Irreverent Outcrop

Sarfaq Ittuk ferry – gap year Arctic trips (VIII)

irreverentoutcrop — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 10:42:24 +0000

Instead of flying, we decided to travel from Ilulissat back to Nuuk aboard the Sarfaq Ittuk, a ferry operated by the Arctic Umiaq Line. In Greenlandic, “Sarfaq” refers to a current or tide, while “Ittuk” means old or great. The Sarfaq Ittuk route is the most vital transport link in Greenland. As the country’s only ... Read more

Ilulissat, the hometown of icebergs – gap year Arctic trips (VII)

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:14:18 +0000

Our third stop in Greenland: the Ilulissat Icefjord! Kangerlussuaq sits at 67°N while Ilulissat is roughly 69°N. Since both share the same longitude of 51°W, our flight path from Kangerlussuaq was essentially a straight shot north. The hop in the small propeller plane took less than an hour. Unlike the inland landscape of our previous ... Read more

Kangerlussuaq by the ice sheet – gap year Arctic trips (VI)

irreverentoutcrop — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 08:26:59 +0000

In the afternoon of our third day in Greenland, we departed Nuuk aboard a small Air Greenland plane heading for the tiny settlement of Kangerlussuaq. This village sits quietly just inside the Arctic Circle, right next to the massive Greenland Ice Sheet. A bird’s-eye view of the ice sheet and glaciers Nuuk was overcast, but ... Read more

Greenland’s capital on Archean gneiss – gap year Arctic trips (V)

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 03:35:58 +0000

Nuuk’s new international airport officially opened at the end of 2024. As a result, United Airlines announced a new direct route from New York (Newark EWR) to Greenland’s capital for June through September 2025. I excitedly bought my tickets not long after. Booking ten months in advance makes this the most “long-term” planning I have ... Read more

Pangnirtung Fjord of Auyuittuq National Park – gap year Arctic trips (IV)

irreverentoutcrop — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 09:51:36 +0000

After wrapping up our time in Pond Inlet on the north shore of Baffin Island, we made a connection through Iqaluit and arrived at the Inuit village of Pangnirtung (aka Panniqtuuq), which is nestled deep within a fjord of southeastern Baffin Island. Pangnirtung: “the place of the bull caribou” Pangnirtung is located on the Cumberland ... Read more

Glaciers and narwhals of northern Baffin – gap year Arctic trips (III)

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:02:03 +0000

My last post covered first impressions of Nunavut’s capital Iqaluit, and this one will continue our journey further up north to the Inuit village of Pond Inlet in Northern Baffin, as well as the adjacent Sirmilik National Park. Pond Inlet: “the place of Mittima’s grave” Pond Inlet is a traditional Inuit village on the northern ... Read more

First impressions of Baffin permafrost tundra – gap year Arctic trips (II)

irreverentoutcrop — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 23:49:11 +0000

We took a trip to Baffin Island (i.e. “Qikiqtaaluk” in Inuktitut, meaning “very big island“) in August 2025, exploring lively permafrost, ancient rock formations, and spectacular Arctic fjords, while also getting a glimpse of the unique lifestyle of Inuit people today. This trip was overflowing with fascinating and thrilling experiences, far too many to capture ... Read more

Early spring in Yukon – gap year Arctic trips (I):

irreverentoutcrop — Sun, 07 Sep 2025 00:58:31 +0000

We took a trip to the Yukon this spring! Our itinerary was fairly relaxed: we mostly stayed in Whitehorse, the territory’s capital, and explored the national park to the west as well as nearby First Nation towns. Whitehorse lies along the upper Yukon River on the eastern slopes of the Saint Elias Mountains. The surrounding ... Read more

Bar-built estuaries on Kauai’s north shore

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 23:27:20 +0000

The north shore of Kauai is not only home to luxurious mansions but also features a variety of estuaries, most of which are wave-dominated, bar-built types. We visited five of these estuaries: Except for Manoa, the sandy beaches at the estuaries share the same name as their rivers. There is also another river, Wainiha, located ... Read more

A handy little geography tool with a clean look: GlobeTrotter3D

irreverentoutcrop — Sun, 27 Jul 2025 09:30:52 +0000

I recently came across a site where you can draw flight routes on a 3D globe. It doesn’t have as many features as gcmap, but it’s more interactive that I can spin around and explore freely. The visual style leans toward geometric and minimalistic, and the colors for the globe and routes are easy on ... Read more

