Geology in Action

You here over and over, Alaska is a very geologically active area. That's certainly true, but you don't usually witness it except during a volcanic eruption or earthquake. This summer i was able to witness some impressive rockslides during the 'ol 26 Glacier Cruise in Prince William Sound.

I was taking some friends on the tour, and while everyone else was looking at the approach of Surprise Glacier, i was studying the high peaks, which had all been hidden in clouds the only other time i had been in the area.  Besides seeing some truly incredible calving off a hanging glacier high on the cliffs, i witnessed the cliffs themselves collapsing into a cloud of dust.

Nobody else seemed to notice, and at first i doubted myself, thinking maybe it was a just a suddenly appearing cloud. I couldn't hear anything but it was very high up and i was right next to the engines. On the way back the dust had lifted, and i could see a fresh pile of rubble at the base of a chute, along with fresh dusty rock on the cliffs above.

The rockslide created a cloud of dust that then lifted to reveal a pile of rubble at the base of a long rock chute.

For those who are interested in clicking this is a large, full rez crop of the rock pile (on the left) after the dust had lifted.

The peculiar thing about it was that far below, down at sea level, was a large waterfall disappearing into skree field. Sandor pointed it out to me, noting how strange it was for a  waterfall to disappear into a pile of rocks. It was peculiar to me to, not so much that it existed as much as me having absolutely no memory of seeing it the year before. I recognized pretty much everything we had seen that day, but not this obviously unusual waterfall.

An otter relaxes on it's back while the mountains crumble around it.

A few months later i was comparing shots from the previous year and i came across a photo of the very waterfall that i couldn't recall seeing. During 2010 it had been a very different place. In the time since there had been a massive rockslide, ripping the alders off the cliffs and burying a portion of the forest below under tons of rock. Whether it had happened in the middle of winter or just a few weeks prior i have no idea. What was clear was that the mountain, still busy breaking apart, was a very dangerous place to hang out. As exciting as it was to see something change so significantly, it was at the same time deeply troubling when i realized how much time i've spent in pretty much the same types of area.

The waterfall in 2010 cascaded along the boulders all the way down to the forest.

This is what it looked like in 2011. That's a dramatic difference. The water disappears into the rocks and the slope of Alders has vanished.

Above is a direct comparison of the two years. They were taken at different angles but i have scaled and matched them vertically. You can see that most of the vegetation has been wiped off the cliffs, and a large amount of debris has blackened the Baker Glacier. The rockslide i witnessed was off of the highest cliffs. If the original event started up there, the rockslide would have traveled at least 6,000 vertical feet, probably more. Also of note is the rubble at the bottom of the falls. It looks like the rubble must be thick enough to eat up about half the height of the falls last cascade.

A boat speeds off towards massive Mt. Gilbert, more than a 9,500 ft. climb from the water.

The rest of our cruise that day was ideal. The weather was perfect, there was a generous supply of wildlife, no ice choking the fjords, and the warmth had the glaciers putting on a crowd pleasing show of destruction.

 Our cruise paused for about 10 minutes to watch a wale. 

 

One day i'm going to get a good picture of a Dall Porpoise. Seems like they come by every time i'm out on a boat, but damn, they are soooo fast and unpredictable. Much harder than whales, which aren't easy either. The first picture i was aiming for the middle but i was so slow i ended up getting the guy in the background. By the time you see them coming out of the water they're almost gone again. 1/500th is the minimum shutter speed that i'd recommend.

Being a baby mountain goat is a hard life. This pair was climbing up the cliffs of the fjord enabling the boat to get very close. The goats started low but had gotten very high by the time we backed off. I have to say i was relieved to leave them alone. I could see that the mother was getting stressed from the proximity of the strange boat full of onlookers. On a couple of instances she seemed to have some judgement problems. I didn't want to see a mistake.

 The Tebenkof Glacier fills the valley immediately adjacent to Blackstone Bay and looks inviting. Contrary to it's appearance it sits back well over a mile from the shore. One interesting way to get there might be from Surprise Cove just to the east (left) where there is an actual campground and trails of some sort.

Harvard Glacier more than 20 miles distant.

I always like it when the white ice is sticking up above the green foliage.

It looks like water but it's all ice. Most of the time glaciers crumble away in a million pieces like this, as opposed to calving off huge blocks and pillars.

As usual the final stop was at the Rookery across from Whittier.

The Island Princess shrinks away

I order not to repeat myself i have withheld many images of the actual glaciers on the cruise. To see more, and also see Prince William Sound in a different mood check out my post from last year on the same cruise.

Distant Visitors

Unbelievable. A blog post full of... people! After 13 years of begging, and multiple years of broken promises, i finally had some of my best friends come and visit me this past summer. The Lehoczky-Escobar family finally showed up in Alaska in June and brought 2 of their 4 children with them. I have never done anything up here with children, so i had a lot of learning to do.

Orion and Amadea doing some bouldering at Fern Hut.

The biggest learning curve for me was that i  had no knowledge of how slow travel can be with kids. Our two mile walk to the end of fern valley took 4 hours round trip, making for an average speed of 1mph. After that i kind of scratched some options off the list of things to do. We had a good time, it was great to see my friends, and we did a reasonable number of things during the short time they were here.

