Portage stop 2 is located about 10 miles past Girdwood on the Seward Highway if you’re coming from Anchorage. Seriously! There’s something special about hiking on the ice with metal spikes and feeling like you can climb the world. The train usually arrives at about 4:10 PM. Brief Directions. Town. The opening presented the most obvious causes of an accident as the dirty ice held several large rocks, seemingly ready to drop into the opening and potentially onto our heads later. Suffice to say it’s an incredible experience, but somethingvyou’d want to do for very long. Mitch dropped down the rope whooping and hollering about how cool it was down there. We were all excited to see that around the corner more light spilled in from outside. The Bench Cabin is available to rent as well. We gathered every source of light we had to illuminate parts of the cave. A two mile trail along the left side of the lake will bring you to a fantastic viewpoint of the glacier, but we wanted to get right up on it. If we pulled the rope a few feet back to the ledge, it would provide a perfect stepping off point with nothing in the massive cavern to run into out ahead of us. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. When the melted water freezes again, the channel is often preserved as a narrow cave. They spent the next two days as a safety crew for a fashion shoot taking place on the Spencer. Before long, Brett paddled out to join me, and we headed around the calving face to the opposite end of the glacier. - Resources and Information. walldesk.net - This website is for sale! The sounds of excitement each person had made as they lowered themselves down the chute gave clues to what I might see below and I was already nearly shaking with anticipation. The train departs Portage Stop 2 at 1:25 PM and arrives at Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop at about 1:45 PM daily. This potential exit was much lower down and looked to have an easy ramp to walk out of. It comes in at $799 per person…yikes. Unknown 16:55. A short walk granted an incredible view of an area undercut by a river coming in from the mountains to the north. With the assistance of my mechanical ascender and some foot loops attached to it, we could manage easy enough, but it would be a time-consuming and exhaustive effort. Ice caving is pretty dangerous so really go at your own risk. The possibilities were endless. Remember that you are going at your own risk! Tex and Sage, who had worked at MICA during my first season in 2015, and Emily from the 2016 season – along with her boyfriend Mitch who worked for Nova Guides (also on the Matanuska Glacier in 2016) – had all taken jobs for Ascending Path. Thank you for the detailed instructions. There were a couple of ice caves on the front face of the glacier in the past. This ice cave delights lovers of atypical landscapes and photos, who can access it easily, but under their own responsibility. When Brett and I picked her up from the airport in Anchorage the night before we would set out on the train, she had no idea what we would be doing. Great day overall, and i didn't hurt my post surgery shoulder. The Ice Cathedral. There are 9 spots that have a good clearing for pitching tents. That night would be cozy, with constant rain we didn’t care to leave much outside. Ascending back out, with a free-hanging rope and nothing to kick into would be absolutely exhausting. But first, a quick warm-up climb on a smaller wall, to teach Carey how to ice climb. Much like on that rappel, when Brett invited me along on this excursion I had no idea what to expect. All gear, guides, equipment, and meals are included as well train tickets to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop and a helicopter ride from the glacier to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. Once we made it to Spencer Glacier we put on our crampons. This way, I could move with the camera on my side and be less likely to smash it into something on the way up. Forest Service Park Rangers give guided tours to Spencer Lake daily in the summer for passengers. The train that comes from Anchorage and connects to the Glacier Discovery departs Anchorage downtown depot at 9:45 AM. Mitch, however, was excited to tell us about something he had found a couple weeks back. Ice Cave Photography.. The second stop is where you get off. Visiting Virgin Creek Falls In Girdwood, Alaska, Juneau Travel Guide + 19 Things To Do In Juneau, Homer Travel Guide + 14 Things To Do In Homer, Girdwood Travel Guide + 5 Things To Do In Girdwood, Alaska, Anchorage Travel Guide + 20 Things To Do In Anchorage, Fairbanks Travel Guide + 12 Things To Do In Fairbanks, Seward Travel Guide + 9 Things To Do In Seward, The Best Places To See The Northern Lights in Alaska, The Surreality of the Underbelly: The Mendenhall Cave, Inside a Glacier, Free places to Ski & Snowboard Near Anchorage, Eating My Way Across The Alaska State Fair, Click Here For $20 off your first booking with Airbnb. The first stop will be to load up rafts on the train, no one gets off or on here. Somehow, I was wrong! You can make reservations by calling 1-800-544-0552 