Exit Glacier

It's a beautiful morning, we're off, so we head into Seward to do our Grocery shopping but decide to head into Kenai Fjords National Park to see Exit Glacier before the weather changes

 It's a beautiful drive in.

 We would have run into the Glacier here in 1899

The official park entrance

Most people went straight ahead to the Edge of the Glacier - but we are not most people so we went for the view

 The Glacier was here in 1917

 and here in 1926

 We ran into a couple of rangers here and they said we had picked the best route as they all end up at the Edge of the Glacier but this route is the most scenic.  This is looking downstream from the outwash plain

 Our first good view of the Glacier

 This shows how much of the Glacier disappeared in just 6 years.  Last year another big chunk came off.  Glad we didn't wait any longer.

 Since Minnesota it just isn't a hike without stairs.

We're catching up

 Almost there

 

 Can't get any closer - an ice fall hazard zone was identified at the toe of Exit Glacier, due to tall blocks and slabs of ice that detached from the terminus

You can just start to see the blue of the ice.  Still some surface snow on the Glacier

 

 Time to head back

 This next series of pictures from the Visitor's Center really shows how the Glacier has shrunk

 Bullwinkle's nothing compared to this guy!

We were so blessed to have a window of opportunity to do this today.  The forecast did not look good.  After we finished shopping and headed back home we saw dark skies ahead.  Turns out they had some hail / sleet / snow mix while we were gone.  Shortly after we got back the skies opened up.  We will go back to hike the 8.2 mile trail up to Harding Glacier once more snow has melted.  Looking forward to it!