Iceberg Hopping on the Knik Glacier
Man has this summer been busy! Sometime recently after a few sunny days in the mountains, we headed upstream on the Knik River with the Mat-Su Borough Water Rescue team. We spent some time roasting hot dogs over a grill at the base of the glacier under the guise of training, and then we drove the boat over to where the icebergs wait to be released into the river and started a bit of exploring.
The water at the very head of the Knik River is relatively shallow compared to the lake just above. Huge chunks of ice calve off the glacier and drift slowly to a point where they run aground and group up in a mass of separate chunks of ice that covers the entire lake, which blocks our boat's approach to the main body of the glacier, unfortunately. Some 'bergs float free, bound by their proximity to the others, and some sit solid on the silty gravel below until they melt down enough to float again. As the icebergs melt, their texture changes from the solid semi-transparent ice that we all imagine glaciers are composed of to a fractured and fragile consistency. Still, here and there on these icebergs, the old color can be seen.
Bundled up in our protective gear water temperatures that would typically kill in minutes are rendered quite comfortable, and in fact with all our thermal layers under the drysuits, it's really a necessity to take a dip every few minutes to keep cool. Here a team member seeks out a route across the icebergs for a bit of excitement.
As we make our way across the drifting ice, in places our progress in seems to be halted. At this point here our Captain (Yes, Captain Cook) takes to the water to traverse an iceberg's steep sides and find a place to climb back onto the ice
As climbers however, the route Tracy and I choose involves a more direct approach which several of the members of the team followed us up. We have always worn knives strapped to our PFDs, but for many of us, this is the first time we can recall using them for any real purpose. :rofl Here's my wife Tracy, climbing an iceberg with a knife!
Following our climbing time, more iceberg hopping ensued. Some of these gaps actually had solid ice under the surface, but in the silty water it was impossible to tell where to walk and in many cases we missed it and plunged in up to a hip, or even all the way. Other gaps had soft ice at the edges, which led to hilarious leaps. And of course many of these icebergs are floating, offering a surprising sensation of movement upon impact when leaping from one to another.
We made our own trails across the ice, following each other or branching off on our own individual adventures. I did my best to find good photos without getting my hands wet. More than once I had to slip into the water and kick myself across gaps of open water with the camera held over my head.
At length we reached this impressive tower of ice resting solidly in the middle of the lake of 'bergs. Rain in the distance fades out a view of the glacier proceeding twenty-some miles up into the mountains, and the gray-black silt and gravel created by the glacial action provides some contrast for the icy blue.
Sure makes you feel small.... especially when a broader perspective makes this huge block of ice only a tiny millionth of a part of the glacier as a whole!
At length we made our way back across the ice and located our boat...
.... And finding our own paths to reach it, we converged again as a team and headed back downstream. Training ensued as well, but I'll need a little more equipment before I'm willing to take photos while I'm being tossed out of the boat, and swimming through the icewater to try to get myself back aboard. :rofl No pictures of that for now, but here's one parting shot of Captain Cook on his way through the 'bergs.
That's all for now! Maybe I'll find more time for sharing a few of our other adventures sometime this summer!
The water at the very head of the Knik River is relatively shallow compared to the lake just above. Huge chunks of ice calve off the glacier and drift slowly to a point where they run aground and group up in a mass of separate chunks of ice that covers the entire lake, which blocks our boat's approach to the main body of the glacier, unfortunately. Some 'bergs float free, bound by their proximity to the others, and some sit solid on the silty gravel below until they melt down enough to float again. As the icebergs melt, their texture changes from the solid semi-transparent ice that we all imagine glaciers are composed of to a fractured and fragile consistency. Still, here and there on these icebergs, the old color can be seen.
Bundled up in our protective gear water temperatures that would typically kill in minutes are rendered quite comfortable, and in fact with all our thermal layers under the drysuits, it's really a necessity to take a dip every few minutes to keep cool. Here a team member seeks out a route across the icebergs for a bit of excitement.
As we make our way across the drifting ice, in places our progress in seems to be halted. At this point here our Captain (Yes, Captain Cook) takes to the water to traverse an iceberg's steep sides and find a place to climb back onto the ice
As climbers however, the route Tracy and I choose involves a more direct approach which several of the members of the team followed us up. We have always worn knives strapped to our PFDs, but for many of us, this is the first time we can recall using them for any real purpose. :rofl Here's my wife Tracy, climbing an iceberg with a knife!
Following our climbing time, more iceberg hopping ensued. Some of these gaps actually had solid ice under the surface, but in the silty water it was impossible to tell where to walk and in many cases we missed it and plunged in up to a hip, or even all the way. Other gaps had soft ice at the edges, which led to hilarious leaps. And of course many of these icebergs are floating, offering a surprising sensation of movement upon impact when leaping from one to another.
We made our own trails across the ice, following each other or branching off on our own individual adventures. I did my best to find good photos without getting my hands wet. More than once I had to slip into the water and kick myself across gaps of open water with the camera held over my head.
At length we reached this impressive tower of ice resting solidly in the middle of the lake of 'bergs. Rain in the distance fades out a view of the glacier proceeding twenty-some miles up into the mountains, and the gray-black silt and gravel created by the glacial action provides some contrast for the icy blue.
Sure makes you feel small.... especially when a broader perspective makes this huge block of ice only a tiny millionth of a part of the glacier as a whole!
At length we made our way back across the ice and located our boat...
.... And finding our own paths to reach it, we converged again as a team and headed back downstream. Training ensued as well, but I'll need a little more equipment before I'm willing to take photos while I'm being tossed out of the boat, and swimming through the icewater to try to get myself back aboard. :rofl No pictures of that for now, but here's one parting shot of Captain Cook on his way through the 'bergs.
That's all for now! Maybe I'll find more time for sharing a few of our other adventures sometime this summer!
John Borland
www.morffed.com
www.morffed.com
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fantastic post amazing captures well done
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