Dog Town

Day 7 on the Arctic Circle Trail
Km hiked today: 15

So here it is. Our last day on the trail. I feel sad, like I always do when trails come to an end. I've slept better on this trail than I've slept in a long time. It's so quiet here. Quiet and beautiful. We start our day, and the weather is a little grim, so I listen to an audiobook about a Chinese princess floating through space. Crazy story.

Sisimiut is around the corner, but luckily we find a way to postpone the end just a little longer. Mount Nasaasaaq happens to be located right next to the trail, so we decide to hike up before we finish the trail. The climb is short but sweet, and the view is amazing. Greenland is truly unique and beautiful. We get lost a couple of times on our way down, but finding the way here becomes easy once you hear the dogs. First, it’s just a howling in the distance, but it becomes louder the closer we get to town. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like this. Dogs are everywhere. Hundreds of them. Our progress becomes slow because you sort of have to say hi and pet each one of them because they're so cute. The adults are in chains, but the pups run around free, and they are the sweetest, fluffiest things walking the face of the earth. We finally peel ourselves away to hike the last few meters of the Arctic Circle Trail. It’s funny seeing cars again after a week of absolute solitude. So we do what I always do after finishing a trail. We get a beer. The bar we enter might be the best bar I’ve ever been to. It’s called ‘The Bad Place,’ and when we open the door at 3:30 pm, the party is already in full swing. One guy is sleeping on the bench, one has about 10 empty bottles on his solo table, and the rest are celebrating loudly at the bar counter. Love it. We order a beer and a shot of rum and reflect on the past seven days. It’s been a slice. I wouldn’t say the trail is a difficult one by any means. It’s pretty easy and not technical at all, but I didn’t come here just for the trail. I came here to see Greenland, and I’m so happy I did. I didn’t know anything about this country 1.5 weeks ago, and I feel like I’ve learned so much already. We’ll fly back to Kangerlussuaq and then on to Ilulissat for another week. Can’t wait to see icebergs.