By Megan Koelemay, Director of Digital Marketing at Natural Habitat Adventures
Weather can impact our travel experiences as much as (and sometimes more than) anything else. As French novelist Marcel Proust once wrote, “A change in the weather is sufficient to recreate the world and ourselves.” On a recent adventure in East Greenland, our small group of travelers were treated to a little of everything: bright blue skies, foggy mornings, and one very blustery night. Each atmospheric condition we encountered lent a certain “mood” to the Arctic landscape as we explored fjords dotted with massive icebergs, hiked through misty mountain valleys and took shelter from the elements each evening at Natural Habitat’s luxury expedition camp.
Here are a few of my favorite “weather moods” from my East Greenland adventure:
Thick fog shrouds kayakers and icebergs near the tiny village of Tinit in East Greenland. Natural Habitat’s Base Camp Greenland is located across the bay.
The view from Base Camp Greenland on a perfect bluebird day. Beyond the lounge yurt in the foreground are cozy, well-appointed “tabins” (safari-style, tent-cabin hybrids). In the distance on the right is Sermilik Fjord and the village of Tinit. Incredibly, the white line on the horizon is the top of the Greenland ice sheet.
From bluebird skies to rain, rain, go away! A heavy cloud bank moves in over camp after an exciting night of howling winds. Quite the introduction to quick-moving Arctic weather!
What a difference a day makes. On the left, a gigantic iceberg dwarfs our Zodiac on a sunny day in Sermilik Fjord. On the right, the same berg a day later, after ice melt and stormy conditions.
A cloudy day near Tinit made this boat’s weathered coat of cheery red paint pop.
A refuge from the storm: A cozy evening spent in the lounge yurt for an evening film, safe from the elements outside.
Cloudy skies in Sermilik Fjord’s “iceberg graveyard” lend a mysterious quality to the Arctic landscape.
A peaceful sunset from my tabin’s private veranda, looking out on the Greenland ice sheet and pristine Arctic wilderness…and hoping to one day return.