mid-June through mid-September and for the offseason, mid-September to mid-June, make a reservation at recreation.gov. I wanted to bring my camera in, so I decided to drop a rope that I could rappel down, then later use a mechanical ascender to slide back up the rope. I was stuck to the wall of a moulin 70 feet down inside of a glacier, less than 5 feet above a raging river giving off a deafening roar. The tube-like features created some of the most interesting ice climbing I’ve ever seen, granting the ability to swing into adjoining tubes, squeezing between them, and sometimes having body parts in as many as three different sections, which all could have been their own amazing climb. Required fields are marked *. I think we will try and go to Spencer Glacier on our upcoming Alaska vacation and spend a night out there! Brett making a second rappel in the entrance of the massive ice cave. Spencer Glacier. An extreme example is the Kverkfjöll glacier cave in the Vatnajökull glacier in Iceland, measured in the 1980s at 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) long with a vertical range of 525 metres (1,722 ft). Scopri (e salva) i tuoi Pin su Pinterest. We set up camp quickly. If you plan to camp and stay overnight, follow the gravel path along the lake. No Comment The Spencer Glacier is named after a railroad employee by the name Bill Spencer who, like many Alaskans, disappeared "somewhere out there" in 1914. Make sure to arrive back to Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop no later than 4:30 PM, to give enough time to load bags and get on the train. Hours Monday—Friday: 10:00AM–6:00PM He would have three days off and had invited his climbing friend Carey up from Oregon to explore Alaska. Ascending Path offers fully outfitted overnight camping trips to Spencer Glacier. You can’t even think straight, though, for the rocket-engine sound of rushing water below you, and the nice cool breeze that sprays a fine mist of water from the rushing river all around you. inside spencer glacier ... What A Wonderful World. Into the Glacier offers various tours into the man-made Ice Caves in Langjökull. I hurried back around to find a place to photograph the others coming back in from the main entrance. Ice Cave at Spencer Glacier. Left: Mitch standing on a ledge below our sky-light entrance (look closely for the rope hanging down). I’ll give you all the details in this post. If you want to start exploring the majestic ice caves of Alaska, knowing what they are is a good place to start. There are different kinds of ice caves. So the four of us set off across the glacier, back in the direction of our camp. The Glacier Discovery train service is not year-round. With 4 hours of time on the glacier, there will be plenty of time to ice climb, explore crevasses, cave and moulins. Carey, Brett and I returned to camp for dinner, with talks of going back underground late at night, in the dark, for some more photo opportunities. Don’t worry, they’ll make announcements. You’ll see a gravel path meandering off when you get off the train, there’s even a sign that says ‘Spencer Glacier Trailhead’. If something went wrong, or the plan had to change on their end, they would drop a rope immediately. Ice cave appearance is highly variable and dependent on the glacier's plumbing, movement and weather. All paddling and ice climbing instruction & gear provided. I figured that after that experience, nothing the Spencer Glacier could offer would possibly be better. Several large chunks had come loose and sat scattered around the large passageway. The term ice cave, it turns out, is sometimes used by geologists to describe a regular bedrock cave that features year-round ice, but as its usually meant when discussing Alaska, ice caves refer, well, to caves within a body of ice, namely a glacier. Always stay at least 400 ft away from the face of the glacier, it does calve! A catered deli sack lunch on the glacier will top off this awesome experience. Not an option for going any further. Thanks for reading! Not to worry, there’s good news for you- You can do it yourself by simply taking the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop train and a short, easy hike right to Spencer Glacier. Your luggage will be taken off next. Wallhalla - A wallpaper search engine. Another go at your own risk. Info Post. Pull into the parking lot on the left side of the road (the side opposite from the ocean if you’re at all confused). So to give you an idea of cost: you’re paying $2.50 per mile per person for this ticket. You can store food there, or make sure to store food far from your tent in a bear vault. The long, slow process of ascending gave me plenty of time to enjoy the details and texture of the ice on my way up, something that’s difficult to do when you’re focused on ice climbing! When Brett and I returned to camp, we found Carey relaxing nearby. There are several lookouts along the way. On the way back The weather was fantastic and we were able to play around in the powder for a while. He could also give us more speed by pulling away as we stepped off. All the more reason to ensure we had a safe