Adventure!

Well I went on a solo hike today during my day off. I ventured up the Harding Ice Field trail at the base of Exit Glacier. It’s an 8.2 mile round trip and the views are simply stunning. It’s the only trail in the United States that allows you to see onto an ice field.

I was blessed with scattered cloud coverage so I could see the nunatuks rise up out of the ice field. Because the sky was overcast, it was often difficult to distinguish where the snow ended and the sky began. Contrast that with the lush green all around me as well as the huge flowing glacier and it made for some truly spectacular photos.



Looking out at the Harding Ice Field I couldn’t help but think of a big, white, fluffy dog. Like a Samoyed or maybe just one of the Alaskans we have in the yard all spread out with it’s gangly limbs reaching down. Glaciers are extremely visually satisfying. They constantly take your breath away -- their breadth, depth, color and size are simply overwhelming. It’s also incredible to look out across the valley and see where the glacier used to be. This is surprisingly easy to tell as Glaciers leave their own footprints. Rounded mountain tops, deciduous trees, piles of dirt -- all telltale signs of glacier activity.



Wildlife was abundant. Not only were the wildflowers in full bloom, but I also got to see marmots and mountain goats. While I was up close and personal with the marmots (they were only about two feet away), the mountain goats were several hundred yards away from me and I could only make out their stubby legs. If they hadn’t been moving, I probably would have mistaken them for rocks or dirty snow (they are off-white in coloring.)



Anyways, that’s it for now!