#34
Greenland Reset My Soul: Patti Mumm’s Arctic Eden
For Patti Mumm, a seasoned traveler who has roamed from the South Seas to Antarctica and the remote islands of the Pacific, it takes a lot to truly astonish her. Yet when she stepped aboard the small expedition ship Freya for a Secret Atlas voyage to Northeast Greenland, she found something she hadn’t expected: a journey that would quietly reset her life.
Sailing into the remote fjords and uncharted waters of Northeast Greenland National Park, Patti felt inspired by the landscape.
“Our ship Freya was dwarfed by colossal icebergs, which were themselves dwarfed by these incredible peaks-millions-of-years-old rocks in every direction,” she says. “It was like being dropped into Eden. You’re immersed in a surreal landscape painting.”
— Patti Mumm
The quality of the Arctic light left a deep impression.
“The light, the rock formations, the musk ox, polar bears and the beautiful flowers in the tundra “she says. “It really did feel like an Arctic Eden.”
One moment, in particular, has stayed with her as a mental photograph she can summon at will: the day the narwhals appeared.
“We saw this pod of narwhals and everyone went crazy. We all got onto the Zodiacs and off we went,” she says. “From a respectful distance, you just saw their tusks coming out of the water as they headed towards an iceberg. The sun was reflecting off the red rock of the mountain behind. It was unreal. Like a dream.”
For Patti, who has traveled widely by freighter, small ship, and catamaran, the scale and silence of Greenland were matched only by the intimacy of the experience on Freya.
“The remoteness, the vastness, the uncharted waters—it humbled me, but it also put me completely at peace,” she says. “On a small ship, you’re not fighting crowds. You can be alone on the bow, just watching, just taking it in. If I died right there I would have died a happy person.”
She credits much of that experience to the Secret Atlas team—especially expedition leader Julian Cornet, guide Giancarlo Gallinoro, and operations team leader as well as cultural/historical expert Yaroslava Skorikova.
“They were my ‘Arctic cowboys’,” she laughs. “Charismatic, gifted people. Julian with his micro-geology classes on a hilltop with his little whiteboard, Giancarlo the naturalist and photographer and Yaroslava bringing history and culture to life. They elevated everything.”
Patti is clear about what makes Secret Atlas unique.
“On Freya, it was like being in someone’s living room,” Patti reflected. “We had daily lectures learning more about the nature/geology/history and culture, sharing evenings on the couch in the lounge, watching underwater ROV footage of the day with researchers Dr. Paige Maroni and her husband, ROV engineer Tim. What a joy to be talking with real people are cutting edge scientists who care about the earth and want to preserve the oceans.”
When asked what sets Secret Atlas apart from other expeditions that she has enjoyed in the past, Patti answered: “Secret Atlas has nailed it. The small groups, the ships with experience and character, the passion of the people—that’s what makes it so special.”
For a traveler who has seen so much of the world, it means something when Patti comes forth with a surprising revelation:
“Northeast Greenland is running neck and neck with South Georgia as my favorite place on Earth. And that’s saying a lot.”
— Patti Mumm
Patti is clear about what makes Secret Atlas different. She just returned from her second trip to South Georgia aboard a mid-size ship, and now she has now booked to return to South Georgia with Secret Atlas in 2027 on a micro expedition. She looks forward to longer times ashore, lots of flexibility and no crowds to distract her focus on nature.
“I love the experienced legacy heritage ships,” Patti says. “Give me Freya, any day! When a company like Secret Atlas that really cares about ships, polar history and small groups brings it all together in one expedition —it shows.”
Ask her what Northeast Greenland with Secret Atlas ultimately gave her, and she doesn’t hesitate:
“It reminded me who I am in the world,” she responded. “Small, yes—but part of something vast and beautiful. It humbled me and put me at peace.That trip reset my soul.”
— Patti Mumm
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