Saturday was Jon's Birthday! To celebrate we went back to Exit Glacier to do a more extensive hike. We recently meet a young couple from South Dakota (they now live in AK too) who joined us on Jon's birthday hike. Our goal for the day was to hike on a trail that traverses up the mountain along side the glacier up to the top which looks over the Harding Ice Field. The name really does explain what it is, a field of ice as far as the eye can see. The weather, unfortunately was not the best. Jon and I were able to hike to the top of the glacier where you should start to see the beginning of the ice field. When we reached that point we meet heavy fog and snow! The mountains looked absolutely beautiful covered in fresh, white snow, but unfortunately the fog covered much of the landscape, making the ice field impossible to see. After debating over what to do, we agreed to turn around, leaving the last 1.6 miles for a hike in the spring when hopefully the weather will grant us a clear day. Despite this set back, we enjoy our rainy (and snowy) hike. We spotted a couple of pine grosbeaks, collecting seeds from some nearby shrubs and a black bear getting its fill of berries for the upcoming winter. The bear went about its business, occasionally looking at us as if curious. The bear in the area should going into hibernation later on this month.
After our hike to the top, the four of us spent some time exploring the bottom of the glacier. It was fun watching the water flow out of the glacier into the valley below. The sand at the bottom is very black, like silt. There were also many interesting colored rocks below the glacier, some that were so white that they looked like ice.
In honor of the Twins, Jon wore his baseball hat all day, his way of cheering them on. It seemed to have worked. Go Twinkies! Good luck on Tuesday!
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