Greenland

Yep, Greenland has been on my bucket list since the first time I learned about the landscape. It looks just truly amazing.

Speaking of northern bucket lists, we finally got to Iceland. Just for a 4-day layover while returning from Europe (IcelandAir offers layovers at no added charge). We'll be back for a week or more at some point.

Nice teaser video. Looking at his earlier blog posts, it was a solo trip and he planned on doing the 1st 16 days without re-supply (explains the large backpack).

I am amazed at the quality video that can be put together by solo backpackers. We recently had a couple great ones by a BPL member in Alaska.

With blogs like this, it is kinda making BPL obsolete.

Check this link out too about Greenland:http://patagoniandreams.com/2013/08/22/greenland-a-look-back/ – note they had a rifle due to bear risks.

Next the links to Joery epic trip there: http://dzjow.com/?s=greenland&submit=Search

Its a wild vast wilderness. A must visit if possible for any backpacker.

Wim,

Excellent video and stunning scenery.

David,

I hear that one can hike right out the door of Reykjavik airport.

>"I hear that one can hike right out the door of Reykjavik airport."

True, that. But it is a bit of a moonscape on that SW peninsula that used to be the US base.

But from Keflavik Airport or from Reykjavik city 50 km to the north, you can book bus tours of hot springs, waterfalls, spas, lava-tube caves, and/or horse rides. You could leverage a layover afternoon, a day, or several days if you planned ahead. For how much farther west we need to go back to Alaska, it was really nice to break-up the time shift with several days there. We just rented a car. Driving was much easier with wider lanes, slower speeds, and more politeness than on the continent. Lodging, food and service prices were high (think Switzerland and double the price on produce) but BPing or bicycling would solve that.

We saw an impressive number of people bicycling touring through the national parks. The flights are cheap from Europe and it is Europe's least densely populated country. Sort of like if you 48-staters could pop up to Alaska in 3 hours and for $140. Windy and rainy a lot of the time, the ponchos and goretex seemed kind of pointless. The most experienced people seemed to just resign themselves to being moist all day and had dry-as-your-wear-it synthetics on.

>"I hear that one can hike right out the door of Reykjavik airport."

We once started a 720 mile backpacking trip in England by walking out of Heathrow, the primary London airport. Through the concourses to Terminal 4, across a skybridge to a hotel on the perimeter of the airport, across a single small road, and we were on public pathways that took us to the Thames Path where the real trip started. It was a great feeling to put our packs on on the aircraft and start our walk by walking down the jetway.

James

>"I hear that one can hike right out the door of Reykjavik airport."

Indeed possible but by far not the best scenery. The best trail used to be the Laugavegur, but it has become way to popular, especially in July & August.
My last hike in Iceland was along the southern edges of/on the Vatnajokull icecap (off trail). Didn't see a soul untill arriving at the fairy t(r)ail valley of Skaftafell.

Maybe of intrest for those looking into a trip to Iceland: public transporation options can be verified at:
– bsi.is (private operators)
– http://www.straeto.is/english (public operators, limited to Reykjavík & main roads/towns in Iceland, but cheaper than the private operators).

Getting to Greenland from the US/Canada will virtually almost imply travelling via Iceland or EU.

Nice video indeed!

Loved the headnet shots;-) But then many places he clearly was not being "bugged"

His pack? An ever elusive BPL Arctic Dry Pack or ULA/Epic perhaps?

Cheers David and Wim,

I would love to go to Iceland and Greenland but think I will save those trips for when I move back to Europe in 15 months time.