BLOG 11 - Kluane Icefield

Today we have another highlight of our trip - we take a scenic flight over the Kluane Icefield, which forms most of Kluane National Park on the Yukon-Alaska border. The Wrangel-Saint-Elias National Park is directly connected in the USA.

The Kluane Icefield forms the largest continuous area of ice outside the polar regions and covers an area twice the size of Switzerland. The highest mountain, Mount Logan, is also the highest mountain in Canada at 5959 m. The ice field is up to 1000 m thick and is fed by up to 15 m of snow every year.

Overall, a decline in glacier masses is also observed here, although a few glaciers are growing due to basal sliding. Water between the rock and ice forms the sliding ground, which allows the glacier to move quickly. For example, the Lowell Glacier grew by 2 km (!) within two months in the summer of 2009.

It is interesting to consider the perspective of the First Nations, the indigenous people - our pilot Tim, an Australian, tells us their story. The indigenous people do not have a special relationship with the highest mountains and the ice field, which were not useful to them. However, they have personified some glaciers and attributed influences on their own lives to them. Overall, they are surprised by the white man who claims to be able to explain everything scientifically, but they see a rhythm of the glaciers' lives in a cycle of 200 years - in growth and retreat. However, the white man has only been observing for 100 years and therefore cannot have recognized everything.

We 'shot' over 300 photos on this 90-minute flight - we want to show you a small selection.

Today is another highlight of our trip - we take a scenic flight over the Kluane Icefield, which forms most of Kluane National Park on the Yukon-Alaska border. The Wrangel-Saint-Elias National Park is directly connected in the USA.

The Kluane Icefield forms the largest continuous area of ice outside the polar regions and covers an area twice the size of Switzerland. The highest mountain, Mount Logan, is also Canada's highest mountain at 5959 m. The ice field is up to 1 km thick and is fed by up to 15 m of snow every winter.

Overall, a decline in glacier masses is also to be observed here, even if a few glaciers are growing due to basal sliding. Water between the rock and ice forms the sliding ground, which allows the glacier to move quickly. In the summer of 2009, for example, the Lowell Glacier grew by 2 km (!) within two months.

It is interesting to look at the First Nations, the Indians - our pilot Tim, an Australian, tells us their story. The aborigines, per se, have no special relationship with the highest mountains and the ice field, which was of no use to them. However, some glaciers they have personified and thought they would influence their own lives. Overall, however, they are amazed at the white man, who claims to be able to explain everything scientifically, but they see a rhythm of life in the glaciers in a cycle of 200 years - in growth and retreat - but the white man has only been observing for 100 years and therefore cannot have recognized everything.

We 'shot' over 300 photos on this 90-minute flight - we want to show you a small selection.