Yesterday, we woke up to dense fog obliterating the mountains surrounding Spruce Moose, Upper Trail Lake and the road coming up to Wild Rose and our trailer. Around 930am, the sun started to peek through the haze and eventually we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day. We were thrilled and did a few little chores around the chalet with the anticipation of doing something fun outdoors. We had wanted to see Exit Glacier and decided that this would be a perfect day. We packed up our backpacks, put on our hiking shoes, grabbed an extra jacket - just in case - climbed in the truck and headed south toward Seward. Exit Glacier is just north of Seward and part of the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier is the only part of the Kenai Fjords National Park that is reached by road. It is about 9 miles off the Seward Highway. When we arrived at the Visitors Center the parking lot was full. Everyone must have had the same idea we did and wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day. Exit Glacier is an active Glacier and there are several trails you can take that average from short to difficult. We opted for the short easy hike to the glacier. The first part of the hike is very easy and actually handicap accessible. As you continue climbing the trail does become somewhat steeper as it crosses bedrock and moraines. It was still very doable and well worth the hike. We took our times and stopped for photo ops so that Bob could take a rest.
It was well worth the hike to the edge of the glacier. It descends 2,700 feet over it's nearly three mile length. It was warm and sunny at the visitors center where we started the hike, however, when we reached the glacier itself, the wind was blowing and the temperature dropped significantly - it almost seemed by about 20 degrees. Along the road to the glacier and along the trail, there were makers indicating where the glacier had extended to and you can see how much it has receded since they started keeping track in the 1800's. It was amazing to see how extensive it must have been.
When you look into the cracks and crevices of the glacier, the ice appears to be blue. There are kiosks along the trail that explain the development of the glacier and the effect it had on the landscape as it has receded, We could hear the run off of the water from the ice melting. Exit Creek carries the run off from Exit Glacier to the Resurrection River and both were running high and strong. A portion of the trail was closed because of recent flooding. What an amazing hike. We were thrilled that we had finally been able to finally see it. We headed back down the nature trail and stopped for a quick lunch before we headed back to Spruce Moose. What a magnificent day! The weather was perfect. We woke up this morning to the same fog that cleared early in the morning. The folks in Stellar Jay decided to stay another night, so I took advantage of the beautiful day and spent the whole day working in the flower gardens. I moved a few plants from the big garden at Wild Rose over to the garden at Stellar Jay - trying to expand that some. I still have a lot of work to do to get them ready for fall and winter. Bob worked on some maintenance/repairs on the 5th wheel. The pull out tray keeps coming off the rail when you pull it out because Earnhardt RV did not pay attention to detail when they installed it. There was also one of the holding tank valves that was leaking through the handle, so he replaced it. It was such a lovely day and we were so busy outside that before we knew it it was late afternoon. We have had 3 glorious days that make me appreciate the beauty of this area and we managed to take full advantage of them.
Yesterday, we woke up to dense fog obliterating the mountains surrounding Spruce Moose, Upper Trail Lake and the road coming up to Wild Rose and our trailer. Around 930am, the sun started to peek through the haze and eventually we were blessed with a beautiful sunny day. We were thrilled and did a few little chores around the chalet with the anticipation of doing something fun outdoors. We had wanted to see Exit Glacier and decided that this would be a perfect day. We packed up our backpacks, put on our hiking shoes, grabbed an extra jacket - just in case - climbed in the truck and headed south toward Seward. Exit Glacier is just north of Seward and part of the Kenai Fjords National Park and the Harding Icefield. Exit Glacier is the only part of the Kenai Fjords National Park that is reached by road. It is about 9 miles off the Seward Highway. When we arrived at the Visitors Center the parking lot was full. Everyone must have had the same idea we did and wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day. Exit Glacier is an active Glacier and there are several trails you can take that average from short to difficult. We opted for the short easy hike to the glacier. The first part of the hike is very easy and actually handicap accessible. As you continue climbing the trail does become somewhat steeper as it crosses bedrock and moraines. It was still very doable and well worth the hike. We took our times and stopped for photo ops so that Bob could take a rest.
It was well worth the hike to the edge of the glacier. It descends 2,700 feet over it's nearly three mile length. It was warm and sunny at the visitors center where we started the hike, however, when we reached the glacier itself, the wind was blowing and the temperature dropped significantly - it almost seemed by about 20 degrees. Along the road to the glacier and along the trail, there were makers indicating where the glacier had extended to and you can see how much it has receded since they started keeping track in the 1800's. It was amazing to see how extensive it must have been. 
When you look into the cracks and crevices of the glacier, the ice appears to be blue. There are kiosks along the trail that explain the development of the glacier and the effect it had on the landscape as it has receded, We could hear the run off of the water from the ice melting. Exit Creek carries the run off from Exit Glacier to the Resurrection River and both were running high and strong. A portion of the trail was closed because of recent flooding. What an amazing hike. We were thrilled that we had finally been able to finally see it. We headed back down the nature trail and stopped for a quick lunch before we headed back to Spruce Moose. What a magnificent day! The weather was perfect. We woke up this morning to the same fog that cleared early in the morning. The folks in Stellar Jay decided to stay another night, so I took advantage of the beautiful day and spent the whole day working in the flower gardens. I moved a few plants from the big garden at Wild Rose over to the garden at Stellar Jay - trying to expand that some. I still have a lot of work to do to get them ready for fall and winter. Bob worked on some maintenance/repairs on the 5th wheel. The pull out tray keeps coming off the rail when you pull it out because Earnhardt RV did not pay attention to detail when they installed it. There was also one of the holding tank valves that was leaking through the handle, so he replaced it. It was such a lovely day and we were so busy outside that before we knew it it was late afternoon. We have had 3 glorious days that make me appreciate the beauty of this area and we managed to take full advantage of them.
No comments:
Post a Comment