Exit Glacier

This Glacier is not near the Bay but off higher in the forest so it was interesting to see how different the environment was from the one that comes right up to the water. The first part of the hike is only 1/2 mile from the parking lot so there was a lot of people around. At first you are in the forest but then the terrain was this ugly black rock that is what is left behind when the glacier melts. It was very big and you could hear the water running which is the melting snow under the glacier. They won't let you go right up to the glacier since it is retreating so quickly and it was nice to get a feel for the beauty of it. You could see the deep crevasses and the wind that was coming off was really cold. After we turned around we decided to got up another trail that takes you up a lot higher. We hiked about 3 1/2 miles through the forest and up over snow fields that were really deep. We were glad we were wearing pants! This time the view was better. You could really see the crevasses and the deep blue color. We were on the lookout for bears but didn't see any. We saw some scat but it looked old. This was our first day out so we weren't too disapointed but we never did see any bears. We saw a moose the next day that looked mangey but no bears! Later as we climbed down the trail and slid down the snow, I just felt so grateful for such beauty around me. I was surprised that the feel of Alaska South of Anchorage is a lot like my home in Oregon. Lush greenery, tall Evergreen tress, lots of rivers, lakes and waterfalls everywhere you turn. I guess I was just expecting more snow closer to the town and of course the beautiful Resurrection Bay and the majestic jagged mountains were nothing like home but I still felt it was very familiar and that was so wonderful!