In a small village on an island off the coast of East Greenland, people live with the most powerful forces of nature on their doorstep. This is seasonal living in one of its most extreme forms, where the rhythms of the day are dependent on rapidly-changing weather patterns, and one must always be prepared to change plans with a moment’s notice. 

And yet, across generations, Greenlanders have learned how to adapt and respond. It’s this lesson in developing an interdependent relationship with weather that we experience on this trip. 

Hinoki trips focus on themes of well-being in each place we visit. That might look like exploring spiritual traditions, local food-ways, or rewilding ourselves in environments that provoke non-cultivated behavior. In Greenland, we explore our theme of Interdependence. What can other cultures teach us about personal and community-wide adaptations to a changing climate? This trip looks toward how we might develop an adaptive mindset.

We’ll hear from members of this village to learn how they are evolving with the landscape, and to gain an appreciation for the humbling power of nature in one of its most extreme homes.

We feel it is important to directly experience the native culture of Greenland–this critical, global epicenter that sits at the heart of climate change discussions. Community-based tourism has been identified as a viable alternative to other more extractive industries, and we aim to support that.

To lessen our footprint, we will be traveling across one region by foot or kayak for this expedition, with support from a small local boat-operator for our gear.

The beauty of slowing down to immerse in one area is the opportunity we will have to spend more time being active outside. We’ll kayak out among the icebergs and whales, forage for wild foods, catch arctic fish for dinner, and spend a lot of time hiking out to view the fjords, glaciers and tundra. 

Our Greenland hosts have achieved the highest world-wide levels of qualification as IFMGA high mountain guides for climbing, mountaineering and backcountry skiing, and UIMLA international mountain leaders for wilderness trekking. They also have life-long local experience and safety systems developed to meet the unique challenges of this isolated arctic, alpine, maritime area. They have dedicated themselves to the pristine and wild land, watching and slowly learning from the complex interplay between ocean currents, snowpack, ice, migratory animals, and weather.

While our guides will uphold the highest professional standards for our expedition, we hope that each team member will also play a full part, bringing whatever skills they have to each trip.

5% of the proceeds from the trip will be granted to a local community conservation project in East Greenland.