The dramatic passage of Greenland’s Prince Christian Sound takes you on a journey through untouched waters. Humbly, I cruised through the pristine waters, fjords, glaciers & canyons of Prince Christian Sound. Being at the southernmost tip of Greenland, the summers are more comfortably warm and dry with daytime highs in the 50’s. So, I experienced a bright, sunny day out on the deck of a ship for my introduction to remote Greenland.
Background to Greenland’s Prince Christian Sound
Mother Earth’s largest island, Greenland, is home to the second largest ice sheet, covering 80 percent of its land mass. It is a constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark. Prince Christian Sound separates the mainland from Cape Farewell Archipelago, the southernmost tip of Greenland. Furthermore, the sound connects the Labrador Sea on the west with the Irminger Sea on the east. Overall, its long, narrow fjord system of 100 km (60 miles), at times as narrow as 500 m (1500 ft) wide, flows through steep canyons of granite over 1200 feet.
At least 6 fjords offshoot from the sound. Asppilattoq, an Inuit town, is the only settlement along the sound. There are many glaciers’ endcaps going straight up to the water’s edge, calving icebergs. Consequently, these giant chunks of ice drift randomly throughout the waters. Also, there are strong tidal currents, limiting the formation of ice. The explorer, John Cabot described the sound as ‘a river of melted snow.’ Overall, it is much warmer and dryer than expectations of Greenland. However, it is at the southernmost tip, at roughly the same latitude as Anchorage Alaska.
Cruising Prince Christian Sound – A Surreal Experience
My 8-hour passage journey is breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful; however, it shatters my expectations. Before, my thoughts of Greenland conjured up images of ice sheets, glaciers and uninhabitable, snowy landscapes. This August day is a clear, sunny day with temperatures almost reaching 60 degrees F. Unexpectantly, it reveals barren, dry canyons, meltwater rivers and shrinking glaciers. However, it’s the southernmost tip of Greenland at the end of summer. So, I thoughtfully consider this. However, my experience may reveal the foreboding effects of global warming, as a microcosm for our planet. Even though climate change may be a tragic reality to this remote place, the omnipotence of Mother Nature shined on, anyway, giving us a truly magical day.
Irminger Sea Entrance
From the Irminger Sea, cruising into the east entrance of the fjord, marine animations to greet us. The sky is startlingly clear-blue with no clouds. The clouds seem, instead, to appear on the water as floating icebergs. Random islands, protrude in granite with grayish-green patches of lichen and snow. Galvanizing everything is the lively whale activity! In the distance, there are playful spouts and flukes splashing all around us. Even though the whales remain at a distance, it’s exhilarating to know they’re near enough for a glimpse of their healing presence.
My Spectacular Journey at Greenland’s Prince Christian Sound
Immersing ourselves in the granite labyrinth feels like a prehistoric journey through nature’s deep, primal past. Geological features of the canyon’s contours and colors shapeshift into visions, reflecting on the water as an eerie beauty. The cobalt blue sky is a pretty contrast to the ash-grey granite along the way. Icebergs nonchalantly float, as mirages of ethereal clouds. The white-blue glaciers mutely touch the water’s edge, reflecting upon themselves shimmering patterns on the sound.
The still, mild air is a transparent host to the pristine scenery. Ancient majesty creates a sense of calm, so eloquent, that words are unnecessary. The spiritual spark of nature’s perfection speaks for itself. I feel peace flow through me as a slipstream to oneness. Nature is a vector for spiritual guidance.
Meltwater rivers and cascades fall down the granite walls into the wake.
I sense a magnetic charge from the rock’s sparkling quartz pull us through the eye of the needle, instead of the ship pushing through it. There’s a deep surrender to the mystery of the unknown… Nature awakens beatitude, beholding the wilderness, so the mindstream is the truth, with no separation from expressing the moment, as words are the inherent offspring of now.
After 8 hours of enchantment, exiting out the fjord into the Labrador Sea, feels like leaving a secret sanctuary, where few humans have been and reluctantly, transitioning back to reality into the Atlantic Ocean…like we have been through a birthing process, reborn back into the open sea…
After we finished our cruise, we spent the next day at Greenland’s seaport, Qaqortoq on the southwestern coast. Catching this gem on a sunny day was one of the most colorful and fun days of my life. Also, for more information, check out this blog.
Related: Greenland’s Colorful Seaport, Qaqortoq – A Walking Tour
Overall, Reflections on Climate Change
In retrospect, this hauntingly perfect day I commemorate with bittersweet sentiment. Even though nature’s beauty eclipsed the shards of global warming realities for a short while, I witnessed its signs. For example, I heard the calving explosions and saw the shrinking glaciers, and finally watched meltwater rivers and waterfalls plummet to their ends. However, this is the southernmost tip of Greenland, and it is well known that the icecap is shrinking, especially more evident in the south. And undeniably, Greenland is one of our planet’s most significant ‘Canaries in the Coalmine.’
We most likely flowed through the prelude of a melting ice cap, with much more to come in our future. But this takes us to the spiritual message of nature, in that it is not emotionally attached to outcome. Nature reflects infinite wonder and perfection, even in its demise. Ultimately, it’s us humans who will suffer for the havoc we bring upon our planet.
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Lastly, with that in mind, models predict that if our earth temperatures rise 2 -3 degrees, the entire Greenland ice cap would melt, raising our global sea levels 24 meters or 7.2 feet, with dire consequences beyond our understanding. Ultimately, Mother Earth will remain detached and perfect in her own way, always reaching for homeostasis, healing and balance to ultimately weather the damage from humans and climate change.