DRIFT Travel Dec 2016

carved by the glaciers, revealing a geologist’s dream of a
country, ancient rocks exposed by the irresistible power of
the ice. As a glacier melts, vast quantities of rocks of all
sizes are deposited in a jumbled heap along its edges and
at the front. Huge rocks are left on the landscape randomly
as the glacier retreats - and the glaciers are definitely
retreating. As we sailed south along Greenland’s coast, we
did see glaciers reaching tidewater, but many more just
visible on the mountainsides.
We could tell areas which had been recently glaciated by
the presence and extent of lichen on the exposed rocks.
Lichen grows very slowly, so the size of the patches on
rocks can be an indication of when the ice retreated, and
can easily be decades or hundreds of years old.
Although we were far above the treeline, there were still
trees. Arctic willow and birch are most common, but they
grow along the ground rather than upright, and can also
reach ages of many decades. Like their upright cousins to
the south, these trees also change color in the fall,
producing vivid splashes of red and orange across the
landscape. As I walked over the tundra, I found myself
Aerial view of lake on glacier, Scoresbysund
Icebergs at Ilulissat with ground vegetation
TRAVEL OFTEN . LIVE WELL . 21