Exit Glacier, Seward

Exit Glacier is just 4 miles north of Seward on the main highway, then another 10 or so miles drive west to the parking lot. At Exit Glacier you can do a moderate, yet short hike with some elevation change to get to the base of the glacier. Exit Glacier has been receding for 200 years, and the river you drive along to get here is caused by the glacier melting. There is a decent chance for wildlife spotting, but this day we saw nothing.

Someone left this sign up at the beginning of the road to Exit Glacier. Clearly there was no danger in late May of any of the catastrophes prophecized by the warning.

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Inside the Exit Glacier ranger station they have a fascinating aerial photograph of the terminus positions. A terminus position is the farthest point that the glacier reaches, i.e. where it terminates.\n\nExit Glacier has been retreating for almost 200 years. Before you point to Global Warming as the culprit, note that industrial polution really only got its start in the 20th century, about 100 years AFTER this glacier started retreating. Also note that there are glaciers in Alaska that are advancing - they get more snowfall than they lose in calving/melting. Conclusion: you can't conclude anything about Global Warming or the lack thereof based on glacier activity.

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A sign marks the terminus position of Exit Glacier in 1951. It has retreated quite a bit from there in just over 50 years.\n\nExit Glacier has been retreating for almost 200 years. Before you point to Global Warming as the culprit, note that industrial polution really only got its start in the 20th century, about 100 years AFTER this glacier started retreating. Also note that there are glaciers in Alaska that are advancing - they get more snowfall than they lose in calving/melting. Conclusion: you can't conclude anything about Global Warming or the lack thereof based on glacier activity.

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A sign marks the terminus position of Exit Glacier in 1978. We still have a ways to hike before we get there.\n\nExit Glacier has been retreating for almost 200 years. Before you point to Global Warming as the culprit, note that industrial polution really only got its start in the 20th century, about 100 years AFTER this glacier started retreating. Also note that there are glaciers in Alaska that are advancing - they get more snowfall than they lose in calving/melting. Conclusion: you can't conclude anything about Global Warming or the lack thereof based on glacier activity.

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Getting closer to Exit Glacier.

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This is effectively how close you can get to Exit Glacier via the path. Ropes and signs prevent you from going an additional 10 yards to touch the thing. You can see the ice is fairly smooth from standard erosion. We saw no calving whatsoever; I believe the method of retreat for Exit Glacier is probably almost entirely melting.

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Closeup of the deep blue ice found in Exit Glaciers. The blue is somehow caused by the intense compression of the ice - hundreds of years of snowfall and melt weighing down on the lower layers. The black is dirt/rock that was scraped away as the ice slowly traveled down the mountain.

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Exit Glacier doesn't really look that impressive. Until you get up close to it, then it's pretty neat. Still, it's a nice hike, and it's free, and if you've never stood next to a glacier before you will get a decent sense of how large a small glacier is. So I recommend the visit.

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The crevasses of Exit Glacier meander all the way up the mountain.

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Today was the day that my daughter decided she wanted to try photography. She actually did pretty well her first time. She lined up the shots OK and figured out how to press the shutter button. Of course you can see the camera strap around her neck. The whole hike back down she wanted to stop and take pictures of absolutely everything. I was probably getting a taste of what it's like to hike with myself.

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My daughter took this shot (see previous picture). A bit out of focus, but I was meaning to get a picture of that sign and I never did. So I was thankful she took it. You can see they really don't want you to go past the rope.

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Aspen completely inundate the Exit Glacier valley. You can just see the ranger station peeking through. This must look incredible on a sunny autumn day.

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Aspen just roll away into the distance until the trees become pines. The altitude is minor, yet the treeline cuts off fairly quickly. That's due to the latitude - the farther north you go, the lower the treeline gets.

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The Exit Glacier ranger station has a set of moose antlers to play with. They are chained to the bench. They are very heavy. I'm glad I'm not a moose because I'd have a huge neckache trying to support a rack like that.

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