Flute Glacier

So in-between the biking to work and boating on the lake I've spent a lot of time planning trips to glaciers this summer. Of late these plans have actually been successfully implemented and I finally installed my first datalogger on Flute Glacier August 14th. Of course I intended to install 3 loggers that weekend, but that was just another rock in a bolder field of reality checks.



I don't have many pictures from the two night trip, mostly because my friend Baho was my field assistant and he is really into photography. Plus, his camera was way better. Someday he will have enough time to process the photos and send me copies. Until then, I'll just have to relive the hell, I mean fun, in my mind. Hopefully they outlast my blistered feet.



Major learning points from this trip? Where to start....how about with some physics? Like, carrying a heavy pack will indeed lead you to hike slower. And friction in boots is greater if your feet are wet. Which they will be if the creek you cross is deeper than your boots. Also, glaciers flow downhill. Which means there is a hill there and you have to climb up to it. And a map is not always your friend. Specifically one drawn in the 1950s with 100 foot contour lines. Do you have any idea how tall a 100 foot cliff is? I do. I do. I do. That is how many waterfalls we climbed up next to that plunged over cliffs that did not appear on the map, you know, cliffs - the places where the contour lines meet on the map. It's hard to find a guide book that tells you these things. It seems people aren't really into walking up to and on glaciers. There's a pretty good reason for this. Overall though, we had good weather and I got to do some reconnisance for the other two glaciers I didn't visit. Now if only my helicopter permit would come through.....probably as soon as I'm done hiking and installing the last datalogger.