Yalli and Orion make their way across icy Crow Creek on a human powered tram. I was impressed at how well they did. It's actually a lot work!

Sandor documents the ordeal while waiting his turn.

The weather was a little spotty but not too bad. I was sure it was going to rain at any moment in the Talkeetnas, but it never did, and even cleared up by the time we left. Girdwood was similarly cloudy. We went down to Seward one day to get some better weather, and although it was sunny there was also a frigid cold wind making it uncomfortable to walk along the waterfront. We did have some nice days in Anchorage, and a jackpot day of perfect weather in Prince William Sound.

Fisher exercises his formidable powers of persuasion on a new victim.

Amadea finds a tunnel to explore under the boulders.

Sandor and Yalli pause to admire a beaver dam when they should be admiring the awesome horn of granite behind them.

On our way back Orion disappeared after running off into the tundra like a crazed lunatic. Thus there are virtually no pictures of him on this trip.

It started to clear up once we were leaving. Typical.

Meanwhile, underwater in Seward.

This cool bird at the Alaska SeaLife Center had a staring match with Orion and Amadea.

I don't remember what it was called A very cool looking bird called a Rhinoceros Auklet. It can hypnotize small children and command them to do it's bidding. A wizard of sorts.

Also a cool duck. Puffin on the left. This tank was for rehabilitating birds. Many of them would dive for food, and on the next floor down you could watch them from below.

We made a quick visit to Exit Glacier, since it's so accessible.

On the way back from the 4,500 ft. climb to the summit of Mt. Byron. Perfectly safe for kids.

 Throwing rocks at rocks.

Hey Sandor and Yalli, we were going to take you here for a picnic, but you didn't stay long enough so i guess you missed out!

My ATV Christmas in July

Last summer i was suffering from a mysterious foot injury and wasn't able to do any significant hiking because of it. The weather was pretty nice though, and it was driving me nuts not being able to get out into the mountains, so i decided to change my strategy. I've wanted an ATV for years, and in July i finally splurged and got one.

Once i had it i had to find out where i could ride it. Initially options seemed limited but soon i found out there were far more places i could use it than i expected, even some trails in a nearby National Park. You learn a lot on every ride, and it wasn't long before i was able to handle intermediate trails and river crossings. Still, i tried to stick close to home for the most part, not, for instance, driving 8 hours out to the Wrangles.

 The header picture is from the Birds Creek Trail. The one directly above and below are from the Chain Lakes Trail, which i originally learned about from a ridiculously hardcore mountain biking book. This trail was very challenging for me, and my machine overheated because i was not aware that the previous owner had completely buried the radiator in a brick of thick mud.

I had to turn around here at this great view of Castle Mountain. Thunderstorms were approaching and the wind picked up as it got sucked up into the clouds. 

Just above tree line you start getting a good view of the mountains

Just above that is this nice lake.

I got a 2009 Polaris Sportsman 500 EX. After adding a waterproof luggage compartment for the back i was able to put all my photo gear in it and safely ride through deep muddy water. It's allowed me to get to new places i've never been and see mountains previously out of site from areas i could access on foot.

What i've learned so far about ATV riding:

1. When you are riding an ATV you are "Living Life in God's Country"

2. Often ATV's become so damaged they must jettison all excess weight in order to get back safely. Some of the heaviest items are beer cans, and body panels.

3. Although they are equipped with winches and racks that make it super easy to bring along a saw or shovel, ATV riders cannot remove even small fallen trees on the trail. Instead it is necessary to make a new trail, or several new trails, around the fallen tree.

4. Likewise, if there is a 50 yard long deep mudhole on the edge of a bluff such that riding through it causes the water to splash over the side of the bluff, it is impossible to dig a 1 foot deep channel to the bluff edge to assist in draining the puddle.

5. Meeting someone else in full ATV gear is like two Stormtroopers meeting. You have no idea who the other person is, but you assume you are both working for the Empire.

6. Based on the lack of books or websites with useful trail information, i have to assume most ATV riders are illiterate.

8. ATV trails can be so incredibly exhausting to navigate that you may not have any energy left to go hiking when you get to the end of them.

7. Despite all the above, ATV's are awesome.

The Jim Creek area is probably the most popular place for ORV use. It's got marsh, rivers and streams, wide open dirt and gravel, and this cool area of forested sand dunes.

After 12 miles of crossing tributary streams and endless pools i called it quits for the day and turned around here. It's the closest i've been to the Knik Glacier, but it would still take around 12 more miles of riding to get there. Maybe a good overnight trip next summer so i'd have the energy to explore the glacier.

Unfortunately, i have found that riding for several hours seriously affects my tinnitus, even with earplugs. I don't know if it's the vibrations or the extended rides. So this winter i'm pondering weather or not to try to modify the machine to reduce noise and vibrations, or simply stop using it. It's kind of heartbreaking because i've found a new activity that i really enjoy.

They say the skilled or daring  can cross the Kings River, but that is out of the question from what i've seen of it.