Glen & Kris

Worthington Glacier

We're on our way to see Worthington Glacier a few miles outside of Valdez, Alaska. This is the the view of the valley below from the top of Thompson Pass. The elevation here is about 2,800 feet MSL. The pass is one of the snowiest places in Alaska, often recording up to 45 feet of snow in the winter. <br><br>That's the road on the right and a clearcut for the Alaska Pipeline on the left as it heads into the port of Valdez. Here is a scenic waterfall along the road into Valdez. Can you guess its name?<br> <form> <input type='radio' name='falls' onclick='getFallsAnswer(this.value)' value='a'>Horsetail Falls<br> <input type='radio' name='falls' onclick='getFallsAnswer(this.value)' value='b'>Bridal Veil Falls<br> <br><br> <div id='fallsResponse' onclick='clearAnswer()'></div> </form> Here is Worthington Glacier. This pond is formed by runoff from the glacier. You can hike up quite a bit of the glacier. This looks like a lot of rock and a little ice, but all the rocks and dirt in the foreground are sitting on top of ice. It's all ice here. It's possible to fall into a crevasse after the ice gives way under your weight, so hikers need to be very careful. We're looking back towards the foot of the glacier. The far rock outcropping has been sculpted by the glacier. This glacier is retreating, but very slowly with over 250 inches of snow here every year. The sun and flowing water have sculpted interesting shapes into the flank of the glacier. There are lots of caves. Here I am sitting on a boulder that's sitting on the ice. My lovely wife! Water streams down the bare rock from the glacier above. In many places, this rock is polished too smooth to climb without ropes. A rock probably started melting this basin in the ice, then escaped below. More interesting ice formations. The ice looks blue because it absorbs most of the red spectrum and reflects back the blue wavelengths. <span class='myGreyFont'>[End of series. <a href='../index.html'>Return</a> to the Photos page.]</span>