A Hike on a Glacier - WOW

Wrangle View RV Park, Chitina, Alaska – August 17, 2014

We’ve been talking about doing this for over a month now, and we’re really jazzed about it. We’ve hooked up with the folks at Wild Alpine Adventures for a half day, 6 mile hike that includes 2+ miles on the Root Glacier.

We started out thinking we would be doing the hike from McCarthy since that is where the office is and where we were to get our glacier hiking gear. Turns out Root Glacier is in Kennicott and we will be starting from there. Oh boy, another fun van ride!

After a two mile hike through town and on the trail to the edge of the glacier, we finally are ready to begin.

I may have embellished the lack of our abilities a little  when I made the reservations, citing two old and decrepit persons who did not want to slow others down. It must have worked because we ended up in a two person group. Just EJ and me plus our guide. He turned out to be great and probably relieved that he didn’t have a bunch of hot shots he had to keep under control.

Our guide, Dasan, ready to show us the wonders of the glacier. And part of another companies larger group heading out.

This is what is known as a “friendly” glacier in that it is not full of large crevices and other dangerous features.  Once at the edge of the glacier, we don our crampons (cleats on straps that attach to your boots) and get a quick lesson on how to walk on the ice.

What an experience to crunch across the ice. It isn’t smooth like walking on a snow covered hill. It is uneven and uphill it took everything we had to stay upright and walk. This is what it looks like up close.

We finally got the hang of it and followed our guide as he showed us the wonders and surprises the glacier offered at every turn. The middle pic shows one of the rocks that is stuck in the ice. As the glacier melts, it leaves the rock up on a pedestal until it falls.

We came across several ice holes and wondered just how deep is it? Not very, when you poke a hiking pole into it, it is ice just below the surface. Some are deeper than others, but the blue really comes through.

After trekking on the glacier in awe for about an hour, Dasan says  it is time for a break and hacks into the slanted ice to prepare a seat for us.

So we can sit right on the precipice that falls straight into a glacier pond. EJ unexpectedly slides a little bit causing her eyes to get real big! Undaunted, she decides to take a shot of her crampons as she sits and recovers.

As we were sitting there, the clouds began moving in all around. It was interesting watching the changes and we wondered if we might get wet. After a short snack break and rest we’re up again and ready. Dasan smiles and says to be prepared for even more “cool” surprises.

The contours of the ice are fascinating.

 

 

 

 

 

Waterfalls and deep blue pools.

 

 

 

 

 

Crevasses sculpted through the ice.

Even a carving that looks like a profile of a puffin.

Mother Nature is so amazing there are no words to describe the greatness and beauty. Very humbling indeed.You really feel like you are on top of the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reluctantly we had to tell our guide that we were running out of steam and needed to start heading back. After all, we still had a 2 mile hike ahead of us back to the Wild Alpine van. Our half day hike turns into 7 hours.

Looking back it’s hard to imagine the secrets that we were privy to as we explored Root Glacier up close & personal.

We turn in our crampons and say our goodbyes then go to “The Potato” for a late lunch. While there, we meet four motorcycle riders that are on vacation. One rode all the way from California, two flew into Anchorage and rented motorcycles (we didn’t know you could do that) and one fella lived in Alaska and had a girlfriend that was loaning them her cabin near Glenallen for their vacation escapade. They were definitely having a good time.

Afterwards, EJ finds a resting spot with a hot cup of coffee and a big smile while we wait for the shuttle back to the footbridge. The days not done yet, we still have a three hour drive over McCarthy Road to get back to Big Guy and Mocha in Chitina.

What an amazing adventure. We would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a truly breathtaking experience. Wild Alpine Adventures were great and Dasan made his love of what he does come alive. We rank this at the top of our list of memorable days.