glacier_kitty (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
glacier_kitty) wrote2010-07-19 10:39 pm
glacier_kitty) wrote2010-07-19 10:39 pm
Entry tags:
Wrangell-St. Elias adventures
I'm baaaack! On Saturday we got up at 5:30 (ew), ate breakfast and then the guy picked us up to drive us to Glennallen (the shuttle picked us up there). The shuttle to take us to Kennecott picked us up there and we drove the 4 hours there. The weather was REALLY nice..sunny and beautiful. The road was mostly dirt road and it was really bumpy. We saw a moose on the way! Awe. When we finally got there the shuttle dropped us off at the river before McCarthy. I was like "OMG" cause I saw this huge icefall and the end of Kennicott and Root glaciers. We had to take ANOTHER shuttle up to Kennecott haha. We stayed at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge overlooking the VERY dirty glaciers (our room overlooked the glaciers too). We got our stuff in the rooms and went to the place to get ready for the Root Glacier hike. We got fitted with crampons again and walked the two miles to the glacier. Stephanie started singing "we're going on a glacier hike, we're going on a glacier hike" and it stuck and we turned other things into songs haha. I was worried I wouldn't make it cause of what happened on the hike in Wisconsin but I made sure to drink plenty of water so I was ok. The weather was REALLY, really nice and warm. We saw Mt. Blackburn which everyone at the park hadn't seen for weeks. Wowww. :D Even our guide was amazed. We got to the ice, got our crampons on and started the hike! Then we started singing "we're walking on a glaaacier" haha. The Root Glacier was definitely different than Matanuska Glacier. We could walk way farther on it. It was hard to walk on though..lots of bumps. Our guide was more easygoing too. She was gonna lower us into a moulin but her crampon broke..she fixed it but didn't trust it so we couldn't go down. Ah well. We had a picnic in the middle of the glacier haha. Then the song became "we're eating on a glaaaacier" haha. I was STARVING so food was a nice thing to have. We got some glacial meltwater too..SO GOOD. All other water is gonna be blah after drinking that water. We had a sweet view of the Stairway Icefall and some ice climbers too. I think we went a mile out on the glacier
After that we turned around to go back..I was walking down kinda fast and then all of a sudden I tripped and fell on my knee and my hands got right in the middle of a meltwater stream and the sunglasses I was wearing (the ice was very bright) went flying. I laid there for a few moments trying to figure out if I still had my glasses on haha. And OMG THE WATER WAS SO COLD. I had to wear another pair of gloves since mine were soaked. My knee definitely was sore. Then the guide started singing "we're falling on a glaaaacier" and I continued it..soo fun haha. This guide was also impressed with our crampon skills and we again got to places people didn't usually go. We win. :D We got to go down into this AWESOME place with two waterfalls coming down into a pond thing. I started walking across the pond and I tripped AGAIN haha..luckily mom caught me before I faceplanted in the freezing glacial water. :P The guide said I had a good attitude cause I was like "I'm ok! *takes pictures*" hehe. We walked back to the beginning, took our crampons off and walked back to town. We walked 6 miles altogether. I felt pretty good (though my feet hurt) for walking six miles..I must have stayed plenty hydrated. That hike was so much fun. :D I definitely took my shoes off when we got back to the lodge..omg I was soooo sore. I had a blister on both my big toes..I could barely walk. I seriously went to dinner with bare feet cause I so wasn't about to put my shoes back on. After dinner we went to a presentation from a lady..she showed us some pics from the park. I was way sore that night..my knee, legs, feet..ughh. I had to take some Motrin cause it hurt so much (and I have a high pain tolerance). Eesh
Yesterday we woke up and had breakfast. I felt less sore which was nice (I definitely have a bruise on my leg though..glacier wound hehe). Then we went to the place (office?) cause we were gonna go rafting. They drove us down to where the guides were to get outfitted for the trip. We had to wear these wetsuit type shirts that were sooo uncomfortable. I haaated wearing it. My skin is really sensitive so I never wear long sleeves except for jackets. Ugh. I was rather scared when I saw the river (Kennicott River) cause it was moving fast with rapids. It was less scary than it looked though. We went down the river and stopped to have lunch where the Kennicott meets the Nizina River. We saw some neat moose and bear tracks over there. After lunch we got back on the river. Rafting was ok..it was fun when you got splashed haha. Our ending point was where the Nizina met the Chitna River (we also hiked in the woods to see an old trapper's cabin and see the river from the top of the bluff). Two planes landed to take us back (there were other people besides us). We got to fly over the Kennicott and Root glaciers. SO AWESOME OMG!! The Kennicott is a HUGE glacier with many medial moraines..sooo amazing :D (and they said that glacier is one of the smaller ones in the park! Woww). We landed and a shuttle took us back to the lodge. I was STARVING. We were gonna go to McCarthy to eat dinner but the last shuttle left at 7 something so we could have been stranded there. We went to the pizza bus but it was closed so we had to eat dinner at the lodge. It was a Thanksgiving dinner (they have family style dinners) so it was all good. :D There was another presentation tonight so we watched it (more pics). I was hurting again a lot. I was so tired I went to bed before 10. I slept pretty well too (I also had the weirdest dream..wth)
