Root Glacier Walk

2nd August

We are at the footbridge for an 8.30am shuttle pick up to get us to Kennecott where we are all fitted with crampons for walking on the Glacier. After being fitted we have a 1 1/2 hour walk along the edge of the glacial moraine to reach the toe of Root Glacier. Morgan, our guide is very informative and keeps us together and interested with lots of glacial facts as we hike along. When we first arrived and looked out over this moraine we thought it was all just silt and stone moved down by the Glacier melting but with some knowledge and closer vision of the moraine we discover that it just has a rocky silty layer over ice. This insulates the ice underneath which can be between 1000 and 3000 feet deep. Also when Kennecott was first operating the glacial moraine was at least 350 feet higher than it is today.

We are walking towards Root Glacier which is about 1 mile wide and 5 miles long but this is dwarfed by Kennecott Glacier that meets Root Glacier and pushes it around a corner. Kennecott Glacier is about 5 mile wide 27 mile long, cascading down from 16,390 foot Mt Blackburn. Root Glacier has the second largest icefall in the world after the Khumbu Icefall on Mt. Everest. The Stairway Icefall is a 7000 ft vertical ice wall which has never been climbed.

Once we turn off the hiking track we head down to the toe of the Glacier and strap on our crampons and head up onto the ice. The first part slopes up gently and this gives us a chance to get the feel of walking with the crampons. The higher up we go the cleaner and whiter the ice becomes. Morgan gives us lots of information about the formation of the ice, why some ice is bluer than other parts. It’s an awesome experience walking on ice that was formed Millenia ago. We see waterfalls and crevasses (small ones, thankfully) creeks that run and erode the ice out and turn blue as the water accumulates. Stopping for lunch Morgan collects Glacier water and heats for hot drinks. Then we fill our water bottles with fresh, freezing Glacier water that is crystal clear and tastes so refreshing. After spending 2 hours on the Glacier we head back to Kennecott tired but exhilarated from an awesome day out. 6 1/2 hours. We are both tired and have some newly discovered muscles but it was a great day.

Back at our vehicle we freshen up, pack up and leave the campground driving for a couple of hours before finding a camp just before the Copper River. Highlight of the drive was spotting a moose in a pond just off the side of the road. What a way to finish the day.

Kennecott and McCarthy have been a highlight of our trip so far.