Eskimobugt

Eskimobugt, Nordvestfjord, Scoresby Sund, Greenland. Day 49. 16th August 2013.

Eskimobugt or Eskimo Bay is in Nordvestfjord, the north west extremity of the Scoresby Sound fjord complex.  I can’t be more specific than that.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

There was a sad sight when we landed.  There were some musk oxen wandering around in the distance, both adults and young.  However, rather closer to us there was a dead mother musk ox and her calf lying down beside the body, waiting to die of starvation.

This is a group of our expeditioners observing this from a polite distance.  This also has the element of a sad scene.  The central tall person with a light coat and blue hat, the genial Dr John Boyd, is no longer with us.  He died of a heart attack at the unreasonably early age of 50 or so.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Musk ox calf on the left; dead mother on the right.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

An adult musk ox, maybe moulting after winter.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Musk ox skull.  There had been fatalities here before.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Views over Nordvestfjorden.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

This is a two-image panorama and expands to a larger size.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

The inevitable accompaniment to a walk in Greenland or Spitsbergen.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

This image also expands to a large size if you click on it..

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Another musk ox.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Arctic hares.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

There was no walrus to talk to, no-one in our party called Alice and this is not even a white rabbit.  For one thing, the ears are too long.  It is of course, an arctic hare.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Hare we go again….

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Some icebergs attain quite fetching shapes.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Eskimobugten.  Well, here is the remains of an ancient Inuit residence.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Part of a reindeer antler …

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

… and I guess, part of a reindeer backbone.  Perhaps leftovers from an Inuit feast.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Inside wall of an ancient Inuit house.  Bones at the top and probably a safe at the bottom.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Arctic Hare, Musk Ox, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

That same dwelling wall in the context of its environment.

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Bear Islands and Syd Kap

Bear Islands and Syd Kap, Scoresby Sund, Greenland. Day 48. 15th August 2013.

Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

We went out in the zodiacs in the morning at the Bear Islands, navigating around in a forest of huge icebergs.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

It was raining most of the day but that didn’t dampen our enthusiasm for the spectacular scenery around us.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Some remarkable patterns in the ice, too.  I think the blue bands are fissures that have refrozen.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Then we encountered a polar bear swimming in the water (water trail at bottom left).

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

He got to land, looked at us for a while, then disappeared out of sight.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness .

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

Later in the afternoon we had a landing at Syd Kap.  Even some places in eastern Greenland you can find wildflowers.

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Archaeology, Bear Islands, Greenland, Icebergs, Inuit, Landscape, Nature, Photography, Polar Bears, Scoresby Sund, seascape, Syd Kap, Travel, Wilderness

This is an ancient Inuit meat safe or fridge in the context of the environment.  They could put say a seal kill in there with stones over the top, safe from arctic foxes and polar bears.

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