place to hang out before too many of us got down there. We all went in twice more before we finally decided to move on and explore the rest of the glacier a bit more. That way, if anything went wrong he could, theoretically, stop Mitch from slamming back into the ledge he stepped off of. Life was good! Your email address will not be published. This potential exit was much lower down and looked to have an easy ramp to walk out of. Just know that the one in my photos has since collapsed, however, it sounds like the lower one is still there, but these aren’t really accessible in the summer usually anyways. Ice Cave Photography .. We had spotted a deep dark hole on our way over so of course we were going to check that out. Not a bad place to learn. Mitch and Brett simply leaped up, swung an ice tool in, and were able to squirm their way up and climb out. Brett wanted to take a bit more time, but said he would join me on the lake soon. See related links to what you are looking for. Get those crampons and ice axes out! The form taken of this moulin was very unique, it was like six or seven vertical tubes had been cut into the ice, barely connected along their sides. Witness ice caves on Spencer Glacier with Ascending Path guides at the Spencer Whistle Stop via the Alaska Railroad. Follow the gravel path for another 2.1 miles to the glacier. We set up a line to drop into the widest of the tubes, figuring it would be a straight-forward vertical climb. They will first load the passengers on pre-booked tours luggage into one car. Follow the gravel trail 1.2 miles until you arrive at the lake. Saved from google.com.au. Nearest Area. The Adventures of Nicole is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. Brett followed the smaller of the two passage ways and quickly it narrowed to a crawl-space as Brett disappeared around a corner. We fit as much as we could under the tarp next to the tent, and crawled inside the tent, hanging wet clothes overhead. So I momentarily went out alone to capture photos of the kayak among icebergs and mirror-calm water in front of the glacier. First off, your largest expense will be train tickets (aside from your airfare to get to Alaska). Salmon Glacier + Unnamed Glacier – Sep 15-17, 2019, 30. The acoustic qualities of a moulin with running water are very interesting. Berendon Glacier – 15 September, 2017. You can reserve a spot by calling 800.544.0552, Campsite A rents for $65.00/n (sleeps 15) and B for $35/n (sleeps 10). Ice Cave at Spencer Glacier . Looking out a dome window on top of the train into the Chugach National Forest, Brett and Carey looking across the lake to the Spencer Glacier, Onto the white ice of the Spencer Glacier. It was a bit unnerving, even though I knew they should be able to hear me. Click here to book a kayaking tour, including train tickets. But, just beyond that, the next one was a bit wider, then the next, and pretty soon I was all the way back to the other side and just above the water in the bottom. Through this blog I’ll show you how you can visit these destinations, tricks for budget travel, road trip itineraries, and more. Scribblings – The Written Word. Photos: Daniel Volland. Required fields are marked *. Palisade Glacier ski tour – Apr 14, 2019. After a safety briefing, you’ll load up and float across Spencer Lake, getting up close to icebergs and taking in panoramic views of Spencer Glacier. I lost track of time as I drifted alone among crystal clear icebergs on the perfectly smooth water. Seats are assigned on your boarding pass, however, if the train isn’t packed you can plop down pretty much wherever. We paddled past icebergs in a beeline to the opposite side of the lake, aiming for the left (looker’s right) side of the glacier where a gradual slope on the moraine next to the glacier allows a safe, easy landing. A few seconds later, I was incredibly relieved to see the knot on the end of my rope bouncing down toward me as Carey lowered it back down the moulin. Dec 20, 2020 - Ice Cave Spencer Glacier Kenai Peninsula Winter Alaska Wall Art, Canvas Prints, Framed Prints, Wall Peels They will make announcements on the train. Ascending Path: Lunch in an ice cave on Spencer Glacier - See 307 traveler reviews, 547 candid photos, and great deals for Girdwood, AK, at Tripadvisor. He easily stepped onto a large chunk of ice, and was able to get across to a solid ledge which he reported had plenty of room for everyone to come down and explore. There, our friends who worked for Ascending Path as glacier guides would have kayaks waiting for us so that we could paddle two miles out across an ice-berg filled lake, make camp, and spend three days exploring and ice climbing on the Spencer Glacier. Carey’s second-ever ice climb. Before we left though, I had to go down one more time. You probably ended up here because you were looking to visit Spencer Glacier, but the tours to Spencer Glacier are, let’s face it, pretty expensive. He said little more than there was a big hole, which had been filled up with water. The easiest way to book tickets is through the Alaska Railroad website. The three of us packed up our gear for the day and headed