Cruising.

On the way north for the caribou hunt.

Rasmus and Ivik bonding over dried tobacco.

Smoking does seem to bring people together.

Dialling in the sights.

Rasmus having a go with the small Cal. 222. riffle.

Shooting rocks for practise.

The chosen one.

This male caribou was euthanised with two purposes in mind, one, for a circumpolar studdy of what caribou feed off around the north pole. For that we needed to sample liver, kidney, muscle, jawbone and some hair. All of these tissues are then put into a isotope mass spectrometer, giving scientist the ability to find which specific sources of food this particular animal feed of. Secondly, this animal is used to feed 3 different families during the coming winter,

Carrying caribou.

Ivik carrying caribou back to the hut. A staggering 4 hour walk, through rough terrain, with 40-50 kilos of meat tied to your head with a carrying harness.

This is Ivik.

Ivik is a born a raised in Nuuk. We met the first time in 2004, when we were both 16 years old. Back then we were participating in a year-long international youth exchange to Canada. Unfortunately, we have only been speaking sporadically since then. Fast forward to 2016, I am in Nuuk finishing school work and by coincidence run into Ivik the very first day - while looking for shoe laces in the sports store. Weird coincidence and but great to meet again. Not much had changed - apart from us getting a lot older. Ivik is doing great, he got married, go hunting a lot and is working full time as shrimp fisherman in the Davis strait - at sea for moths at a time.

Making our way back down,

After walking for three ours, we could finally see the fjord again. The hut which Ivik's granddad build, in which we were staying, was by the water. So this was a welcomed sight. The caribou we were hauling back weighed around 40-50 kilo's.

Easy means of transportion.

For 30 mins we could rest our back, while rowing across this long lake.

After a long day.

This is what you feel like right after getting a huge home caught caribou dinner - after spending most of the day hauling it back to the cabin.

The hut

This is the hut that Ivik's grand dad build some 30 years ago. Since then it has received multiple extensions.

Cool green and pink light.

The northern light is unreal when you get away from the city's light pollution.

More green and pink.

More green and pink

The boys are out enjoying the view.

Hard not to be blown away by this inferno.

Another one from a far.

An early morning.

Ice in the fjord coming from a glacier close to the ice cap in the ice fjord.

On the way back home

we stopped at Ivik's parents summer house. This place used to be an old village, but all inhabitants were forced to move because the living cost was simply to high. Now the place is only seasonally inhabited.

A huge ice cube.

A pretty house in the old village.

Enjoying the sun while it out.

When we were at Ivik's parents summer house, we could hear loud laughs and talks from a little red house. On the deck sat these four lovely people. They all used to live in the village, but since it was closed, they were forced to live in Nuuk in stead. They had all kept their houses in the vilage for summer vacations - which was exactly what they were so cheerful about. The offered me a coffee and the lady in the white t-shirt started telling me that she too had just returned from a caribou hunt, sleeping in tents in the back country. They shot two large male's - one so big, that they had walk to their camp twice. Lovely people.

Racing trough the fjord.

Ivik has a Poca 550, with 150 Hp engine. A great boat for trip like ours - a closed cabin would have been a whole other experience, much to easy. Rather put on a lot of clothes and take it all in.

Rasmus looking for fish.

Aurora in Nuuk

The river.

This river is located at the bottom of the Koppefjord. From her we relocate 60 juvenile arctic char to a river outside Nuuk. This place is to hard to acces on a daily basis.

Electro fishing.

Rasmus and I are not in Greenland for holidays, but for investigating the possible effects that a new mine in southern Greenland might have on its surrounding marine environment. This is part of Rasmus's Phd, in which i function as a veterinary field assistant.

By catching juvenile arctic char and exposing them the the sediments that the mine leaks, we can figure out if the fish does bioaccumulate the specific sediments, and thereby know if we have an indication for further investigation.

A beautiful specimen

A mature arctic char with its magnificent colours.

Warm afternoon light,

Beautiful light hitting the mountain tops on the way home from the Koppefjord.

Double darkness and an old statue

Winter arriving.

Hide and seek.

This predator has some good camouflage.

Haliaeetus

The sea eagle (Haliaeetus), leaves the shadows taking off into the morning sun.

In the name of science

Below the graveyard

Sermitsiaq under the dancing green curtain.

A beautiful place to rest in eternity.

One of many cemeteries in Nuuk, Greenland. They all have a great view, but this place was magnificent.