The Danish Armed Forces maintain their claim to Greenland with an epic dog-sled patrol. They are responsible for overseeing 16,000 square kilometers of coastline in northeast Greenland as well as the order of the Greenland National Park. The Sirius Patrol is comprised by six teams of two men and their trained dogs. They patrol both on land and sometimes on the pack ice. Along the way they ensure nothing is out of the ordinary and measure the thickness of the ice and snow cover, crucial work when it comes to studying climate change.

History

The first dog sledge patrols began during World War II to monitor and then destroy German weather bases as part of efforts to keep Greenland in Allied hands. During the Cold War, Denmark decided to establish a permanent military presence in Greenland and the patrol then went by the name Resolut. Three years later, they changed to the current name, Sirius Patrol. Even after the war, Greenland still remained a desirable territory, rich in oil and precious metals. The patrol secure Denmark's claim to this valuable wilderness simply by their presence.

The daily life of the Sirius Patrol

Patrol units generally work in teams of two, with only around six teams every year. Overall, there are twelve Sirius Patrol members with six new recruits every year, each paired with a longer serving members. Only men can apply for service and you must be completely healthy. Each duty period is 26 months and you only visit civilization once during those months.

There are up to 14 dogs in each team, and a day's patrol will typically cover 30 km (19 miles). At night the soldiers retire to a hi-tech tent, while the dogs sleep always outside, even in the depths of winter. Patrols can last up to five months without a break or return to base. It is because of the long trips and the rough terrain that dog sleds are used. A snowmobile might break down and can not do such a long distance. The most intelligent dog always lead the patrol. It is essential to choose the safest route and to search for hidden cracks and thin ice. 

They always need to be prepared for polar bears and musk oxen, so they never go anywhere without weapons. This patrol are the only one in a wilderness greater than Great Britain and France combined – the dogs and their friendship and teamwork are essential. 

During a two-year placement with the unit, the soldiers are paid a monthly salary of around 23,000 Danish kroner. Their arctic training includes dog handling, building emergency snow shelters, and hunting for food. It is not the prospect of getting rich that makes men sign up for this patrol, it is the chance of the journey of a lifetime.

Our first two days had not only delivered incredible weather and northern lights, but also an ocean full of orcas, with the odd sprinkling of a humpback here and there. These two days even astonished the locals. We now decided to push further east in search of the large pods of humpbacks. Pods mythical in size, perhaps.

And just as daylight broke, right on cue a large pod of humpback whales surfaced nearby. At least a dozen if not more. An almost fabled and the morning had just begun. 

A young humpback whale, tired of his mother's incessant search for herring, decided to stretch his wings and let his soul fly like the large winged New Englander he was. He breached again and again! Over and over, we witnessed this youngster leap out of the water in delight, from afar, and from nearby. Video after video, photo after photo. Everyone had a chance to not only watch, but record this magnificent splendor of nature on full display.

Wild Northern Norway at its finest.

After a wonderful morning with orcas, it was time to slowly head back towards Tromsø. But we still had a few hours in our pocket to play with. And so it was decided by our intrepid expedition leader Christian Engelke, supported by his trusty assistant Beau, to make a pit stop at Finnkroken for a few hours in the early darkness before heading back to Tromsø.

After a fascinating historical talk by Jo Martin, Oyvind and Helen (the pier owner and local inhabitants in Finnkroken), right on cue, the sky started to light up. One phrase... Northern lights!

The time was only 16:30 in the afternoon when the sky began to lighten. The northern lights continued to strengthen and dance its way across the sky, until reaching its peak activity at around 18:00. The sky literally exploded! Hues of intense green were superseded by reds, pinks, and purples. Colors so intense it at times it became a white hot streak, dancing and shimmering all across the sky.

Mother nature rewards those who are patient and we got one last hurrah of color in the sky!

What was your first impression of Greenland like?
I came to Tasiilaq in East Greenland in 2010. It was grand. After all, I had studied in Svalbard for two years and had an idea of what Greenland would be like, but it was even bigger, fiercer and wilder. Like Svalbard on steroids. Bigger mountains, deeper fjords, and the feeling of a very remote part of the world. Nature had incredible dimensions.

It’s been more than ten years now. You have been back every year and led more than 20 expeditions in Greenland. Do you know Greenland today?
Greenland is the largest island in the world so it’s impossible to know the whole country. But my job as a guide is to show different parts of the country and share my personal experiences.

Can you tell us a little bit of the Greenlandic way of life?
It is difficult to get a one hundred percent accurate idea of how the people in Greenland live because you are a tourist yourself after all. But from the beginning people lived in gathering and hunting societies and hunting is still a large part of the culture. The challenge is that large parts of the hunting rights have been taken away from the population, which has led to a lack of employment. Alcohol abuse is widespread, but there is hope. There are driven entrepreneurs who manage to make some money from tourism. The Greenlandic lifestyle is to live in the moment. They find it difficult to plan ahead and, for example, schedule a meeting. At the same time, you can learn a lot from their mentality, working with nature instead of against it, with the weather instead of against it.

