The fact that humans were able to somehow flourish in a land without wood, fire or metal is a testament to how burly and bad-ass our ancestors were. Or to put it more politely, the cultures that mastered this inhospitable environment perfected the zen-like state of living with only nature’s meager offerings.
The east coast is broken up roughly in the middle of Greenland by Scoresbysund. To the north, land is somewhat more welcoming, with flatter terrain and a smattering of wildlife. South of Scoresbysund lies the land of menacing vertical mountains, volatile glaciers and thousands of miles of vast emptiness. It wasn’t until the mid 1900’s that the cartographic details of the southeast coast were finally unveiled, thanks to the combined efforts of resilient ground and air surveys. To this day, travel along East Greenland’s coastline is a challenging undertaking. It is no surprise that this land is one of the birthplaces of kayaks, umiaks and dog sledding – until the era of air travel, they were the fastest and safest ways to get around.
It is within the kingdom of this southern coast that Malver runs his masterful journeys. An expert paddler and explorer, Malver does his Viking heritage proud. Strong, lean and calm, the 6’2 Dane is handsomely weathered, quick to smile and has a healthy dose of wit and humor behind marble blue eyes. This is his 16th year leading expeditions to the region, an area he has explored in all seasons and by every means of transportation possible: dog sled, skis, on foot and of course, in kayaks.
Our adventure began in the largest town in East Greenland, Tasiilaq , a colorful and busy place with a population of under 2,000 people. Tasiilaq serves as the starting point for the few tourists and explorers who find their way to the Ammassalik region. After being dropped off by motorboat at the head of one of the numerous fjords, our first task was to assemble our Feathercraft expedition kayaks. These sturdy vessels are amazingly well engineered boats that break down into a large duffel bag. A few hours of building the aluminum frames and fitting them into the hypalon skins and our kayaks –two singles and three doubles –were ready to go.
