PADDLER 48
“ Any outsider looking at the environment in Greenland would have to question how on earth anyone could survive there . But the range of foods available is extraordinary .”
PADDLER 48
A PURELY FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY
Most nights , I slept in two pairs of socks , hiking trousers and longjohns , t-shirt , long sleeve t- shirt , pullover , coat and a hat . And cooking becomes a purely functional activity . On the rare occasion I caught a fish , it was too cold to bother taking the bones out , so I mashed it into the pan with salt and seal fat over high heat with a handful of snow or ice . And as soon as it was almost cooked , you get it in your mouth , spitting the bones out the front of the tent .
So easy and quick to cook cuts of meat and fish were the only way to go – this I figured out pretty quickly , and so whenever I got to a settlement and had a chance to cook , I ’ d cook up a seal or whale stew , bag it so all I had to do was reheat . Or eat it cold . Being on a Greenlandiconly diet , I had to make sure I was eating enough fat – supposedly , around 40 % of my diet was to be fat , which my 10-year-old self would have recoiled in horror at .
STAPLE FOODS
Luckily , after three years in Greenland , I had gotten used to it , actively enjoyed it , and , more importantly , quickly noticed the increased energy levels . I could write a book ( and funnily enough , I am ) on the food aspect alone . Any outsider looking at the environment in Greenland would have to question how on earth anyone could survive there . But the range of foods available is extraordinary . Seal has been the staple food for the Inuit over several waves of migration over the last few thousand years – also on the menu are whale , walrus – land mammals such as reindeer and muskox , birds such as little auks , seagulls , eider ducks . Fish included halibut , red fish , cod and capelin – shellfish such as mussels and scallops , sea urchins , prawns , and lumpfish roe . And there are plants too ! Crowberries , mushrooms , angelica and roots .
I had started the diet ten days before the paddle commenced , as soon as I got to Greenland . I had been forewarned about the possible explosive effects the new diet may have in the initial transition stages , and they were spot on . I ’ m delighted I got that out of the way before locking myself into a dry suit .
SEA KAYAKING ANGLESEY
My background in paddling was limited , and pretty much all of it has been done solo ; before heading out this time , however , I thought it prudent to do a couple of weekends at Sea Kayaking Anglesey , which was the first time I ’ d been out with a group , I was apprehensive that I ’ d be way below the level of the others , but I seemed to hold my own – I even squeezed in a rolling session in a pool which didn ’ t do much for my confidence but at least meant I had a basic roll . I did wonder how that would pan out with a loaded kayak with bags and rifle strapped to the deck and figured I ’ d give it a go , but I expected I ’ d have to pop the skirt and do a self-rescue .
Waking up on the first morning to a snowmuffled tent was unexpected because the snow was pretty unusual for that time of year but seemed to be a constant companion for me in that first month of paddling – the snow gives a different sound quality , and you can tell it ’ s there before you open your eyes . The second hardest part of each day was making that first move to get out of the sleeping bag . I was cold most of the time , even with all those layers and inside a bag and hanging around wasn ’ t an option , the goal being to get paddling ASAP and up the warmth levels .
“ Any outsider looking at the environment in Greenland would have to question how on earth anyone could survive there . But the range of foods available is extraordinary .”