straight back to the moulin we had climbed once the night before. I would then remove my rappel device, and have Carey raise the rope back out of the hole so I could capture the photo. By now we were traveling mostly by light of headlamps, with a bit of glow added in whenever the ice above was thin. The Jumbo Creek ice cave in Root Glacier lets you stand inside a gorgeous space enclosed by blue-ice. Your email address will not be published. By Amy Smith. Just hand your bag to the baggage handler and then get on the train. This would take much longer and require much more physical effort. I clipped my rappel device into the rope and leaned back to see what all the excitement was about…. This was much different than in the moulin earlier that day, because there I had ice to kick crampons into to help with upward momentum. Our Spencer Lake and Ice to Ocean rafting trips are suitable for all ages and abilities. I opted to walk back through the passages to the large cavern and wait for the others to return. I personally think the views out the left side of the train on the way there (right side on return) are the best, however, both sides are quite spectacular especially for tourists. Eight to ten meters across and straight down through the surface of the Spencer Glacier was an almost perfectly vertical shaft that opened up into a massive ice cave below my feet. We slept shoulder to shoulder with two sleeping pads between the three of us, inside a two person tent. Nature (1024x768, 199K) Jigsaw Puzzle Game Download Wallpaper Report a Problem. 25-feb-2012 - Questo Pin è stato scoperto da Bret Pearson. The next morning we awoke to beautiful, calm weather deep in the Alaskan wilderness. How Much Does It Cost To Travel In Alaska? (Glacier cave is probably a better term, technically speaking). Falls into the lake can be deadly as hypothermia sets in quickly. Crunch crunch crunch I went on the ice! Spencer Glacier Iceberg Float Your experienced raft guides will meet you at the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop. We didn’t really know how to go about getting into it, as it was massively undercut 10 feet down, which would result in a free-hanging rappel for an unknown distance to an unknown landing. The only problem was the ramp was undercut and started about 5 feet off the ground. You can safely land to the left side of the glacier along the moraine and climb up the scree on the moraine for great views. Then I would yell up to have her lower the rope back to me, clip in and ascend the rope as usual. Carey would stay around camp and work on some drawing and painting. Canon Canon EOS 5D Mark IV. The air inside the cave was noticeably warmer and wetter–so much so that I could comfortably take my gloves off. ), we wanted to get right to it and get climbing that afternoon. Prepping the kayaks, we loaded them probably well beyond the recommended carrying capacity and set out across the lake. January 17, 2019 February 9, 2019; Amanda Clayton; About Author. Inside, we were granted stunning views of crystal blue ice in every direction. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. Glacier Tours is one of the Matanuska’s longtime guiding heavyweights, and their new ice cave tours are the latest addition to their daily programs. These are typically smaller caves and more prone to cave-i… This time, though, I decided I wanted to get a photo without the rope in the frame. They will then load you mere DIY peasants’ luggage onto the second car. Windows To set this as your desktop wallpaper, right-click the image and select “Set as Desktop Background” from the context menu; There are tide detergent blue pools up on top of the glacier, especially in the late spring. Upon return, the train departs Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop at 4:40 PM and arrives at Portage Stop 2 at 5:15 PM and finally arrives in Anchorage at 9:15 PM. As difficult as the access to the glacier is, and the fact that 98% of people that came out here were working for or assisted by Ascending Path, chances were good that we would know whoever this person was. Ice Cave, Spencer Glacier, Alaska. After 10 minutes of throwing rocks at rocks, trying to dislodge the larger hazards before we began, we were satisfied that we could send a person inside without the overhead threat of a massive head wound. As I went down, I quickly realized the first shaft would only go so far. That was the easy part. Your email address will not be published. Home; Day Tours; Glacier Snowmobile Day Tours; Ice Cave @ Spencer Glacier 2019; Ice Cave @ Spencer Glacier 2019. Returning to the kayaks after a bit more exploring, we set out across the lake in gorgeous weather, ready for some proper ice climbing. I grew colder by the second but I didn’t care. This is as wild as it gets! Keep your distance from icebergs too as 90% of the berg sits beneath the surface and they do roll. We would drop Carey off at the airport that night, her time in Alaska a whirlwind of 3 very full days. Guides are rigorously trained, especially for the glacier tour, which also includes educational facts and background information about the glacier …