Glacier trek - climbing a glacier in British Columbia, Canada

Ranger Rick, August, 1997 by Alan Macek, Vivien Bowers

What a "cool" way to spend summer vacation. Join us as we explore this high-in-the-sky river of ice.

Can you believe it? Here we are, hiking on snow and ice in the middle of summer! That's my brother, Ian, leading the way along a snowy ridge in the photo at left. And that's me bringing up the rear. Our friend, Guy, is in the middle.

Fred, our guide, is ahead of us, hollering back encouragement: "You guys are doing great!" And we feel great--as if we were walking on top of the world.

We're in a mountain range near where we live in British Columbia, Canada. These mountains are so high that the snow never melts--even in summer. (The higher you go, the colder the air is.) Instead of melting, the snow piles up in layers, year after year. Slowly it packs down to form super-thick sheets of ice called glaciers (GLAY-shurz).

Fred told us that glaciers flow downhill. "They're just like rivers," he explained, "except that they flow v-e-r-y slowly--maybe only a few inches a day." There's another "river of ice" flowing down that mountain right behind us (see photo at left).

LONG HAUL UP

You should've seen what we had to go through to get here. It was an uphill hike of about 3000 feet (900 m). The climb from the green valley below was mostly steep and rocky.

I was first to scramble over the last rocks and onto this glacier. Ahh! I thought, and closed my eyes. Nothing like a freezing-cold sheet of ice on a hot summer day. Then I felt the snowballs hit my head. "Youch!" Obviously Ian and Guy had made it onto the glacier too.

LEARNING THE ROPES

"Before you start wandering around, you need to be equipped," Fred had told us, uncoiling some long, thick rope. Fred knows all about climbing on glaciers safely. He tied us to the rope and handed each of us an ice axe. The axes make handy walking sticks. But to keep from slipping down slopes, we can use the pointed ends to grip the ice.

Fred showed us how to walk on the glacier. The rope--our safety line--keeps us tied together. And now here we are, testing our new skills.

We're on a narrow ridge, and the snowy ground slopes sharply downward on either side of our feet. That makes things a little--uh--exciting. Guy says, "If I start to slide off one side of the ridge, you guys hop off the other side to stop my fall." Then he thinks about it a bit. "Guess maybe that's not such a good idea, huh?"

CRACKING UP

We take each step with caution. In fact, Fred won't let us go anywhere that's unsafe. A glacier can be dangerous. It can gobble people up. You think I'm joking? Then you haven't heard of a crevasse (kruh-VASS)! On our way to check one out, Fred tells us how these ice cracks form.

"If the glacier flows over a hill or is forced around a sharp corner, the ice on the surface may crack open. It's like a chunk of modeling clay that cracks or breaks if you pull or bend it too quickly."

We take turns peeking into the icy mouth of one of these cracks in the glacier. Yikes, I can't even see the bottom!

"Maybe we should lower Guy down?" jokes Ian.

"You first!" answers Guy.

ALL IN A SUMMER DAY

Just as we're getting the hang of glacier hiking, we're already heading back to our starting point. There's just one thing left to do. We unfasten our ropes and head to the top of a short slope that Fred says is clear of crevasses. Then we "ski" down it on the soles of our boots. We end up tumbling head over heels, landing in a snowy heap at the bottom.

Ice and snow sure are cool fun--especially in summertime!

Our guide shows me how to tie into the rope. Ropes are important tools for glacier travel. If I start to slip, the others can anchor themselves with their ice axes. Then the rope connecting us will keep me from falling.

I might be smiling (left), but I'll admit it--that's a pretty scary step across a crevasse, or big crack in the ice. In the photo above, Ian and I act as anchors while Guy peers into the gaping mouth of another deep crevasse. Without us as safeguards, Guy could fall in and be lo-o-o-ong gone!