Week 64 - Glaciers Up Close!

The weather in Valdez unfortunately wasn't in our favor, and so it rained almost continuously. This left us completely unable to view the surrounding mountains.

However, we didn’t let it dampen our spirits and made the best of the situation. We embarked on a wildlife and glacier cruise in Prince William Fjord. Even in the gray rainy weather, we were able to spot 3 different species of whales (Fin whales, Humpback whales, and Porpoises).

The absolute highlight was a Humpback whale that put on quite a show for us. For several minutes, it jumped out of the water again and again, splashing each time.

The trip took us to the Columbia Glacier, one of the largest in Alaska and the biggest glacier whose tongue ends directly in the sea. Unfortunately, the retreat of the glacier is also noticeable here. Particularly striking was how many chunks of ice and small icebergs drifted on the water. The captain safely navigated us past these to one of the glacier's tongues.

On the way back, we saw sea lions, otters, and various species of birds again.

Overall, it was a truly exciting excursion, despite the really bad weather.

On Monday, we moved on, and as soon as we left the Thompson Pass and the mountains around Valdez behind us, the weather finally cleared up.

On our way to the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park, we finally had sunshine and blue skies again. This provided stunning views of the snow-covered mountain peaks of the park.

The national park is the largest in the USA and includes 9 of the 16 highest mountains in the USA. It can be accessed via a 60-mile long gravel road.

In the national park, the Root Glacier awaited us. Here we had booked a guided tour where we were able to hike on the glacier.

The hike with our group started in Kennecott, an old copper mining town. Many of the buildings have been preserved, so it feels a bit like a time travel as we walk the first meters. However, we are not here for the mine facilities that could also be visited on a tour, but for the glacier.

Since there had been a small earthquake and heavy rain in the last few days, the actual path had to be closed due to the risk of landslides. Luckily, there was an alternative route that the park service and our guides had marked out in no time.

When we finally reached the glacier, we put on spikes over our shoes and walked on the ice. The tour was an absolute highlight of our entire trip so far. For several hours, we were able to explore the glacier. There was so much to see, much more than one might think at first. We saw various crevasses, small pools with very clear and blue water, and even an ice bridge.

Particularly remarkable about the Root Glacier is that it possesses the world's largest icefall. This means that the glacier descends almost vertically down the mountainside over several meters. However, the icefall is too far away to walk to, but we had glimpses of it during the hike.

We had never been this close to a glacier, neither in New Zealand nor in Canada, and we will remember this day for a long time. The group was great, and one person even jumped into a glacier pool - and it was freezing just to watch! We also found bones of a marmot, so wildlife was also part of the tour ;-)

The next day, we continued, which also meant heading back over the long gravel road. Due to the rain during the night, it was covered with some puddles, and our camper clearly showed the result of the ride afterwards.

We continued towards Anchorage, one of the largest cities in Alaska. Along the way, we made a stop at the Matanuska Glacier. Until about 12 years ago, it extended right up to the highway, and thus it was considered the most accessible glacier in Alaska. Now, you can still see it well while driving, but access is only possible with a tour.

We reached Anchorage on Thursday and treated ourselves to breakfast at a typical American diner. It was almost exactly as you see in the movies. We enjoyed it and had coffee refilled several times while planning the next few days.

Afterwards, we went into downtown Anchorage, which, like Canadian downtowns, did not impress us much.

In contrast, we were very impressed by the hike on Portage Pass the next day. The hike leads over the eponymous pass to Portage Lake and the Portage Glacier. We had perfect hiking weather and stunning views of the landscape and the glacier.

Also remarkable was that to hike, you have to drive to Whittier through a tunnel. This tunnel is only one lane and requires a toll. Before one can drive through the tunnel, one must wait in a line, similar to a ferry. The trip through was relatively quick, but on the way back, we stood in line for over half an hour. This was also due to the fact that the tunnel is also used by a train, and we had to wait for it to pass.

We continued on towards Seward and had a great spot by the river for the night.

The next morning, one of the most exhausting hikes awaited us in Alaska. We hiked along the Exit Glacier to the Harding Icefield.

The hike was really beautiful, and the views were spectacular again and again. We managed the over 1,000 meters in elevation better than expected. On the way up, we first saw a bear mama with her cub on the mountainside. (Only discernible well through the binoculars) Further up, we spotted a black bear that we could observe for several minutes.

At the end point of the hike, we finally had a view over the Harding Icefield. This includes a total of 32 glaciers, and only a few mountain peaks manage to rise above the ice cover.

We will spend another night at the same spot as last night and enjoy the weather and the surroundings.