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Alaska 2003

The Matanuska Glacier from the Highway

2003-06-25

Glaciers.  I love glaciers.  This is a picture of the Matanuska Glacier from some miles away before I drove in and walked about.  The Matanuska Glacier is part of a massive glacial field, and the Nelchina and Tazlina Glaciers also belong to this field.

I understand that all the glaciers are in retreat (melting, getting snaller). This one is still a mile or two across and the glacier goes back 5 or 6 miles before disappearing into the mountains. It must have been massive at it's peak.  To give you an idea of the scale of this glacier, it is at least 400 to 500 feet high (if not higher).

This one is interesting as well in that all the black area to the left side of the "white" glacier is also ice, but black ice.  There are alternating streams of white and black ice that can be seen when you are climbing the hill on the way to Valdez.