Baffin: Day 10 - The base of the Gods

Another different day and another break from walking. The plan for today was to leave our camp standing by Turner Lake and walk up Turner Glacier to the base of Asgard. 

Two options: stopping at the front of Asgard; or walking to the back to admire the North Face where the half conical pillar actually spits into two separate towers.

The day is beautifully sunny, and Celine is on a mission. We climb the rocky moraine (still the same massive one) and in less than one hour we are on the glacier. The surface is covered in rocks and mud, but the glacier flows underneath.

We are reminded of this every time we cross a crevasse. Most are pretty narrow and easy to step over; but every once in a while a subterranean river emerges creating a huge torrent of water which appears at the bottom of the crevasse before plunging underground with spectacular strength. Some of these water holes are deadly. 

At the top of the hill where the moraine stops, and the glacier incline decreases the view is spectacular. Loki is in full view; we see Turner Glacier turning to the right and another glacier opens on the left just in front of Asgard. This is called Parade Glacier. 

Celine explains that all the glaciers we see go on for 100s km and eventually connect to the Penny Ice Cap, the part of Baffin with perennial ice and snow.

We’re at the base of Asgard in two hours and there’s no question of not continuing to the back. We’re now on pure white snow/ice surrounded by some amazing mountains which glow in the beautiful sunshine. 

This is definitely the highlight of the trip so far. The weather is fairly warm and there is little wind. The atmosphere of awe and silence is incredible.

In my experience there is nothing more beautiful than walking on a glacier on a sunny day

We reach the North Face in another hour. 

Now for the record. Asgard has an elevation of 2000 meters. The rock face, from whatever angle you approach the climb, is a straight 1200m ascent. The climb from the most approachable route is minimum 24 hours uninterrupted climbing and of extreme difficulty.

And the North Face is still unclimbed.

Talking about Bond and the famous sequence, there is no way the stuntman and crew climbed the mountain. I am sure they were flown on the top by helicopter and from there they jumped.

Looking at the film, the stuntman must have jumped off the North Face as it is a clear uninterrupted drop. On the south side the parachute would have hit the other mountains below.

Now that that piece of history is sorted, we can go back to our expedition.

A quick bite below the North Face.

Lots of pictures and it is time to go back.

We go down the way we came up. Easier walking as it is down hill.

From the top of the glacier we get the final view in the distance of the River Owl and the valley we came through. One more day to the pass and then it is downhill to the exit of the park.

I have been promised some fishing on the next river we reach. We’ll see. For now, it is hummus and crackers. A delight so far from civilization.

Also, my miso soup is proving popular.