Qaanaaq, on the other hand, was a base of operations for American arctic explorer Robert Peary in his 1909 attempt to reach the north pole and is the northernmost village for hunting and whaling expeditions in Greenland. © 2020 USATODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. And from here there is good opportunities to travel to other cities and areas of south Greenland by boat and helicopters. Her work has been published in medical, science and history reference books by Thomson Gale. Thule Air Base, or Thule Air Base/Pituffik Airport (IATA: THU, ICAO: BGTL), is the United States Air Force's northernmost base, located 1,207 km (750 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and 1,524 km (947 mi) from the North Pole on the northwest coast of the island of Greenland. Thule Air Base is the US Armed Forces' northernmost installation. Destination travel to Greenland falls into one of three camps: military tours, eco-travel and day jaunts from Iceland to the east coast. These last days we will spent making our way back to Narsarsuaq via the beautiful highland area of Johan Dahl Land. Since 2000, the ice sheet has experienced a general increase in melting, with melt-day area for 2019 totaling 28.3 million square kilom… The daily distance of hiking is 10-13 kilometres through mountainous and glacial terrain with a backpack that weighs around 20 kilos.
Destination travel to Greenland falls into one of three camps: military tours, eco-travel and day jaunts from Iceland to the east coast. In 1951, more than 120,000 military members deployed to this section of Greenland, with Denmark's approval, to develop an air base to monitor these northern regions within the Arctic Circle. We will only be sleeping in tents, and we will be carrying everything we need in our backpacks. Frozen tundra might trap water, but the permafrost and lack of snow put sections of Greenland in the same category as the Mojave, Sahara, and Gobi -- minus the heat and camels. The makes sure that everyone has what they need. These immigrants, called the Ultima Thule (Latin for "northernmost land of unknown") by 19th-century Danish explorers, did not find empty land but instead encountered the Dorset, Paleo-Eskimo natives who had lived in Arctic Canada and Greenland for more than 4,000 years, according to historians, anthropologists and archaeologists who completed the CBC documentary "Inuit Odyssey." She earned her Master of Science in applied history at Carnegie Mellon University. In 1953, the air base expanded into surrounding areas and moved an entire village of Inuit people from the current location of Thule Air Base to Qaanaaq, about 60 miles north. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY. After exploring these remote mountains that rises up between the glaciers, we will spent the remainding 3-4 days making our way back to Narsarsuaq Airport through the beautiful Johan Dahls Land.
We will be walking 20 kilometres up the “Kiattuut Sermia Glacier”, which will takes us closer to the Nunatak mountains. If interested in booking this trip or having further questions, please contact me by mail or phone, West Greenland – Ice cap basecamp – 3 days, West Greenland – Trekking Adventure to Unesco site of Aasivissuit – 5 days, West Greenland – From the Ice Cap to Unesco Heritage – 9 days, South Greenland – Nunatak Glacier Expedition – 10 days. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute's history of arctic exploration and science chronicles the development of the air base, noting that the project went by the secret code name "Blue Jay." The Dorset vanished shortly after the Thule arrived; researchers have no explanation for the disappearance. We will set up camp relatively early at the very base of the glacier, and use the rest of the day practicing important “glacier skills” that we will need for the upcoming days of travel on the glaciers.
More glacier crossings is to be expected in this area. Three types of glacier margin are found along the edge of the Greenland ice sheet near Thule: ice cliffs, ramps and ice-cored moraines. AirGreenland has direct flights from Copenhagen. If in doubt of whether this trek suits you, please do not hesitate to contact me. A boat in Thule Air Base. The guide will meet you at Narsarsuaq Airport and gather the group. Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. We will then be eating lunch together in the local cafeteria (not included). Information and advice for your travels in Greenland, Best clothing to pack for a trip to Arctic Greenland, 21 Basic Facts about Greenland – An Essential Guide, Experience the Northern Lights in Greenland, Everything you wanted to know about Greenland Mosquitoes, About UsHow to get to GreenlandTerms & ConditionsCopyright & Privacy, Guide to GreenlandCVR 41423218Inspektorbakken 83900 Nuuk, Greenlandinfo@guidetogreenland.com, Nuuk ToursIlulissat ToursKangerlussuaq toursDisko Bay ToursEast Greenland ToursWest Greenland Tours South Greenland ToursNorth Greenland Tours, Vacation PackagesDay Tours in SummerDay Tours in WinterFrom Iceland to GreenlandFrom Denmark to GreenlandPhoto ToursCar rentalAccommodation, Ultimate Guide to NuukUltimate Guide to IlulissatUltimate Guide to AasiaatUltimate Guide to QaqortoqUltimate Guide to SisimiutUltimate Guide to TasiilaqUltimate Guide to UummannaqUltimate guide to ManiitsoqUltimate guide to GreenlandOther practical travel information. If you think that this 10 day tour is too long for you, please check out my other trekking tours by scrolling in the menu above, or follow the link below: Greenland Trekking Tours & Hiking Trips – Thule Expeditions. Therefore this is first and foremost a trip for those who are truly motivated for dealing for the hardships that may arise from walking through such a wild route.
