Matanuska Glacier

Matanuska glacier is about a 1 hour drive north of where we are camping. It is 27 miles long and 4 miles wide and has been reasonably stable for 400 years. Access to the glacier is by paid access to private property near the foot of the glacier, then a hike. The guided hikes with crampons are very expensive, so we took our chances with hiking shoes – deciding to go as far as we could.

The hike is across the 'toe' of the glacier which has rocks embedded in it that provide good traction for hiking. The icy face of the glacier is much further away than it looks. We hiked and hiked, and hiked. It was not a blue sky day. As we got closer to the face, there wasn't so much rock inbedded in the walking surface, and the hiking got harder because the surface was icier.

 

 

 

 

There were small (toddler eating if we weren't careful) crevasses, some with briskly flowing water.

And ice caves

In the icy area, there was either blue ice covered with a slippery slick of water, or 'popcorn' ice that was crunchy to walk on.

We saw sheets of thick black ice

And deep blue ice with rocks frozen embedded

There were Gerry-rigged walkways over muddy areas. At close look, the mud swirls resembled the braided rivers we have seen so often.

 

 

Ice climbers made it further than we did

 

 

Again, like Knik Glacier, there were wonderful abstract shapes.

A few miscellaneous other pictures

On the way home, we crossed a bridge to observe a commercial rafting trip going down the river. The were having a wonderful time, waving to us a they went by.

 Further down the road, returning to the campsite, we saw fire trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles towing rafts. It seemed like there was a water emergency up the river, right where we had been earlier. As it turns out, a tour raft had flipped. Everyone had dry suits on and there were only minor injuries. These events don't always turn out so well. Based on the numbers of reported people in the raft at the time of the flipping, we believe that it was the first raft in the photograph.

 

Next post:  Living with all the troops