- Andrew Stevens

The Mountainous Journey Through Alaska
A series of tales from Nick Bolger Part 7

      Nick’s adventure on Exit Glacier wasn’t what he thought it would be.  Due to rain, the climb was cancelled, and Nick was disappointed. At first,  Ishtar had something else in mind- we were going to visit the park that led to the glacier itself, Kenai Fjord Park. 
On the way there, Nick was expecting the glacier to be big.  Also on the way, there were signs along the road that marked the glacier’s path.  He was surprised at how much the glacier had receded.
         Getting to the park was easy, but getting to the glacier was not.  The glacier carved a valley in its recession.  In its wake, it made rivers, and it continuously fed them with freezing water.  Some of these rivers were small, but some were at least ten feet wide.  He got across by walking on rock paths hidden below and above the water, as well as jumping over the small ones.  Somehow, Nick got across without getting wet.  He said it was fun crossing, but sometimes it wasn’t.
         At the base of the glacier, Nick said it looked enormous. He also said it was so cold, his coat got stuck to the glacier!  Nick’s favorite part of the trip was touching the glacier, because “You don’t get the chance to touch one in Michigan.”  Even though he didn’t get to climb the glacier, he felt better after he gained the experience of touching one of the world’s marvels that are quickly disappearing.