Saturday 17th August. "The day that almost killed me".

Hike day 3.

The boulder strewn shoreline of lake Amitsorsuaq

We were beginning to develop a routine. Up early at about 6am, breakfast and on the trail by 8am at the latest.  We left the hut and our fellow Europeans at 8am and I swear I could hear their sighs of relief at the idea that they might get to enjoy a few hours of sleep without a soundtrack of snoring. As we collected our things together, I was sure there were a few grumpy looks from those poor souls who had slept below us.

The snore monster about to leave for the longest day. 

The morning started with drizzle and a blustery wind from the west.  The wind was so strong that it created some significant waves on the lake which would certainly have tested the stability of the canoes had we been lucky enough to have had one.  In fact,  we both agreed that canoeing into that headwind would have been hard and potentially dangerous work.  The canoes are renowned for their lack of sea worthiness.

The day's route stuck to the souther shoreline of the lake, Amitsorsuaq.  After about four or five kilometres the path begins to weave through an area strewn with huge, sharp and jagged boulders.  These forced us to focus on our footing and on our route finding. At several points the rocks force you to the very edge of the water.  The water is clear enough to see that the lake take a steep plunge only a short distance from the shoreline.  The rocks create numerous little rocky inlets and rock pools.  At one point we had to stop and survey a number of potential routes around and over a huge clump of boulders.  It was decided that to go over the boulders which were slippery and wet from the drizzle would be too dangerous.

We decided to attempt a traverse around the edge of the boulders.  This would involved us toeing our way around on a narrow ledge with our heels protruding into space over the lake.  This was high, it only a matter of a foot or two above the surface of the lake.  The problem was that a fall would almost certainly result in complete submersion and the potential loss of a pack.

Approaching the boulders on the shore of lake Amitsorsuaq

We agreed on a course and started to pick our way over the small boulders towards the big one we needed to traverse around.  Richard went ahead of me.  I stretched across a gap between two small boulders.  To my left were two or three other small boulders which formed an almost triangular shaped inlet filled with water.  The size of this inlet was about half the size of a standard bath tub.  As my weight went forward, the mud beneath my boot which also covered the top of the rock I had just transferred my weight to, gave way.  The entire event happened in slow motion and I remember exactly what went through my head at the time.  I felt the weight of my pack pull me back and twist me so that I faced the shoreline with my back towards the lake and the little inlet, which had been behind and to my left, but which now was just straight behind me. I knew that I was too far from the edge of the lake to go into really deep water but the thought going through my head was that I was falling backwards and I was going to smash my head on the rocks. I put my arms out to the sides in the vain hope of being able to grab something.  Instead as I fell I whacked my left elbow on a rock.  I closed my eyes in anticipation for the inevitable crack to my head.

A cairn overlooking Aitsorsuaq

Shoreline of Amitsorsuaq

I opened my eyes.  I was aware of pain in my elbow and I immediately thought the worse and feared that I had broken it. I had come to rest on my back with my legs sticking unceremoniously into the air.  My pack had got wedged in the triangular inlet.  The pack itself was just under water so that my back lay in cold water and my legs were sticking out and pointing up the bank.  My pack still weighed in at about 30 kilos so getting out of this wedged position unaided was going to be pretty tricky.  Luckily, there was the snore horse himself.  Richard sprang into action with the campiest exclamation of "oh Jonathan!!"  He quickly grabbed hold of the shoulder straps of my pack which prevented me from slipping into the water any further.  I had to fold my legs back and put them into the lake until I found some footing that I could push against in order to extricate myself, with Richard's help, from the icy water.  By the time my feet found purchase I was up to my waist in water.  With a heave from Richard I was out and sat on a rock.  My pack was off and I was checking myself and my pack over for damage.  I could not believe that I hadn't cracked my head open on the rocks, but perhaps the size of my pack had worked in my favour and provided a measure of protection from the impact. The only damage was a small hole in the elbow of my waterproof jacket and small bleeding hole in my elbow. Once my elbow had received a plaster from the first aid kit, we surveyed an alternative route across the boulders.  The next 30 minutes were spent negotiating our way over more slippery sharply jagged boulders.  We took our time.
 

The profile of face in the rocks overlooking
lake Amitsorsuaq

The path continued to monotonously follow the shoreline of the lake.  The weather was not getting any better.  The wind was getting stronger and colder and there was the ever present risk of rain, sleet or snow.  The weather dictated our pace and our destination.  We had considered pressing on beyond the next hut, but we decided to be sensible and chose to head for the hut known as the "canoe centre".

The "canoe centre" is the largest of the mountain huts on the trail and it's a bit of an anomaly.  There it is in the middle of nowhere.  There are no roads or tracks to it, yet it is a substantial hut with two dormitories, a large kitchen area and two chemical toilets. There are also a number of old battered aluminium canoes in various states of repair together some of the roughest improvised paddles I have ever seen.  Regardless of the state of the canoes, this hut is a credit to those who maintain Arctic Circle Trail.

The profile of face in the rocks overlooking
lake Amitsorsuaq

We arrived at the "Canoe Centre" at about 4.15pm.  The hills surrounding the hut were still sporting patches of last winter's snow. We immediately set about our chores.  I collected water from the lake, Richard put the kettle on and I set up one of the toilets with the obligatory black plastic bag and then proceeded to half fill it with matter.  I then had a strip wash down by the edge of the lake.  The water was refreshing and breathtakingly cold, but I felt cleaner.  Feeling clean on a trail is important for morale and for hygiene and with water this cold, it's invigorating too.  

Looking back along the lake

Our friends the Czechs and the German arrived at the "Canoe Centre" at about 6.15pm tiered but in good spirits. We exchanged "hellos" and a few comments about the day, and then kept ourselves to ourselves.  I think they were very pleased that the hut was big enough to escape the snoring.  They sat at the kitchen table at played Rock, Paper, Scissors for pieces of chocolate and Harribo, much to our amusement.

Reindeer antlers and Amitsorsuaq

A distinct cairn.  We did leave it standing. 

Tomorrow is the longest day so I must sleep soon.  Today was hard enough.  I feel battered and bruised. My feet feel utterly pummelled from hour after hour of scrambling over boulders in wet boots, my back, legs and shoulders ached.  I will sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow we need to cover 22km and it will be a psychological boost to know that the longest day is behind us. However, we also need to climb a relatively big hill which we should come to after about 13km of hiking, just when tomorrow's fatigue will be setting in. The hut at the end of tomorrow's route is described as small so if we can't get a space on the sleeping platform, we'll have to rely on our cold damp tents for shelter. Tomorrow, we head for Ikkattooq, a 22km slog.  At least the day after tomorrow is a relatively easy 11km (the shortest day).    

The Canoe Centre

The Canoe Centre hut

Canoe Centre hut with snow patch on the hill behind. 

Some of the battered canoes at the head of the lake.