GLACIERS
A Very Cool Adventure

by Ken Streater

Imagine stepping on a slippery sheet of ice and sticking to it like fresh gum on the bottom of your shoe. Picture drifting past a two-mile wide, 500-foot tall river of frozen water and then being gently rocked to and fro by the hand of a 20-ton chunk ice wall after it thunders into the river. And, think about climbing straight up a vertical wall of ice just like Spiderman scales a skyscraper’s walls.

Glacier tours allow all of these experiences and so much more. Walking on, drifting by, and climbing up glaciers as part of adventure tours are truly unique opportunities to explore one of nature’s greatest works in progress. And, there is no greater place to experience glaciers than the icefield capital of the United States, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, in Alaska.

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the U.S. and part of the world’s largest protected wilderness area--home to over 1,500 glaciers, some of which are bigger than the state of Rhode Island. In addition to the glaciers, Wrangell-St. Elias has most of North America’s tallest mountains and a backcountry six times the size of Yellowstone. Simply put, this is a big place with adventure opportunities big and small. Those who have always wanted to participate in a glacier tour should consider a trip to this corner of Alaska, located in the south central portion of the "Last Frontier". Easily accessed from Anchorage and Valdez, the park has just opened a new headquarters and interpretive center, one that provides a mountain of information about the area’s glaciers and other natural phenomena.

Guided glacier walking tours are a snap in Wrangell-St. Elias. In particular, Root Glacier is located within an easy hike from the comfortable and cozy confines of the historic town of Kennicott and a short drive from the scenic hamlet of McCarthy. After strolling up the valley past glacial moraine (glacial till dirt created when the glacier pushes or carries along this rocky debris as it moves and then retreats) you reach the glacier. Once there, your guide provides instruction on how to put on and walk with crampons on your feet. Crampons are steel cleats that go over your boots and grip the ice like the above-mentioned gum on a shoe sole. What could be a slippin’ and slidin’ ice walk is transformed into a relatively easy hike across the surface of the ice, as crampon spikes dig into the glacier. As you walk across the ice flow, the world of glaciers unfolds. Unreal blues radiate all around, as the dense clear ice refracts aqua tinted rays of light. Crevasses (ravines formed by the glacier flowing and cracking and spreading apart) leave the surface pocked and jagged. Moulins (vertical channels of flowing water) snake their way down through more level areas on the glacier. And ogives (alternate bands of light and dark ice) create patterns on the top of the glacier. All of these features, and other distant icefalls, encompass your view as you hike on the glacier. While you may be tempted to "gawk as you walk," it is important to stay close to your guide and consciously plant your feet in places that the crampons are most effective.

Those seeking more challenging glacier activities may choose to try ice climbing. Again, glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias are readily accessible and ideal for ice climbing. Novices to experts, with professional guides providing expert advice and guidance, can tackle vertical walls with crampons and ice axes. In ice climbing you plant one foot firmly into the wall, with the crampon toe cleats digging into the ice. You then reach up and pound the pointy side of the ice axe into the wall as both crampon and ice axe help you cling Spiderman style to the sheet of ice. This routine is repeated using your other foot and hand, as you inch your way up and up, until you reach the top. Once above the ice wall, there are panoramic views of glacier and mountains--white and blue against green and brown, framed by a blue bonnet sky.

For those wishing to experience glaciers from the water, Wrangell-St. Elias is host to some of the most spectacular glacier-lined rivers in the world. One such river, the mighty Copper, flows along the western border of the park, and hosts a dozen glaciers along its course. Primarily an easy float trip river, the Copper features towering mountains, plunging waterfalls, idyllic side-stream campsites, and wildlife viewing opportunities galore. Brown bear, eagle, seals, and salmon call the river and canyon home.

From a raft on the Copper you can see hanging glaciers that sit high up mountain sides and terminate at or near the top of a cliff. You can also drift past (but not too close) gigantic office-building icebergs that can actually flip over as the portion of the iceberg that is underwater changes shape and buoyancy. And, perhaps most spectacular of all, you can hike up to the edge of glaciers that terminate into the river. It is these glaciers that you can camp across from, and listen and watch throughout the evening, as gigantic calving ice blocks crash into the river and create a roar that reverberates across the canyon.

In addition to the Copper River, Wrangell-St. Elias hosts many other rivers that flow from glacier to the sea. The Nizina River starts at the base of the Nizina glacier, in a remote corner of the park. The Nizina River is called a brown water river, so colored because of suspended fine glacial flour. (Fine glacial flour is a very fine sand/rock/dirt composite that is created as glaciers grind over and through mountains. When the glacier melts, the flour is what remains. The water from the melting glacier picks it up. It is so fine and light that it is held suspended in the water, rather than settling out.) The Nizina River starts out as a lake and then flows over a natural dam as it begins its 200-mile trip to the sea. It eventually merges with the Copper where you rejoin the beauty, power, and drama of glaciers.

Regardless of how you choose to experience glacier-based adventures, on foot or afloat, glaciers are sure to inspire and create reverence for one of Mother Nature’s most powerful tools.

Ken Streater has guided and outfitted river trips throughout the world since 1983.