Matanuska Glacier is a large glacier located about two hours NE of Anchorage, situated at the base of one of the many mountain ranges in the area. For our first full day in Alaska, we drove up to the glacier and met up with a few tour guides that outfitted us with helmets, cramp-ons (the metal shoes with spikes), and ice picks for our day scrambling around the ice. After climbing up and down some of the hills, we reached the ice wall, approx. 60 feet high, we tied up some ropes and had the opportunity to do some true ice climbing. The glacier was beautiful and the ice climbing was great, though rather tiring.

 

The Matanuska Glacier from the road.

The supply store just before the glacier.

Jess and the rest of the group climbing down the ice, getting used to the cramp-ons.

Despite storm clouds all around, the rain stayed away from the glacier. Some sort of science could probably explain this.

Our guides prepare the ropes as Craig practices in the foreground.

Varying shades of blue and white ice greeted us around every corner.

Me about to reach the top of the ice wall. Though the climbing only lasts about ten minutes per climb, it's very tiring.

I have to use the word crevasse on this page, and this is probably the best chance I'll get.

Craig, Jess, Me, and Dad

Glacial runoff feeds this lake and our water bottles.

At the end of the day, I climbed this wall with just one ice pick. Yeah, I know, pretty incredible (me, not the glacier).