Wednesday, July 21
Today we tackled Exit Glacier, a national park located just a few miles northwest of Seward. Although we again split into two groups--parents and kids--both groups moved beyond the tourist loop and made it up well into the Harding Ice Field. We were all surprised by the intensity and difficulty of the hike. What started out as a paved, tourist-friendly trail quickly branched off into one of the most challenging, but best, hikes any of us have ever been on. We hiked beyond the tree line into meadow (with a spectacular wild flower bloom) and onto the desolate landscape of snow and crushed shale. We reached the “emergency shelter” at 3.6 miles...and then continued on until we ran out of trail.
I had the good fortune of hiking with two earth science teachers and a geologist. That, paired with Mike’s uncanny ability to spot wildlife, made our hike both fun and educational. Although we were all too winded to do much talking on the way up. After 4 hours, 4.1 miles, and nearly 3000 feet in elevation we reached the top and, I, for one, was happy that the Johnson’s are expert picnic packers. Even Mike’s (whole) rotisserie chicken was devoured. We were hoping he remembered he had chicken in his backpack as he scoped out photo ops of black bears.
After 7 hours of hiking we stumbled off the mountain shaky-kneed, sunburned and in desperate need of something cold to drink, but also pleasantly tired and exhilarated by the awesome beauty of nature. Photos do not do the justice to the grand scale and majesty of the scenery.
Wildlife count for the day: 5 black bears & 15 mountain goats, but marmot remained elusive
Mike’s college and Alaska buddy, Joe, just arrived, which means that the gang’s all here. Guess it’s time for a wedding. Tomorrow’s the big day, and wedding preparations are in full swing this evening.
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