Continued from the previous page.

KENAI MOUNTAIN HIGH:  EDGE OF AN ICY WORLD

I had the high point above the Harding Icefield and the trail below it to myself for nearly an hour. I couldn't believe it on such a fine day! In all that time I'm surprised someone else didn't catch up to me. I was the fourth person to that point this morning and the other three were on their way back down when I got up there.

I took my pack off and sat for a few minutes on the rock where Jim and I had a snack two days ago and just looked around in wonderment at the magnificent, icy world around me:

The views from this rocky promontory are extraordinary on a day like this.

Here you are, just above a huge ice field and able to see for miles in most directions -- looking at things that only a very small percentage of the world's population will ever see this close, in person.

Here's a panorama of what you can see on a clear day:

South across the Harding Icefield

Southeast toward top of Exit Glacier

East toward Resurrection River valley

Northeast where the trail comes up

North to a small glacier now disconnected from the ice field

Above and below:  Northwest toward the ice field again; note all the blue ice at the edge.

 

Above and below:  West toward ice field; zoomed in on nunataks below

 

Southwest, back near where we began this panorama

The farthest views of the ice field from the trail are from this high point. I suppose you could see farther if you climbed up the slopes to the north.

This rocky hill is the official "end" of the trail, probably because for about ten months of the year the two braided, now-visible trails below it are covered in snow. I certainly didn't know they were there when I was up here three years ago:

Same location, 7-7-12

I don't know how far the trails go down toward the ice. Distances are deceiving up here, farther than they appear either in person or in these photos.

Even though I went about a quarter mile farther today than I did on Wednesday, I still couldn't see an "end" to the trail I chose because of all the little plateaus on the mountainside, like the one below the arrow in the next picture:

Here are some other photos of the trails going down from the high point. I went down one way and came back up another:

Rangers marked this as the main trail with little red flags.

Here you can see two different trails descending toward the ice field.

Arrow on the right is the farthest I could see the trails.

Aren't the ice patterns "cool?"

 

I turned around a little before the patch of snow with the path going through it.

The views down here, while different, aren't as expansive as those from the rocky high point. You just get to see details of the ice field a little closer:

 

My decision to go down closer to the ice when no one else was around for an hour wasn't one of my wisest decisions. Fortunately, nothing bad happened there.

I turned around before reaching the edge of the ice not only for safety's sake, but also because it's a rather steep hike back UP to the rocky overlook. The distance when I turned around was just over five miles.

One of the trails on the return to the high point

It was warm enough in the sun in the tundra at about 3,500 feet elevation that I was comfortable all day in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. There was only a minimal breeze. It was the perfect weather day to do this hike.

NOT SO LONELY ANY MORE

Hiker #5 to the top, a young Brit who works on a large cruise ship that's docked in Seward from only 6 AM to 8 PM today, came up a few minutes before I started back down. He had just enough time off to do this hike, so he was hustling.

A couple hundred feet later I met a 60-something fella from California who had lots of questions about other hikes I've enjoyed in Alaska. He's camping in a pop-up. The only paid campground he's used all summer was in a provincial park in Canada on the way up to Alaska. He didn't even spend the whole night there because of all the noise. He likes boondocking in quiet places.

He's camping along the Resurrection River on the Exit Glacier Rd. and invited us by tonight for a beer and conversation but that didn't work out since we spent the evening in the ER instead.

 
How can such delicate flowers survive in the tundra?? (I haven't identified it yet.)

I counted at least 175 people on the Icefield Trail today. On such a beautiful Friday I'm surprised there weren't even more.

I saw all but the three men who were ahead of me on the ascent as they were hiking up and I was hiking down. I doubt all of them went to the high point; many people turn around at the large overlook at the Top of the Cliffs about three miles up from the visitor center.

(No, I don't always count other hikers! I'm pretty sure this is the highest I've ever had the patience to count. It's easier to do when I'm not hiking with a dog or another person.)

Continued on the next page:  scenes from the descent, photos of mountain goats, and an evening in the ER . . .

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody the ultra Lab, and Casey-pup

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© 2015 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil