I know I’ve been a little quiet lately, but for a very good reason. My dear friend Sally joined us here in Palmer to have a little fun and practice her tourist skills. Not that she needs practice, but it is fun to do things that you wouldn’t do at home, or simply not available at home.
Just an hour north from where we are staying is the 26 mile long Matanuska Glacier. We’ve been close to several glaciers, but this time we decided to hike on top of one for a change. We witnessed a glacier calving into the ocean near Seward, but nothing compares to actually hiking across a monster ice formation.
NOVA, the tour company, takes people out to the glacier daily, rain or shine. We got up and drove to the NOVA check in office, got fitted for some waterproof boots, received our helmets and crampons, and they loaded us in a van for the 15 minute ride to the glacier.
We had to walk on planks across the silt covered mud to get to the actual ice so we wouldn’t step on any “quick sand” areas.
Once we arrived on the ice, we put the crampons over our boots. The ground looked like dirt and gravel, but the ice was just under the surface and very slippery. Our crampons had spikes that would puncture the ice and help us walk without falling. There’s no way I could have made it 10 feet without them!
Our guides told us about the glacier and warned us of the dangers that you can encounter during a trek. This park is open to the public, and we saw one person wearing sandals and two children getting near some cracks. We were glad that we came with the experts.
Our group of eight followed our guides and we stopped at several picture taking areas. Most of the time, we needed to look down and watch where we were stepping. All we had to do was look around to see beauty everywhere. One guide told us to stop when taking any photos so that we wouldn’t step where we shouldn’t be stepping.
We were told to wear sunglasses even though it was cloudy. Sometimes the weather is unpredictable and you can have rain and a little sunshine within an hour of each other. The reflection from the glacier can be powerful.
We couldn’t get up close to this section of the glacier because it is uneven and looks like sections will fall down soon. It was a great backdrop for photos.
Can you see the two dark spots in the upper left corner of the picture above? I zoomed in on two people walking up there. They were with another group that climbed up and walked on top. That looked like a lot of fun, but I bet it takes a long time to get out there.
We stepped over large cracks, looked down big holes, and walked on ice with big heavy shoes without falling. I call that a good day. Our muscles were a little sore the next day though!
We all had a great time and felt very accomplished at the end of the day. I highly recommend taking this glacier tour if you want to try something new or get up close and personal with a gigantic chunk of frozen water and snow (you don’t see that every day). Well, unless you live in Alaska.
Whoa, you are brave souls! Nice that Sally could join you! Love your posts and photos, Linda.