Tasiilaq on Amassalit Island was our first encounter in East Greenland, having crossed the Denmark Strait in a following sea from Iceland.
With a population of about 1,000 people — one of the largest in East Greenland — Tasiilaq rises steeply out of the water. Red, yellow, green, and blue wooden houses pop like dice off a wrinkled carpet of green. There are no trees, no shrubs to hide the concrete foundations that hold structures level above the rise and fall of gray outcropping bedrock.
Reminding me of bleached whale bones, dog sleds lie about before houses. Some upright, others tipped on their sides or upside down. Behind houses and out on the hillside are sled dogs. Tawny lion-colored dogs with the broad-shouldered stature of huskies and the long fluffy tails of Bernese Mountain dogs. Two smaller dogs run about us, wagging their tails, barking, and bowing to play. We name them Rough and Ready.
I am instantly taken by this attractive community of friendly people and the wildlife. It felt like a step back in…
