Nico Favresse schreibt über seine Expedition auf der Baffininsel:
Back to civilisation – Baffin Island Expedition
How could we describe the feeling of taking our first shower in over two months? Mmmm… Well yes … We have just hit civilization in Greenland. These last 3 weeks has been very exciting in many ways! Adventurous climbing, a close polar bear encounter (without anything to defend ourselves) and a very scary crossing back to Greenland which included a strong storm with snow and huge waves! On this kind of trip the adventure never seems to end until you are back under that hot shower. It does make the shower so much better!
Fotostrecke: Nico Favresse auf Baffin Island
So 3 weeks ago we sailed away from Sam Ford Fjord to explore Gibbs Fjord. Finally the intense weather conditions in Sam Ford Fjord, eased off allowing us to see some blue in the sky. It was very enjoyable sun bathing on the deck while sailing around enjoying the magical scenery of mountains, big walls, glaciers and Icebergs floating around the Fjords. However, it being early september, the temperature was decreasing day by day proportionally to the area of our bodies on which we would apply sunscreen. It feels amazing how you can sail for days in these waters and see absolutely no sign of humans.
At this stage we had to be careful to spare the use of the motor in order not to run out of fuel. So we sailed even when there was not much wind; slicing the water slowly but smoothly as we were scoping around. Finally we found the business: Gibbs Fjord is full of impressive walls mostly untouched.Quickly our attention was caught by a steep and long aestetical North facing arete. There were lots of south facing walls but for some reason the most appealing objective for us was a North face which we knew would be cold to free climb at this time of the year.
The next day Sean and I set off for it while Ben and Oli decided to trade the committing adventurous climbing for a nice hike to the top of some mountains. The blue sky turned grey again with a big band of mist which quickly spiced up the climbing as snow flakes were flying around. In a couple hours the wall was covered with a very thin but rather sticking layer of the white stuff.
Fortunately the climbing was steep, so on the bottom section of the wall it hadn't accumulated too much and we enjoyed some of the best rock quality we encountered on this trip. But as we went higher things got more interesting. The rock was completely plastered!
It reminded us the famous Scottish mixed climbing mecca Ben Nevis except we were free climbing. Fingers were jamming in snowy crack and our numb feet constantly slipping away. I never thought it would be possible to free climb in these condition!
Everywhere we could rest we had to stop to warm up our numb fingers and even for the easiest move it was a challenge not to slip and fall off. It was tough but the atmosphere so magical we kept going. Thankfully the sky cleared up and, since the last 300m had been above the mist, it was a relief to finish the climb finally in descent condition.
As it was getting dark, we reached the top again of a beautiful virgin feature and enjoyed the satisfaction and the unique scenery of Gibbs Fjord. If I could chose, I would never free climb again in these conditions but at the same time it was such a unique experience that I will never forget it.
While Sean and I were struggling with cold and snow Ben and Oli were strolling in the sun enjoying what they thought to be a safe way up a mountain. For the past month we hadn't seen any more polar bears so slowly we started leaving the gun behind when we went on land.Ben and Oli thought a mountain made of rock and glacier is no place for polar bears to hang out. On the summit they enjoyed the view for a while and then started heading back down. 30m down from the summit all of a sudden a polar bear showed up from behind a boulder only 15m away!
It was a massive beast and lucky for them they were talking loud and that somehow scared the bear which quickly ran away. When back on the boat, they wondered: Why was this polar bear up there in the middle of nowhere where there is absolutely no food? Then they realized that the bear must have followed them on the 3h walk to the top of the mountain.
It was there only because he had smelled a nice meal. Ben and Oli were very lucky! The bear was surprised when they were walking straight towards it. From then on we were a little more cautious again.
Our last days on Baffin island we could feel winter arriving with the sea starting to freeze along the coast and the snow line dropping all the way down to sea level. Although there was so much more to do, it was time for us to make our way back to Greenland. With the perspective of rough sailing conditions, we knew the adventure wasn't over.
Indeed the crossing was tough because it was cold and snowy but the worst happened as we came in sight of Greenland. A big storm surprised us on the most tricky part of the crossing only 6 miles away from our destination!
We had to weave through lots of rocks and low depth while the waves suddenly became huge. The boat was crashing in the waves and we were all wet and cold but thankfully we found shelter behind a little island and eventually reached the harbor of Sisimiut… That was the end of the adventure.
Again, sailing and climbing proved to be a perfect combination.
Greetings from Belgium
Nico