Mendenhall glacier. Sights of Аlaska

1. MENDENHALL GLACIER. SIGHTS OF ALASKA

Prepared by: Kulbaka
Ivan

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3. This far northern region is very diverse and its scenery is impressive. Although Alaska is not very rich in individual

THIS FAR NORTHERN REGION IS VERY DIVERSE AND ITS
SCENERY IS IMPRESSIVE. ALTHOUGH ALASKA IS NOT
VERY RICH IN INDIVIDUAL ATTRACTIONS, IT IS A
REGION THAT, IN GENERAL, BRINGS SPECIAL
EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES. SINGLING OUT ANY SPECIFIC
SIGHTS HERE SEEMS SOMEHOW INAPPROPRIATE: ALASKA
IS MAGNIFICENT WITH ITS DESERT GLACIERS, ULTRAHIGH MOUNTAINS, NUMEROUS ACTIVE VOLCANOES,
ENDLESS FORESTS, AND DEEP CANYONS. CAVES IN
GLACIERS ARE QUITE COMMON. BUT MOST OF THEM ARE
NOT EASY TO ACCESS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE MENDENHALL
ICE CAVES ARE ACCESSIBLE AFTER A FEW HOURS OF
LONG WALKING AND ARE AMONG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL
ICE CAVES IN THE WORLD.

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5. Mendenhall Glacier

Upon arrival at Juneau Airport, visitors can
take the route heading southeast to the nearby
city of Juneau. But there is another route to the north - and after about 7 km the road
ends at Lake Mendenhall. Here, visitors
finally have an unobstructed view of a
beautiful natural landmark - the Mendenhall
Glacier or, in the local Tlingit language,
Sitaantaagu or "Glacier Outside the City".
This glacier ends in a lake and numerous
icebergs float around it with the
characteristic blue color of glacial ice. On
the right, the mighty, noisy waterfalls of
Nugget Falls are visible. The mountains are
covered with dense, lush green forests, and
their peaks are covered with ice and snow - it
is incredibly beautiful here!

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7. Walk to the ice caves

Visitors can admire the beauty of the glacier and the
surrounding landscape from different perspectives. There
is the Eastern Loop of the Glacier, a path that allows
you to climb higher up the hills and look at the glacier
from above. The Nugget Falls Trail leads along the
eastern shore of the lake to the Nugget Falls without
crossing it.
But if a tourist wants to get to the glacier (and the caves
in it!), then you need to follow the West Glacier trail. It
starts on the western shore of the lake, and after a hard
walk through the hills for about 5-6 km and various
wonderful views, the visitor finally finds himself at the
glacier. You should not go there alone: the path is long
and if it starts to rain, the rocks will become slippery.
In addition, a bear may appear, and after dark it is easy
to get lost.

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9. Caves in blue ice

Ice caves on Mendenhall Glacier are not unique. Ice is
an excellent material for the formation of caves: it
is hard, hard, but at the same time it is easily
converted into water. And there is a lot of water at
the contact of glacial ice with the earth. Beneath
every mountain glacier there are countless small and
large streams. Each of these streams gradually forms
a cave at the exit from the glacier.
Ice caves in mountain glaciers are rather short-lived
and change rapidly. At the end of summer, the flow
becomes more powerful, the ice melts and crumbles,
the entrance to the cave collapses, but deeper, new
passages are formed due to the flow. In winter it is
calmer: the stream freezes or quietly flows under
the ice. But the glacier is still moving, and the
ice creaks and cracks. Therefore, winter is the best
time to visit the caves, if the visitor dares to
climb the hills during the short hours of the winter
day. The caves are not very long: several hundred,
and sometimes several tens of meters. But this is
more than enough: the fantastic beauty of the ice
cave strikes immediately, from the very first
meters.

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11. In search of the ice caves of the Mendenhall Glacier

After walking along the West Trail,
the visitor reaches the glacier. The
walk touching the steep glacial
moraine (a mixture of soft gravel and
clay) and ice is not easy. Everything
is wet, there are many small
reservoirs and streams with ice
water. The caves can be found by
following the streams to the glacier.
Sometimes caves are further down the
glacier rather than along its edge.
And sometimes there are no accessible
caves at all.
If the visitor is lucky, he will find
a suitable entrance in one or
another ice cave. The incredible
blue color, the sounds of a moving
glacier inside the cave is an
unforgettable experience.
Walking on the glacier and caves is
dangerous and at any moment
(especially on warm days) the ice can
collapse. So, if possible, it is
better to seek help from special
travel agencies.

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13. The end