I got up at 7:00, boiled water and poured in a bag with oatmeal, my legs and, strangely, toes were hurting. Only then I felt the blisters: ankles, thumbs, toes, and one on the downward surface of the heel that was quite painful. WTF IS THIS, – I never had many issues with blisters, so I didn’t expect any this time. Same shoes, same socks. Moreover, on putting the shoes, they felt curiously narrow. Feet ached at the broadest part as if shoes suddenly became one size smaller.
Its probably your feet that became one size larger, I joked to myself – but this later has proven to be true. When I got back, I put on dress shoes that started to feel small too. Unexplained phenomenon, or was it the foot-flattening backpack?
Anyways, I progressed slowly.
Last night I ate 300g tin of fat beef mixed in 200g potato flour with added water, as well as 200gr oatmeal breakfast and 150gr dried figs, so I consoled myself that however hard it may be, its easier to carry now than its been the day before.
In general I was making my backpack lighter at a rate of approx. 1kg/day.
Around 09:00 I reached the first hut. It was empty and clean.
One traveler wrote in 2014 that the surroundings were thoroughly spoiled with garbage and defecation. I can’t confirm – it wasn’t THAT bad. A couple of turds now and then around the hut, but mostly just white napkins (.. ladies?..) that indicated toilet grounds, but in general I expected worse.
Somebody must have cleaned up and even the huts were all since then freshly painted.
“This is the hut which name in Greenlandic means “The house of lovers”, so some couples go here to marry” – I remembered Majaq’s words. I just hope they go up from Kangerlussuaq and not the other direction. Imagine a bride arriving to ceremony after 7 days of hiking. Real pretty! On the other hand, if that doesn’t dissuade.. that marriage will hold!
I got carried away imagining the trekking bride, rucksack on, white dress and stuff. Careful with walking sticks or you’d trip over, the gown all over the place. But comes in handy during mosquito season – just use the veil!
Then I remembered myself after an 8-day trek in Iceland: I looked – and felt – quite like a bum (I’ll try to find a good photo one day, but my lip has swollen gigantically and I burned parts of my shoes while trying to dry them up on a stove, so I wore Crocs with 2 pairs of socks on, ragged, blackened shoes dangling behind on a backpack; this all must have looked REALLY shabby).
The KATIFFIK hut was empty, and the canoes were not there. Neither there were any traces of them on the small brown-sanded beach nearby, so they must have been not there for a while..
Canoes
One of the ACT’s highlights, as advertised, are canoes, supposedly freely available, a repose for a tired walker and a pleasant change of transport overall.
Alas, the dream of dumping the backpack and floating on tranquil and transparent waters of the long lake for about 7 hours, making more than one day’s distance while meditating and relaxing one’s feet didn’t quite materialize.
The problem, as always, were all those people (like myself) that go in the wrong direction!
The hike of about 25km along the lake’s southern border was not technically challenging, but monotonous. It was very hot.
OH, I thought not once, looking longingly at quiet, inviting waters, WHERE ARE THOSE BLOODY CANOES?!
I found out the reason when I reached the west end of the lake next day in the morning – they were all there, waiting for east-bound travelers to take them over the long lake.
Shortly after KATIFFIK I caught on with a couple of young women that spoke English with french accent. They’ve felt a bit vexed.
“We are turning back because of the fire”, one of them said. It took me a while to understand. “So there’s a tundra fire in 5 or 6 days of travel, and if it gets worse, you’ll be asked to return or to detour“. I reasoned that in 5 days’ time the fire must be surely gone, to which they replied it’s been ongoing since July.
OKAY… I imagined walking for 6 days, eating supplies out, to be told to turn back for another week’s walk – and with a tastier tins and oatmeal gone! MAY BE THAT’S THE RIGHT DECISION..
Nobody came from the other side with news, nor there were canoes, so either they all have burned down (a bad joke) or there just were none so far.
Anyways, I decided to march on, having at least 3 days more to clarify the situation and turn back if needed.
As a reached Canoe Center, which turned out to be a large hut with at least 20 beds, I met a couple from Switzerland who were walking in the opposite direction (they have brought the only canoe available at the Canoe Center with them from the west). They confirmed the fire, but said it was only smoke for the time being. The fire would be on the other side of the lake and shouldn’t be very dangerous. No smoke without a fire
A friendly man near the hut spoke up and invited to the hut. This proved to be THE POLISH GUY himself (more on that later).
Past about 1 km from Canoe Center the earth was burned, apparently there’s been a fire here as well, and then I saw one big, horned reindeer.
At about 20:00, past 3 km from Canoe Center I made camp for the night.
