1. Southwest GreenlandNarsarsuaq August 2011

2. Flying from Iceland to Greenland Icebergs in the North Atlantic

3. East Greenland Coast

6. Flying over the Greenland Ice Cap – 1.8 million square km

9. Clouds roll in over the ice cap

10. Landing in SW Greenland

11. Narsarsuaq – Population 158 NarsarsuaqAirport. We flew to Greenland from Iceland in this turbo-prop plane.

13. Narsarsuaq Hostel – Run by Blue Ice Explorer Hostel mate Yeong Won of South Korea

14. Wildflowers – the blue ones are edible! (Check for bugs)

20. Tunulliarfik Also known as Eriksfjord, after Erik the Red. Looking towards Qassiarsuk, home to the ruins of Erik the Red’s settlement Brattahlið.

21. Bluie West One In 1941, before officially entering WW2, the United States set up a supply air base in Greenland, called Bluie West One, which served as a half-way point for bombers, fighters, and supplies heading to Britain. By 1945, Narsarsuaq was born with a population of 12,000. The USA used the base during the Korean War. Decommissioned in 1958, the remains of the air base can still be seen, and the airport is still in use. Remains of B-17 ball turret

23. Reminders of the air base……a lonely fire hydrant

25. Hike to KiattuutSermiat Glacier

26. Hospital Valley Site of demolished Bluie West One hospital surrounded by mystery. Did the US government keep mortally wounded Korean War soldiers with horrible disfigurements here, then tell the families they were KIA? Hospital documents are still classified, but the Danish government’s own investigation squashed those rumors. Maybe… Pedro checks out the hospital remains.

27. Locals have a sense of humor…

28. Flower Valley

29. The Spanish group that adopted me for the hike to the glacier

36. Glacial river – perfect for filling my canteen

37. First glimpse of the glacier

38. Hiking to the glacier involves a steep ascent 300 meters up the mountainside, often using ropes anchored into the rock face.

39. Looking back on the valley and the fjord in the distance from the top!

41. My fibro knees and I are very happy to be at the top!

42. Rest break at a mountain lake.

43. Our goal – KiattuutSermiat Glacier

44. Mountain ranges within the glacier ice

45. An exhilarated Chronic Traveler

49. Back in Narsarsuaq….statue of Erik the Red and family