DAY 4: THE BORDER COLLIE
TRAVEL LOG ENTRY 4: THE SEER’S RUIN
The journey south to the Seer’s Ruin at Vatnahverfi was going to be quite challenging, as we would be at the mercy of unpredictable weather. We would also have to rely on the goodwill of Mother Nature, as the ruin lays deep within a fjord valley. Once on land, it would take around 3½ hours to get there on foot, which was going to put our fitness to the test.
Not long ago, archaeologists discovered the remains of a hut containing a number of strange artefacts. Among them were reindeer antlers, walrus tusks, a sheep's tooth and a piece of a copper pot - items that might well have been used in a Seer's magic rituals, perhaps to beg the gods to protect a village’s livestock and crops, and keep its hunters safe from harm.
Safe to leave
Before sailing down south, Captain Storch made a stop-off in Qaqortoq (Julianehåb). This is the largest town in southern Greenland. Here we would meet our next professional guide, Alibak Hard, a site manager working for UNESCO. In his office, Alibak pulled up the latest weather report indicating that there was a 50-50 chance of rain. Before accepting this prognosis, Storch phoned one of his cousins who farms sheep in that region. He reported that the sky was a peaceful blue, so off we sailed.
Alibak’s faithful pick-up truck
Bouncing and barking
When it was time to desert the sea in favour of the land, Alibak introduced us to his faithful pick-up truck. We loaded our gear, hoping for the best, as it looked like it had seen a lot of action. One of the doors was held shut by a board; the seats were well-worn, and the front windshield had stone-inflicted spiderweb cracks. Also, Alibak had to use an elastic band to keep another of the doors shut. In a way, it was pretty cool!
Over hilly, bumpy, winding tracks we bounced around like crazy Heavy Metal fans, occasionally banging our heads against the roof. Along the way, we passed a sheep farm whose only occupant was a Border Collie, whose owner was probably on holiday. Obviously lonely, he ran over, barking enthusiastically, then hopped directly onto the back of the truck and stayed there. Now we had a four-legged companion on our trail…
The local farmer’s border collie - ready to go!
As we made our way through ever-changing terrain, we noticed a small column of stones; the kind the Norse settlers built to help them find their way home in the dark. It’s called a ‘Vard’ in Danish. When we stopped to rest, we drank directly from a stream - a glacial vein carrying some of the purest water in the world.
A couple of hours later we reached a huge, gravelly and sandy plain. Alibak explained that the sand is the product of the retreating ice sheet. This place wasn’t completely deserted, we could see tracks of ATVs used by shepherds when working with flocks that are spread all over the place.
Was this really the hangout of a proper Viking Seer?
Two hours later and the Seer’s Ruin came into sight, perched on top of a curved cliff, with the glacier in the background. Theis and Ole decided to use a drone as well as their 360° camera, to capture more clearly this awesome location. After reboarding Storch’s boat, we sailed back to Qaqortoq (Julianehåb).
Smart Voyaging
As we pootled along in the banged-up red truck, Alibak drew our attention to the rocks. In some areas, they were completely mossy on one side yet totally bare on the other, for the simple reason that vicious winter winds will blow everything away. Alibak said that variations in terrain actually helped the Vikings find their way around. Sheep tracks, stone beacons and star patterns were also committed to memory.
The next day we headed to Herjolfsnæs, which was a good distance away. Storch wanted to break the journey in two, as very strong winds were expected during the night so we stayed over in Nanortalik. The threat of rough weather got me wondering whether the Viking Seagod Aegir would give us a thrashing in a winter fury. Or perhaps Frey, God of Peace, Rain and Sunshine would win the day. If so, all would be well!
When darkness hits, it’s time to fight back. Bring on the big projector light!
This leg of the trip to Nanortalik involved some night sailing, which was pretty scary. It got so dark you couldn’t see more than 5 metres ahead, even with a huge projector light. But once more, Storch rose to the occasion, occasionally completely ignoring the boat’s navigation system. Out here, he wasn’t going to run aground; he knew these waters like the back of his hand.
And so our little party followed the coastline, past the twinkling lights from little villages. We were eager to reach land, get comfortably horizontal, and count imaginary sheep. Soon we’d be recording one of the most famous sites in Southern Greenland: Herjolfsnæs.