The Exit of Exit Glacier

Sunday, June 20, 2019

Hi Blog!

One of the things we wanted to do while we were here in Seward was revisit the Exit Glacier. We had first visited the glacier back in 2016 on a road trip with Kathy's sister, Eileen, and her husband, Tom. We were curious to see how the glacier was doing with the recent rise in temperatures. As you know, glaciers around the world are retreating due to global warming.

Here Kathy contemplates the fact that in 1926, the glacier once reached this far down the valley. Now, you can't even see the glacier from this point.

Exit Glacier flows down from the Harding Icefield in the Kenai Mountains of Alaska and is one of Kenai Fjords National Park's major attractions. It is one of the most accessible valley glaciers in Alaska and is a visible indicator of glacial recession due to climate change. It received its name for serving as the exit for the first recorded crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968. Here is our first look:

The photo below was taken three years ago on our trip with Eileen and Tom. The first thing you will notice is how clear the air is. The Seward area is being affected by the smoke from the wild fires burning near Swan Lake in Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. As temperatures increase, so does the fire danger. We learned from talking with one of the rangers that since 2016, Exit Glacier has receded another 300 feet! Exit Glacier is quickly exiting the valley.

Despite the smoke, it wasn't an unpleasant hike. The haze has kept temperatures down. The mosquitoes don't seem to like it very much and have not been very active.

Exit Glacier is especially notable for being a drive-up glacier. A spur road of the Seward Highway leads to the only road-accessible portion of the Kenai Fjords National Park. A system of hiking trails lead to the terminus of the glacier and up to the Harding Icefield itself. Although it is one of the Harding Icefield's smaller glaciers, it is one of the most visited because of its easy accessibility and abundant hiking trails around and above the glacier. The ranger-led hikes are very popular. While the crowd listened to the ranger, we scooted around and worked our way up the trail.

On our way up, we passed several more dated viewpoints. This interpretive panel really brings home how far the ice has receded in recent years.

From this vantage point, we could see the toe of the glacier. If you look closely, an ice cave has formed as melt water works its way through the glacier. As more channels form, the ceiling becomes unstable and collapses.

Time to take our glacier selfie before the other tourists arrive.

We did hike out on the glacial outflow, but the water channel braids all across the valley. We could have made it to the toe, if we wanted to get our feet wet. A number of hikers made it, but we decided to stay dry.

We felt content to view the glacier from afar. To see what we saw, click the link to this panoramic video of Exit Glacier and its Outflow Plain.

It may be several years before we come back this way. There may not be an Exit Glacier when we return. We are trying to do our part to lower our carbon footprint. Studies have shown that full-time RVer have a carbon footpring 28% smaller than a standard household. That said, I know we can do better. If everyone does their part, perhaps we can save the glaciers for our grandchildren's grandchildren.