Moving at a Glacial Pace
- Sarah Arnott
- Jan 17
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 18
Have you ever almost passed out on a glacier?
Or celebrated your anniversary on one?
Well, I have.
Picture it – July 18, 2020, during the height of Covid.
So, how does one typically celebrate an anniversary in Alaska?
There are many ways, but WALKING ON A GLACIER was a bucket list item for me.
My wonderful husband planned an excursion for us to fly in a helicopter with a guided tour of the Knik Glacier.
The Knik Glacier is 25 miles long, 5 miles across, and is located on the Northern end of the Chugach Mountains in the Mat-Su Valley. It formed Lake George and feeds the Knik River.
Fun fact - in 1991, Knik Glacier was used to film a portion of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and was also featured in a Lauren Daigle music video!
Anywho, back to walking on a glacier!
We’re all masked up and fly out.
And back to my fall...
On the glacier, we were wearing ice spikes to assist with our ability to explore with our guide. These helped to ensure that we did not slip and slide into a crevasse to be lost forever...
As luck would have it, near the end of our excursion, my ice spikes tangled up in my boot laces and I stepped wrong and fell over.
Yup.
Ever hit your funny bone? It’s not humerus. But this time, it was my knee that collided with the uneven glacier surface in the perfect way to elicit that same response - my vision darkened at the edges and started tunneling.
I broke out in a sweat, felt nauseous, and managed to scrape up my palms when I broke my fall to keep me from faceplanting. And this was no soft fluffy snow to cushion my fall. Nope. I biffed it on ice that can be described as ancient, unyielding, and vast. Thankfully this was at the end of the excursion and not caught on camera!
Of note - I did not fall down an icy crevasse to be lost forever! After a few minutes, I was able to recover to finish the tour :)
When I said glaciers are ancient - I meant it.
It takes hundreds to thousands of years or more for one to be created. Glaciers are defined as large, long-lasting bodies of dense ice that form on land from compressed snow that move slowly downhill or outward under its own weight.
There are 3 types.
Ice sheets are what cover Antarctica and Greenland.
Valley (another type) are “rivers of ice” and are confined to a mountain valley.
That leaves the next type, which is Cirque. Although the name may suggest it, they are not amazingly talented acrobats performing shows out in the wilds of Alaska in mountain valleys :)
No, Cirque are smaller glaciers or remnants of larger valley glaciers found in mountain bowls or cirques.
The state of Alaska contains the majority of glaciers out of any state in the United States - with approximately 100,000 compared to the estimated 8,348 found in 9 states in the “Lower 48.”
In the lower 48, the state of Washington has the most glaciers, followed by Montana, Wyoming, California, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada, and then, Utah. It is hard to keep an accurate account of glaciers as some have separated into smaller glaciers as they have melted.
Exit Glacier:
Glacier recession is a large indicator of climate change. Exit Glacier is the most visible indicator of glacial recession, and there are markers showing where the glacier was up to until present. They have records denoting the change for the last 120 years.
Exit Glacier is stunning and picturesque - even from far away.
In Autumn, when the leaves are changing color, you can see it from the road driving in and it takes your breath away. It is an alpine glacier. I noticed the glacial recession from a few trips (I loved to stop there any time we were in Seward).
Exit Glacier is part of the Kenai Fjords National Park - which is vast. I have a goal to hike the trail up to the Harding Ice Field in the Kenai Mountains and just eat lunch, listen to the wind, and notice the cracking and groaning of the ice. Consider it another bucket list item - It’s a must do if you’re in Seward. There are easy hikes to take to see the glacier. There is no walking on it, but you should be able to get pretty close.
Matanuska Glacier:
One of the other glaciers I had the privilege of exploring was in a guided tour in March of 2021 for my birthday. We invited friends to come- because the more the merrier. This adventure was on the Matanuska Glacier- which is a valley glacier. Its 27 miles long and 4 miles wide. It is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States and can be seen from the Glenn Highway at points.
