Glaciers |
Glaciers Large and Small
| Alaska is the land of glaciers and we certainly saw our share. Two were famous--the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau and Hubbard Glacier. The third was a lesser-know glacier in Kenai Fjords called Aialik | |
| Mendenhall Glacier is probably the most accessible glacier, as it lies at the edge of Juneau. It is becoming less accessible as it retreats over the years (most glaciers around the world are currently in retreat), and the view from the Visitor Center on a cloudy day makes it seem remote indeed. From the outlook on the main highway you can get a sense of the setting of the glacier, which at the beginning of the century covered not only the whole bay but most of the land where the Visitor's Center is now. | |
Mendenhall from Visitor Center |
Mendenhall from Outlook |
| Hubbard Glacier was the highlight of the cruise portion of the trip and the largest glacier we visited. As we expected, it was raining as we entered the bay and we had no real view of the glacier. But glaciers make their own weather, so when we reached the face it was cloudy but not raining. The gray sky made it easier to see the bright blue of the glacial ice and we saw some "calving"--large chunks of ice falling off the glacier face with a tremendous crash. Just to the right of the glacier was a small channel of water leading to another large bay. Occasionally this channel becomes covered by the glacier, creating an ice dam that raises the water level in the back bay (not good for the local inhabitants). The dam is not permanent and eventually the trapped water bursts through with tremendous force. | |
Hubbard Glacier |
"Calving" |
Entrance to back bay |
Bits of ice called "Bergy bits" from the glacier can take interesting shapes |
| The smallest glacier we visited, Aialik, was also the most interesting. The small boat trip through Kenai Fjords was very rough (weather again) but it was worth it. Aside from seeing the black bear (see previous page) we saw the glacier calving a great deal and thanks to a very experienced boat captain, we knew just where to look to see a great display. | |
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Glaciers |