minor. Yellow-rattle.
Little beach in Qassiarsuk on a summer day. (Still from drone video)
Christian, deputy director of Nunatta Katersugaasivia Allagaateqarfialu (Greenland National Museum & Archives), and Arnaq, UNESCO Kujataa park ranger, on our journey to Hvalsey Church, the most well preserved Norse ruin in south Greenland. They took measurements of the ruin's structural interity, and I made a model of the area.
Aka measuring the dimentions of a discovered cache site.
Uummataasaq. Rhianthus minor. Yellow-rattle.
Kigutaarnat. Vaccinium uliginosum. Arctic blueberry.
Arnaq and friends on a hike up to a mountain inland from Narsaq.
The icy fjord from a hike in Narsaq I took with Arnaq and friends.
Toornaarsuup nassui. Bartsia alpina. Velvetbells.
Arnaq's favorite flower, tungujortunnguit. Gentiana nivalis. Alpine gentian.
Niviarsiaq. Chamerion latifolium. River beauty. The kalaallisut name translates to "young girl." They're the national flower of Greenland.
Arnaq hiking outside of Igaliku to look for undocumented ruins. She's carrrying her rifle because a polar bear was sighted near Igaliku the night prior.
Our path into the mountains outside of Igaliku.
Arnaq enjoying being out in the nature.
Niviarsiaq. Chamerion latifolium. River beauty. The kalaallisut name translates to "young girl." The national flower of Greenland.
Arnaq recording an animal trap ruin outside of Igaliku.
Norse ruin in Igaliku.
Dryas integrifolia. Painted this one for Sarah, of a plant she found with "a funny long ponytail" which I laughed for a long time about, because she's completely right!
Tungujortunnguit. Gentiana nivalis. Alpine gentian.
Paarnaqutit. Empetrum nigrum. Crowberry.
Freyja, Stefan's daughter, hosting us at the house-on-the-hill. (Taken on my phone)
Exploring Isortoq's backyard, all these ravines, rivers, and lakes between the station and the ice sheet.
Reindeeer on the mountains. (Stills from drone video)
Reindeeer on the mountains. (Stills from drone video)
Ginny and Lexi enjoying the day.
On a soil sample survey to a potential field with David, Carson, and Ginny.
Grass on the hillside. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Omalotheca norvegica. Highland cudweed.
Crowberry on the gravel outwash plain in Isortoq.
Carson woodworking outside the station on a beautiful day in August.
Tools and fjords. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Stefan in his shop. Stefan is a self-taught builder, electrician, plumber, meechanic, blacksmith, etc.
Stefan forging a blade.
David enjoying the boat ride that Freyja is aaaaall too used to.
Captain Freyja (**no beer was actually consumed)
Manitsioq and Stefan getting back from fixing the boat.
Isortoq Reindeer Station. (Still from drone video by Carson Brown)
Isortoq Reindeer Station. (Still from drone video by Carson Brown)
Isortoq Reindeer Station, with the ice sheet in the background. (Still from drone video by Carson Brown)
Ginny frying up some smoked reindeer.
Stefan headed back to the house.
Stefan giving a grin before speeding off to another task.
Tulungatsiaap tumaasai. Comarum palustre. Found in a wetland around Isortoq.
The sheep were pushed towards us from down the mountain before we pushed them towards town. This was our first inkling of the scale of the herding.
Sheep on the mountain. (Still from camera video)
Sheep on the mountain. Farmers on horseback posted at the top of the mountain to stop the sheep from crossing. (Still from camera video)
Kilaasi and his sheepdog herding.
Carson, Nukassi, and Nukassi's dog herding.
Sheep driven up the hill.
En route to Qassiarsuk.
En route to Qassiarsuk.
ATV, dog, and horseback, three ways of herding sheep.
Community effort to bring the sheep through Qassiarsuk and into the pen.
Nukassi, Mike, and Aaqqioq setting up the pen.
Tasiusaq Sheep Farm.
Nukassi and his horse during herding.
Lining up in the pen to weigh the lambs. Depending on the weight, and what time of year it is, lambs could be released to fatten up some more and collected later in the fall. (Photo by Carson Brown)
Tasiusaq. (Drone photo)
Tasiusaq. (Drone photo)
Neighboring farm. (Drone photo)
Tasiusaq. (Drone photo)
Ice in the fjord. (Drone photo)
The potato and turnip garden at Tasiusaq. (Drone photo)
Kira enjoying her job as taste-tester.
Kira and Carson as we trek to our starting herding spots.
Sheepdog enjoying the day.
Carl in the pen at Inneruulalik.
Thank you Kalaallit Nunaat Greenland