We had signed up for an appointed tour time and dressed warmly. We again were wearing the dreaded ice spikes and were ferried to the glaciers in “sleighs” that were pulled behind the guide snow machine. There were some spots you could see water sitting on the trail and interesting formations where things had melted and jammed and refroze. We got to explore fissures in the ice and see the different shades of gray and blue.
I have learned that things DO live in the ice and water of these ancient giants of snow and ice. Bacteria and algae live in the ice, along with various invertebrates like iceworms that come out at night to feed on the algae and pollen. Their little bodies melt at room temperature!
Springtails - little arthropods and tardigrades aka “water bears” live on and within these glaciers - not known to be harmful to humans. In fact, tardigrades produce a protein called Dsup that could be beneficial to people undergoing radiation treatment or could even help with vaccine stability - ending the need for refrigeration and making vaccines more widely available.
There are approximately 200,000 to 275,000 glaciers in the entire world - excluding Antarctica and Greenland. There are glaciers on every continent EXCEPT Australia.
Other glaciers facts:
Lambert Glacier in Antarctica is the biggest glacier in the world and also the fastest moving. It’s 400km long, 100km wide, and 2,500km deep.
Gem Glacier is the smallest named glacier in Alaska.
Lilliput Glacier on Mount Stewart in Seqouia National Park is a hanging glacier and is the smallest named glacier in the world.
The youngest glacier in the United States and in the world is in Washington State and is called Crater Glacier on the North Crater of Mount Saint Helens from the 1980 eruption and was a permanently formed by 1996.
Animals don’t live on glaciers, but the animals that live nearby vary depending on location. Animals that live near glaciers could be pika, bighorn sheep, polar bears, lynx, belugas, birds, mountain goats, elk, black bears, cougars, deer, moose, seals, and wolverines to name a few.
It was amazing to see the Glaciers from the water and hear the cracking of ice as they calved and created icebergs and the crash of the water, and the waves they produced.
It is definitely a site to behold and hear.
The worst thing about visiting a glacier is dealing with all the other people: Crowds = Yuck
The coolest thing about visiting a glacier: drinking the water that is possibly hundreds to thousands to millions of years old and seeing all the vivid blues.
Also, the thought that you’re just this tiny speck on this hunk of snow, rocks, and ice that formed so much of the topography of the world is humbling.
As for visiting specific glacier sites, here are some considerations:
Knik Glacier - has year-round visiting. You want clear skies and barely any wind when riding in the helicopter.
Matanuska Glacier - I enjoyed our trip in March, but I am unsure what mode of transportation is used in warm weather - I believe it’s reachable all year-round.
Exit Glacier - the road leading to the park is closed from spring to winter. You can hike 8.6 miles from the highway, but it’s always recommended to check the National Park Service site. The road is open during the summer months.
Glaciers hold 70% of the world’s freshwater reserves.
The best drink of water I’ve ever had was on the Knik Glacier, where we were able to fill my empty water bottle up with delicious refreshing water. I know that people will say DO NOT DRINK WATER FROM A GLACIER! Our guide informed us that it would not be wise to drink water from the still pools, but that water that is moving and flowing should be safe.
This time, it was cold, refreshing, and simply the best.
(See Ludacris react to drinking water from a glacier when he was in Alaska on the Knik Glacier for the Alaska State Fair performance ---> https://www.youtube.com/shorts/T7GMS2FJ7GY
5 Things to know before visiting a glacier:
1: Wear appropriate clothing/gear. Bring an empty water bottle. Be prepared for the weather!
2. Research where you’re going to know what to expect or what you're going to see.
3. Follow instructions from your guide/tour group/national park- nobody would want to see you fall into a crevasse to be lost forever...
4. Respect nature, follow marked trails- don’t make your own and definitely don’t litter!
5. ENJOY the views, take pictures/videos, journal what you’re feeling in the moment and what you’re seeing while it’s fresh, and have fun!
And life is so fast-paced these days. So, please, by all means, move yourself at a glacial pace.
Disclaimer: It is not recommended to drink water from a glacier.
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