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the Degree Confluence Project
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Greenland : Vestgrønland/Kitaa

18.7 km (11.6 miles) ENE of Iterlak, Vestgrønland, Greenland
Approx. altitude: 318 m (1043 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 61°S 135°E

Accuracy: 3.0 km (1.9 mi)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View N #3: View S #4: View E #5: view W #6: The GPS instrument at best approach to the CP #7: View E, the position of the CP marked with a dot #8: View SE over the glacier and the CP, as seen on flight

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  61°N 45°W (visit #3) (incomplete) 

#1: View SSE over the Jespersen Brae

(visited by Peter Scharfenberg)

13-Aug-2009 -- This year we made another attempt to visit this confluence point (CP) or, at least, to come closer than last year. At that time we gave up in the Jespersen valley, due to impenetrable wood.

On August 9th, we arrived at our former base camp site in the valley of the river Inoqquassaap Kuua, where its water runs into the bay Kujalleq of the Igaliko fjord (60° 55.16'N/45° 15.425'W). Now we hiked through the valley into NE-direction, the river in its canyon always on our right side. The first part of the route, as displayed on the hiking map Narsaq (1:100 000), is marked red, finally changing to black, i.e. the highest degree of difficulties in the ranking of tracks. But "black" turned out to be a clear overestimation. We did not face any serious problem. Instead, it was quite simple to follow the many traces of sheep until our NE-hike ended above the Lake Motzfeld, where the two ice streams of the glacier Jespersen Bræ approach each other, one from N, the other from S.

We built our base camp at 60° 58.57'N/45° 6.91'W, altitude 460 m, within four hours to arrive from the bay. For days now, the visibility decreased to disappointing 200 m, or even less, but in the afternoon of August 13th, the weather cleared up. Immediately we hiked NE to the 61°N-latitude where we moved along an E-valley, thus directly to the CP on the Jespersen Bræ. Our best approach was at 6.00 p.m.(Photo 6). Here we met some sheep and a white hare (snow hare), both species extremely shy. The CP of desire is in the middle of the glacier's ice stream, where the projection, perpendicular to that stream, meets the river and its water fall at the other side (view E, Photo 7). It turned out that we, supplied only with crampons but lacking in rope, would probably face a too high risk in visiting the CP, although hiking the 3 km to the middle of the glacier would obviously be without serious climbing problems, as visual inspection indicated (Photos 1and 4).

The other day, August 14th, we had clear and cloudless sky for a visit of the Lake Motzfeld area. From 61° 2.55'N/45° 2.06'W (altitude 540 m) we looked SSE over the Jespersen bræ to the aforementioned river and its water fall (Photo 1), that marks the (invisible) line to the CP.

Finally, on August 19th, 1.20 p. m., a few minutes after leaving the airport Narsarsuaq on board of Air Greenland's Boeing 757-200, we had a nice view over the landscape we experienced during the last two weeks. Now we shot photo 8, view SE over the glacier, also showing the river in the valley along the 61°-latitude, we had followed in E-direction.


 All pictures
#1: View SSE over the Jespersen Brae
#2: View N
#3: View S
#4: View E
#5: view W
#6: The GPS instrument at best approach to the CP
#7: View E, the position of the CP marked with a dot
#8: View SE over the glacier and the CP, as seen on flight
ALL: All pictures on one page