Russ,

I have been to Sondrestrom Fjord, and it is spectacular. This is now a popular cruise ship port. The Danish place names have been largely usurped by the Greenlandic names, and "Sonders" is now called by its traditional name of "Kangerlussuaq", "Great Fiord".

I found Greenland to be so dramatic and vast, the settlements so tiny and remote, that I felt very humble, small and insignificant against the immense backdrop of the landscape. Perhaps this is one definition of true wilderness. This sensation is much more pleasing to me than what I feel in crowded landscapes that are dominated by man.

From a kayaking perspective I found this can be frustrating. The air is so crystal clear, that features many miles off, are bright and distinct.You could paddle for days and still not reach a landmark in plain sight. Some folks report that they lose the ability to distinguish between objects near and far, but I did not feel that sensation, myself. There is an interesting story in the current Sea Kayaker about how a cartographer mistakenly thought the tusks of a walrus at close range were two parallel fiords, miles away!

For me, the strangest sensation was that of the midnight sun (summer). I had trouble with my internal clock, and sleeping, with the sun shining brightly 24 hours a day. Stranger still, were the "nocturnal" habits of the Greenlanders. Youngers played soccer at one or two in the morning. One night I couldn't sleep, and no one at the training camp thought it strange at all that I decided to go paddling well past midnight.

Greg Stamer