Arctic Circle Trail Diary - Day 11 (Innajuattoq)
Camouflaged Wildlife
Our journey today aligned with day seven of the Cicerone guidebook as we hiked from Innajuattoq to our next campsite at the Nerumaq hut. After a couple of slow days, we finally got back on track with our original itinerary. Last night’s sleep was terrible due to my tent being pitched on uneven ground, causing me to keep sliding off my inflatable air mat throughout the night, so I was happy to break camp and hit the trail.
As we walked through the valley towards the Nerumaq hut, the trail was relatively easy, albeit rutted, rocky, and overgrown. Along the way, we were lucky to spot a reindeer and its calf grazing in the valley.
Additionally, we noticed a group of rock ptarmigan birds pecking around a pile of boulders near the path. They were camouflaged and difficult to spot from a distance, but we managed to get a good view. How many can you spot in the photograph?
Despite the beautiful weather, we were constantly bothered by midges, which forced us to keep our head nets on throughout the day. When we arrived at the Nerumaq hut, we discovered that it was little more than a garden shed with only enough room to accommodate half a dozen people at best.
We found a great campsite near the Nerumaq hut for the night. It was by a crystal clear stream and was well sheltered from the wind that was being funnelled up the valley.
Today, we travelled 16km with 290m of ascent in 5 hours, and our trip subtotal was now 180.3km walked with 3767m ascent. Overall, it was another enjoyable day filled with adventure and beautiful scenery.
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