This morning when I got up mom told me I snored! I never snore so I must have been really tired. I also heard mom snoring..we all must have been tired. We had breakfast and then had a tour of the mill and a history of Kennecott. Some guy in the early 1900s found copper in the mountains so the town was built. Eventually they all left cause the good copper ran out and was too expensive to run (the town is really remote). The mill was pretty amazing..they were very smart with building their equipment to do stuff with the copper. After the tour we looked at more buildings and took the shuttle to McCarthy to look around (not really that impressive). We passed the time and then walked to the river where the shuttle back to Glennallen picked us up (I felt a pang of sadness to leave the glaciers) and we drove all the way back. I was sooo happy to be back at the camper haha..yay :D
Tomorrow we drive home. I'll post my pics when I get home at some point. I took quite a lot so I think I may post them in 2 or 3 groups
After that we turned around to go back..I was walking down kinda fast and then all of a sudden I tripped and fell on my knee and my hands got right in the middle of a meltwater stream and the sunglasses I was wearing (the ice was very bright) went flying. I laid there for a few moments trying to figure out if I still had my glasses on haha. And OMG THE WATER WAS SO COLD. I had to wear another pair of gloves since mine were soaked. My knee definitely was sore. Then the guide started singing "we're falling on a glaaaacier" and I continued it..soo fun haha. This guide was also impressed with our crampon skills and we again got to places people didn't usually go. We win. :D We got to go down into this AWESOME place with two waterfalls coming down into a pond thing. I started walking across the pond and I tripped AGAIN haha..luckily mom caught me before I faceplanted in the freezing glacial water. :P The guide said I had a good attitude cause I was like "I'm ok! *takes pictures*" hehe. We walked back to the beginning, took our crampons off and walked back to town. We walked 6 miles altogether. I felt pretty good (though my feet hurt) for walking six miles..I must have stayed plenty hydrated. That hike was so much fun. :D I definitely took my shoes off when we got back to the lodge..omg I was soooo sore. I had a blister on both my big toes..I could barely walk. I seriously went to dinner with bare feet cause I so wasn't about to put my shoes back on. After dinner we went to a presentation from a lady..she showed us some pics from the park. I was way sore that night..my knee, legs, feet..ughh. I had to take some Motrin cause it hurt so much (and I have a high pain tolerance). Eesh
Yesterday we woke up and had breakfast. I felt less sore which was nice (I definitely have a bruise on my leg though..glacier wound hehe). Then we went to the place (office?) cause we were gonna go rafting. They drove us down to where the guides were to get outfitted for the trip. We had to wear these wetsuit type shirts that were sooo uncomfortable. I haaated wearing it. My skin is really sensitive so I never wear long sleeves except for jackets. Ugh. I was rather scared when I saw the river (Kennicott River) cause it was moving fast with rapids. It was less scary than it looked though. We went down the river and stopped to have lunch where the Kennicott meets the Nizina River. We saw some neat moose and bear tracks over there. After lunch we got back on the river. Rafting was ok..it was fun when you got splashed haha. Our ending point was where the Nizina met the Chitna River (we also hiked in the woods to see an old trapper's cabin and see the river from the top of the bluff). Two planes landed to take us back (there were other people besides us). We got to fly over the Kennicott and Root glaciers. SO AWESOME OMG!! The Kennicott is a HUGE glacier with many medial moraines..sooo amazing :D (and they said that glacier is one of the smaller ones in the park! Woww). We landed and a shuttle took us back to the lodge. I was STARVING. We were gonna go to McCarthy to eat dinner but the last shuttle left at 7 something so we could have been stranded there. We went to the pizza bus but it was closed so we had to eat dinner at the lodge. It was a Thanksgiving dinner (they have family style dinners) so it was all good. :D There was another presentation tonight so we watched it (more pics). I was hurting again a lot. I was so tired I went to bed before 10. I slept pretty well too (I also had the weirdest dream..wth)
This morning when I got up mom told me I snored! I never snore so I must have been really tired. I also heard mom snoring..we all must have been tired. We had breakfast and then had a tour of the mill and a history of Kennecott. Some guy in the early 1900s found copper in the mountains so the town was built. Eventually they all left cause the good copper ran out and was too expensive to run (the town is really remote). The mill was pretty amazing..they were very smart with building their equipment to do stuff with the copper. After the tour we looked at more buildings and took the shuttle to McCarthy to look around (not really that impressive). We passed the time and then walked to the river where the shuttle back to Glennallen picked us up (I felt a pang of sadness to leave the glaciers) and we drove all the way back. I was sooo happy to be back at the camper haha..yay :D
Tomorrow we drive home. I'll post my pics when I get home at some point. I took quite a lot so I think I may post them in 2 or 3 groups
no subject
Sounds like being with your family is fun,considering the little songs and stuff.
Sorry to hear you fell down and got hurt :(
I hope it'll be all healed soon.
no subject
Looking forward to checking out your pictures!!