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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
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Angelika In the city of Seward, we were surprised to find that visitors to the "Kenai Fjords National Park" can reach the so-called "Exit" Glacier with minimal effort. The glacier is truly within reach, less than a mile from the parking lot. But Alaska remains Alaska. As we stood in front of the glacier, there were a few threatening rumbles from within, as a small warning that we were standing before an active glacier that should not be underestimated.
Global warming is quite clearly visible there, by the way. The glacier has been retreating further and faster in recent years; in 1970, it was almost at the parking lot, about half a mile from the point where it ends today. In fifty years, it probably won't exist anymore.
We could also clearly see that glaciers are actually blue in some places. According to a sign posted at the national park, this is because the snow masses from which they are formed are compressed over the years into a dense ice mass that absorbs all light except for the high-energy blue light, so that glacier ice looks like the candy of the same name!
The so-called moraines, which are rocks that have been ground up and pushed forward by the glacier, were also clearly visible, and you could even walk around on them. My old geography teacher would have been thrilled!
- More topics you might be interested in:
Alaska 
Kayaking in the Arctic Ocean 
Commercial Fishermen 
Homesteading in the Wilderness
Bushlines 
Alaska Permanent Fund 
Glacier Tours 
Bears 
Killer Whales Up Close and Personal 
Moose
Alaska
Kayaking in the Arctic Ocean
Commercial Fishermen
Homesteading in the Wilderness
Bushlines
Alaska Permanent Fund
Glacier Tours
Bears
Killer Whales Up Close and Personal
Moose
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