Alaska D15: Glacier from Water to Solid 🧊

July 22 2024
Alaska D15: Glacier from Water to Solid 🧊
First major rain day on the trip and I’m lucky it’s not a travel day! The only downside is I have a rafting trip booked in the frigid glacial waters, which means finished views from the fog and even colder air. My river guide Cesar teaches me a few things about glacier formations and geology as we paddle slowly around the lake that heads up the Kennecot river. After assembling the flotilla we descend down the river starting with Land of the Giants- the biggest rapid on this stretch. Cold splashes and bumps keep us awake through the awesome journey - it’s a good thing Cesar knows the river as there is not much visibility due to the dense and low fog layer. We arrive to our take-out bus and then back to camp, where I warm up with a few beverages and lunch at the local cafe. I wait out the major rain for a couple hours and muster up the energy to hike to the root glacier trail to see the stunning blue ice that was the basis for our river run. Without crampons to boost my ice traction (local shops wouldn’t rent them) I can’t make it very far up the slick glacier, so I turn back and head to town, turning in early in preparation for my long ride the next day- 10 hours to the Kenai Peninsula!