From Narsarsuaq Airport we will hike up the spectacular ” Kiattuut Sermia” glacier for 2 days. Thule Air Base, on Greenland's west coast, developed in secret in the early 1950s as a project reminiscent of a spy novel plot. In addition to this, 3-4 full days of walking on the glaciers with crampons is to be expected, aswell as 3-4 nights of camping on the actual glacier ice!
The excact route in this mountain region will be decided by the guide based on the current conditions and the well-being of the group. The majority of Greenland's 57,000 residents live on the west coast.
Thanks for the adventure! We will then spend the rest of the afternoon packing our backpacks and distribute all the common equipment and food. Surface melting on the Greenland ice sheet ramped down at a near-normal pace in the weeks following the major melt event of early August (Figure 1). A “Nunatak” is the greenlandic word for a mountain that rises up from the glaciers. However if you meet this requirement, and you are motivated to walk through Greenlands glacier and mountains for 10 days, you will here get a unique chance to experience immensly spectacular and beautiful landscapes of Greenland!
More glacier crossings, and potential overnights on the glaciers is to be expected these days. Thule Air Base involves a few hundred Air Force personnel and the rare family visitor to the base. https://www.airicelandconnect.com. As the Denmark government website notes, Greenland has both desert and woodland areas; in some of the northernmost regions, so little precipitation falls that the term "arctic desert" applies. Greenland is the closest land mass to the North Pole. Despite the abundance of ice, Greenland has sections of land classified as desert. After everything is properly checked and sorted, we will grab a taxi and drive out to the start of the flower valley. This is a wild multiday hiking expedition that goes through a seldom attempted route. (Photo: Sermilik glacier in the morning image by Vytenis from Fotolia.com ). Here we will put up our tents, and the rest of the afternoon/evening will be spent getting to know each other, making dinner and talk about safety and good trekking/camping routines. This is a list of glaciers in Greenland. This day we will be hiking through the famous and spectacular “flower valley”, making our way towards the start of the glacier. Only a few minor late-season melt events occurred in September and October. This a trek for those who seeks a wild and remote trekking route in Greenland! The name Thule stuck and was incorporated by the Air Force in naming the strategic air command station. (Photo: Sermilik glacier in the morning image by Vytenis from Fotolia.com ), Peterson Air Force Base: Thule Newcomer's Welcome Package, Canadian Broadcasting Company: History of the Thule Migration, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution: Beaufort Gyre Exploration Project, Denmark: Greenland and Climate in a Nutshell, Privacy Notice/Your California Privacy Rights, Sermilik glacier in the morning image by Vytenis from, Attribution: TSGT Lee E. Schading / U.S. Air Force; License: public domain, Attribution: United States Air Force; License: public domain. Who is the trip for. The majority of Greenland's 57,000 residents live on the west coast. The United States Air Force Space Command built the cold-war era Thule Air Base in Thule, Greenland, in complete secrecy in the early 1950s. After exploring these remote mountains that rises up between the glaciers, we will spent the remainding 3-4 days making our way back to Narsarsuaq Airport through the beautiful Johan Dahls Land. Little or none hiking is to be expected this day. No more glacier travel. Greenland is approximately 86% covered with ice, with average ice thickness about 5,000 feet (1,500 meters), but the northern dome has a depth of up to 11,000 feet (3,400 meters).