Devil’s Punchbowl: sandstone formations warped by San Andreas Fault

irreverentoutcrop — Sun, 29 Jun 2025 08:54:59 +0000

North of Los Angeles lies a striking sandstone outcrop known as the Devil’s Punchbowl. I’d seen it before from the air— it’s right where the Transverse Ranges of Southern California give way to the Mojave Desert, directly adjacent to the San Andreas Fault. But it was not until this year that I finally had a ... Read more

Volcanoes and foliage of Shikotsu-Tōya National Park

irreverentoutcrop — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 03:30:33 +0000

Last autumn, we explored the vibrant foliage of Hokkaido’s Shikotsu-Toya National Park (支笏洞爺国立公園), visiting Lake Toya, Noboribetsu Hell Valley, and Lake Shikotsu—all iconic natural landmarks. A must-see for nature enthusiasts! Geology overview of Hokkaido Hokkaido has a complex geological structure, with numerous faults, volcanoes, and geothermal features across the island. It sits on the Okhotsk ... Read more

Nā Pali, Lehua Tuff Cone, and the “Forbidden Island” of Ni‘ihau

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 02:22:56 +0000

During our March 2025 trip to Kaua‘i, Hawaii, one unforgettable day stood out: we spent seven hours soaking in the breathtaking vistas of the Nā Pali sea cliffs, the volcanic Lehua tuff cone, and the remote shores of Ni‘ihau – often called the “Forbidden Island”. Magma from the Hawaiian mantle plume hotspot has continuously erupted ... Read more

Flying over the northernmost mountains: Alaska’s Brooks Range and Gates of the Arctic National Park

irreverentoutcrop — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 20:01:39 +0000

In the winter of 2023, we traveled to the northernmost mountain range of the North American continent—the Brooks Range. The heart of this range lies within Gates of the Arctic National Park in Alaska. 1. Fairbanks to Bettles On the day of departure, the temperature was still below freezing, but the sky was perfectly clear. ... Read more

Is the allure of distant landscapes inherently superior, or a mirage crafted by remoteness?

irreverentoutcrop — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 19:22:05 +0000

I’ve often pondered why so many destinations that captivate my imagination lie perpetually out of reach. No matter where I’ve lived, these places remain scattered to opposite ends of the Earth. Are these far-off vistas truly more breathtaking than the landscapes nearby, or does their appeal stem solely from the novelty of their remoteness? 1. ... Read more

Hello, 2025!

irreverentoutcrop — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 03:48:03 +0000

What a year 2024 was, and here comes 2025. This is the first new year since I started this little website. Wishing everyone all the best in the 2025! #KeepTraveling Happy New Year! January 1…

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Time-traveling through 1.7 billion years of geology at the Grand Canyon

irreverentoutcrop — Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:59:11 +0000

We visited the Grand Canyon in Arizona this spring and hiked all the way to the bottom! Starting with the Kaibab Formation at the top, which formed around 270 million years ago during the Permian period, and moving down to the Vishnu Schist at the canyon floor, which formed 1.7 billion years ago during the ... Read more

Newfoundland (part 1): Iceberg Alley

irreverentoutcrop — Mon, 11 Nov 2024 18:27:34 +0000

The prime season for iceberg viewing in Newfoundland is in May and June. We joined in the excitement this year (2024). The sea ice in Baffin Bay on the west coast of Greenland melts in spring, and the resulting icebergs move southward with the Labrador Current, along the so-called “Iceberg Alley”. They cross the entire ... Read more

Which caves of Dunhuang’s Mogao Caves are worth visiting?

irreverentoutcrop — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:48:03 +0000

During my trip to the Hexi Corridor in September 2024, I visited the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang. I was quite amazed by the caves that I would like to insert this post of cultural topics here, not quite related to nature or geology like most of the other posts on my website. Dunhuang is located ... Read more

Barringer Crater and Canyon Diablo Meteorite

irreverentoutcrop — Sun, 25 Aug 2024 00:41:50 +0000

When we were going back to Phoenix from the Grand Canyon, we turned east in Flagstaff and took a 45 minutes detour to visit the Barringer Meteor Crater (a.k.a. Meteor Crater Natural Landmark). This is the most well-preserved meteor crater in the world and the first confirmed impact crater on Earth caused by an extraterrestrial collision. The meteorite ... Read more