#1: [16-Jul-06]

04-Jul-2013 -- This is the fourth out of 6 reports of attempts to reach confluence points in Greenland. The story starts from 67°N 50°W. The previous confluence report is 67°N 52°W.

We arrived to the confluence area on the fifth day of the hike. Maybe I should add some comments on the Polar Circle Trail: This trail connects the inland airport Kangerlussuaq (500 people living) with the coast town Sisimiut (5000 inhabitants). In-between there is no place to buy groceries so you need to carry all your food for 9 days. Theoretically you can stay each night in a basic hut (just shelter provided). But since there is no guarantee that you do not get caught in a storm on the way or not be able to reach a hut due to flooding, an accident etc. you need to carry a tent in addition to your warm sleeping bag. You definitively need hiking boots. In summer, the trail is partly swamp, so water resistance shoes up to 5 cm water level is recommended. There are also rivers to cross, so 1-2 times a day you need to wade through some streams, in our case knee-deep, but the level may rise to the waist after rains or in the melting season. Don’t forget to bring your slippers to cross those rivers – I was too lazy to put them on at the first crossing and wounded my foot on sharp stones in the waterbed. It is a great walk with great views, a couple climbs of 200 m – 400 m, beautiful lakes (and a lake where you can take a free canoe instead of walking). Expect to meet about 1 other party a day in summer. So, 50% of the time you might end up staying alone in the hut, otherwise you share those tiny shelters with other hikers. We enjoyed the trail so much that we almost would have hiked back! But since we also wanted to see other parts of Greenland, we skipped this idea.

Now let me come back to this confluence. Interestingly, there is one of those huts in 1.68 km distance as the crows fly. When I told Elionora that the height difference to the confluence is 600 m, she preferred to stay in the hut and enjoy the time relaxing after a long hiking day. Indeed the confluence point is located right at the top (60 m missing) of the highest mountain in the area.

The ascent took me about 1.5 hours. It is steep, but not necessarily dangerously steep. I followed the valley south-west for about 1 km and then climbed up stepwise (reaching 2 plateaus on the way).

The confluence is right below the mountain peak on a rocky terrain covered with some moss and grass. Most likely, the confluence is covered with snow from October to June. Although the confluence is located in a little dip, the view standing right at the confluence point is great. Walking a little further to the peak, the view comes even better. At the confluence, there is a little cairn probably left by the first visitor Peter Scharfenberg.

The whole trip (including the climb of 2 little peaks) took me 3.5 hours. I reached the hut at 9 PM, when it was still in sunlight.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to an asphalt road: 30 km
• Distance to a track: 1.5 km
• Time at CP: 7:00 PM
• Measured height: 770 m (at viewpoint)
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 3 m
• Topography: mountainous
• Vegetation: tundra, grass, moss.
• Weather: partly cloudy, 11° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Mountain Peak Confluence

The story continues is at 67°N 54°W.