Monday, August 20, 2012

Walking On The Matanuska Glacier

July 31st – afternoon ….We met up with our Nova guide, Jake, a student of Snow and Avalanche Science, avid snow boarder and first season glacier guide.
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After getting outfitted with hard hats (or brain buckets, as Jake called them) we drove to the face of the Matanuska Glacier…….
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And put on our crampons (spikes for our shoes)……
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And started up……Waking on a glacier is amazing! It is the only way to get an up close and personal look at the glaciers.
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What you do not see from a distance is the moraine, or dirt, that is picked up by the glacier and covers the ice…..
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And the water that runs over the face, forming rivers and moving rocks and dirt around.
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The Matanuska Glacier had a lot of hills and valleys to walk…..I was glad that we had the crampons on our shoes!
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Jake did a good job explaining the different facets of glaciers…..
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And showing us the more hidden aspects of glacial ice.
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He even showed us how to inset a ‘tap’ into the glacial ice and get clean water!
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The group was just us four – Dave and Laura, me (Sue) and Fred. It was great to have such individualized attention.
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I am always struck by the beauty of the glaciers…..and, of course……that blue, blue ice……
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Breathtaking beauty! You just have to stop and try to take it all in.
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It is such a joy to get to share this with Laura and Dave…..

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