Day 3, part 2 - up close and personal with Root Glacier

[Blue_In_AK]

The railroad bed/road ends at Kennecott, but a trail continues on alongside Root Glacier. It was a pretty good walk, but definitely worth the trouble.

This is "Jolly Creek" which drops hundreds of feet down the side of the mountain. The bridge across was two side-by-side logs.



The creek has carved a cave into the side of the glacier



The ice cave looked so cool through the binoculars that we decided to climb down to the rock outcropping that you see just to the left of the opening so I could try to get a shot with my long-distance lens. We had carried the tripod along, but stupid me forgot to take the camera mount, so I had to just balance the camera on top of the tripod to get my shot, but it didn't turn out too bad...



You really get an appreciation for how the glacier carves up the rocks on its front end (this is my "movement" shot -- LOL)...







Here is a shot of the "clean" part of the glacier with 16,000+ foot Mt. Blackburn.

[intheflow]

1. These are the most extraordinary shots you've posted from this trip yet!

I thought that first one was like the glacial snow I see here in Colorado--a few feet high at best.

But then you took the close-up of the cave! :wow: That put it all in perspective!

What's worse is I can't decide my favorite photo. x( Is it the cave, the one with the wildflowers, or last one? Let's see... process of elimination...

Cave photo = Cool but too cold!

Glacier and Mt. Blackburn = Groovy funky curves but hard to judge the full scale.

Wildflowers and glacier = Ping-ping-ping! We have a winner! The flowers not only give color and texture, but they give scale and a promise of beautiful life in spite of extreme conditions.

Great photos. Thanks for posting, Blue! :hi:

[Blue_In_AK]

2. It's almost impossible to convey

the magnitude of this glacier -- and when you look at this particular one on a tope map, it's just a baby. The Wrangell-St. Elias national park, of which this is part, is over 13 million acres, bigger than Switzerland, the size of six Yellowstones, and contains 9 of the 16 highest mountains in the US.

[F.Gordon]

3. OMG

:eyespopoutofhead:

New faves. Confused. :dilemma:

Incredible Blue'. Thank you for taking the time to put these together and share them. There have been so many fantastic photos posted by a variety of people lately. You'd think this place has like.... photographers or sumtin' hanging out here. :crazy:

The wildflower shot is hard not to like. Think I agree with flow' on this one.
:applause:

[kliljedahl]

4. WOW!! Awesome shots

I must go to Alaska. *Shaking his head and walking away enviously.*



Keith’s Barbeque Central

[Immad2]

5. Awesome photos Blue_In_Ak!! Thank you for sharing.

:woohoo: :bounce: :wow: :applause:

[regnaD kciN]

6. I love the composition on the last one...

The smooth curves of the glacier contrast very nicely with the cragginess of Blackburn and its surrounding mountains.