Exit Glacier

The last time we were in Seward, it was so cloudy and rainy we did not have an opportunity to see much.  And the one thing we wanted to see, Exit Glacier, we couldn't because we did not have a car, and when we went to the shuttle service, they told us they weren't working that day.  What a life!

Well, today we had the chance.  Exit Glacier is the only glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park that is accessible on foot.  To make it even better, there is no park admission.  Totally free.

There were several trails, but the medium-length trail was one mile long to the tip of the glacier.  Chris, Don and I agreed that it would be fun to hike it.  One thing we noticed was placards on the side of the trail with various numbers on it.  I had noticed one on the road with the numbers 1821 on it.  Then it went to 1898, 1912, 1951, and the like.  I thought they were elevation numbers but soon discovered that they are signs indicating where the glacier's tip was during those particular year.  It has receded significantly since the mid-1800's, some years more than others.  But the definite trend is shrinkage!

As we neared the end of the climb, we noticed the winds picking up steadily.  The catabatic winds.  We learned about them at the Columbian Icefields.  These winds were pretty hearty and certainly cold (see the blowing hair).

The glacier itself was not as massive as others we have seen, but we could only see the end of it.  We know there was much more to it higher up.  Looking down the plain of the glacier, we could see all the dirt and sediment that the glacier has deposited down in the valley.  One of the information boards indicated that at least an inch of silt and rock is deposited each year throughout the valley, which provides construction material for Seward.

As we "Exited" the glacier, we had a greater appreciation for the impact glaciers have had on our lands.