Have you enjoyed the Greenlandic food?
I am a vegetarian, but I have no problem eating meat from animals that have had a good life. I have tasted typical Greenlandic food such as boiled seal, narwhal skin, whale blubber and reindeer stew. On one occasion when I was on an expedition cruise, we met a local hunter in the company of a film crew. It turned out that the team was happy to exchange muskox meat for petrol, cigarettes, or toilet paper. So, we traded toilet paper and got musk ox meat. Delicious!

What usually surprises the guests when visiting Greenland?
First of all the rawness.The first impression when you come to a small settlement may be signs of hunting and blood on the ground. A newly clubbed seal on the ice and sled dogs feasting on parts of the animal. The hunting culture is very visible, and you must be mentally prepared for that. It is important to respect the Greenlanders way of life.

What sometimes surprises people is the rather limited numbers of wildlife. In Svalbard you can get closer to curious animals, but in Greenland the animals have learned that humans are dangerous and therefore keep their distance. Also, not many people are prepared to social problems, such as alcoholism.

Rumor has it that there are wolves in Greenland, is that correct?
It’s true, but the chance of seeing a wolf is like winning the jackpot in a lottery. Nobody knows for sure, but there may be one or two herds in the Northeast Greenland National Park - it's a million kilometers in size. I've seen wolf tracks, but that's the closest I've come to wolves in all my years in Greenland.

Can you tell us about your most memorable wildlife encounter in Greenland?
This year I saw narwhals for the first time. It was super special for me personally, but I don't think the guests really understood how unusual it is to spot narwhals. I will also never forget the first time I saw a bowhead whale. Initially I thought it was a humpback whale, but as I slowly paddled towards it I saw that it was in fact a sleeping bowhead whale. With a kayak, you travel in silence, you are one with nature and can get very close. It was a super cool experience. I mean, man has nearly exterminated this prehistoric animal. The whale never noticed us and that felt nice too.

Which part of Greenland do you like best and why?
In East Greenland, it is easier to find places where no other human has ever been before. The mountains are steeper and the settlements are fewer. I have previously arranged my own two-week kayak trips with tents and brought a maximum of seven guests. During those trips, I have woken up in the middle of the night to the sound of a whale blowing air on the fjord. It is an indescribable feeling. Like cruising in a fjord full of ice. The last time I was in Greenland we had worked hard to get a special permit to drive into a certain fjord in a part of the East Greenland National Park. I had told the guests that this is something very special that very few tourists get to experience. We zigzagged between the icebergs and when we came ashore we first noticed a tent, then even more. I thought "Oh no, I who have promised my guests such a unique experience". But it turned out that the tents did not belong to other tourists but to a film crew from National Geographic Disney+. An old friend from Svalbard whom I hadn't seen since my student days was a researcher in the team that belonged to a multi-million dollar production. So, I was right after all. It was a very special place we were in.

1) Experts have speculated about the walruses’ diving habits for many years. Now we know that they will dive up to a hundred meters for about 30 minutes in search of food. Physiologically they are well equipped for these dives because walruses can greatly reduce their heartbeat and cut off oxygen supply to much of their body tissue except for the brain and the heart.

2) Walruses have incredible hearing. The Inuit who used to hunt walruses would imitate their calls and receive answers from up to 1.6 kilometers away as proved by scientists from the University in Anchorage, Alaska. The eyesight of walruses, on the other hand, is quite bad.

3) Their massive tusks are the most obvious feature of the walruses. They could not survive without them. The tusks are tools for climbing, defense, searching for food and for stabilizing the walruses on the ice. 

4) Walruses usually mate in the water. The females reach sexual maturity at the age of five to six years old. The males not until they are ten. And since a male does not become interesting for a female until he reaches a certain weight and position within the group’s hierarchy most bulls will not have a chance until they are around 15 years old.

5) There is shocking high mortality rate in calves. Only 20% of the calves survive. Polar bears are one of the causes but also an increase in algae due to higher ocean temperatures. Healthy walruses can live up to 30 years.

6) Male walruses can sing! During mating season, they produce a variety of wonderful vocalizations. These can include barks, clicks, grunts and bellows. A session of continuous singing can last up to two and a half days.

7) Their skin can change color. A walrus skin, which can be around four centimeters thick around their head and their neck, is generally a cinnamon brown color. However, on a very warm day their skin can change to a rosy, pink color in the sun. And after a long swim in the icy cold water their skin can go to a cool white.

8) Walruses have only two known predators besides humans: orcas and polar bears. 

9) The walrus mainly eats clams, shells and crustaceans, but it has happened that they have also been seen hunting seals. Scientists have even found tiny family members in the stomachs of some bulls.

10) Walruses must sleep between their dives to conserve energy. They like to sleep close together to keep each other warm.