A One Day Hiking Trip To Gulefjeld By Annesofie Bernlow
Gulefjeld is about 7 kilometres away from the village of Scoresbysund, in walking distance, so it’s about a 14 kilometre hike as a round trip. We were two girls taking the trek , on a very sunny and clear day in August 2005. We wanted to enjoy the walk and surroundings as much as possible so we walked at a comfortable tempo while observing the nature en route. It was a 9 hour hike, including several breaks.
There are in fact two tops to Gulefjeld, so we decided to reach the small top because it has the more exciting stone features, although I can strongly recommend climbing both tops. But if you are short of time, then take the small top. Thousands of years ago Gulefjeld was below sea level and you can therefore see some very amazing sandstone figures and forms on the two tops. The view is spectacular.
During the trip we had to cross about 4 streams, the deepest of which was about ¾ of a meter. We knew that we had to cross some streams so we brought sandals and towels with us, as well as a walking stick which I can highly recommend. The water was extremely cold but it is a nice fresh feeling afterwards. We also discovered that it’s a good idea to hold on to each other whilst crossing the streams, just in case one gets into trouble keeping balance. After crossing the streams we sat down and had a nice cup of hot chocolate and some biscuits.
We took one riffle with us, just in case we met a dangerous animal such as a Polar Bear or a lonely Musk Ox. Some might say, that it is unnecessary to bring a riffle when you are hiking so close to the village, but we were not prepared to take any risks because you never really know what you might meet when you’re out amidst Greenlandic nature.
We also took a satellite telephone with us, so that we could call the town if we got into any kind of trouble and needed help. Finally we took a GPS with us, which is common in very foggy areas, especially near the fjord, so the GPS was just in case the weather changed and we got lost. All these practical things such as riffle, satellite telephone and GPS were items which we were able to rent from the local tourist office ‘Nanu’ and for which we had been giving clear instructions on how to use them.
