Late Summer, Part 2a: Glaciers and Ice — Gulkana Glacier

A woman in a lime green rain jacket, teal knit hat, tan pants, and a gray backpack stands smiling on the cracked surface of the Gulkana Glacier. The ice beneath her is gray and white with deep fissures and meltwater channels, while behind her jagged blue ice towers of the Gabriel Icefall rise sharply against a cloudy gray sky. — My friend CJ hiking on the edge of the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier

This is Part 2 of my Late Summer series. Since I spent so much time on the ice this season, I’ve broken this section into several posts, each focused on a different glacier. This first one covers two trips to the Gulkana Glacier.

I didn’t spend any time on the glaciers in the early summer as usual. Except for a quick weekend climbing trip with the team, I didn’t even make it into the Alaska Range until August. My first outing was a last-minute, late-afternoon hike up the Gulkana Glacier to the Gabriel Icefall and a waterfall on the glacier’s western margin above the icefall.

The Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier, where massive blocks and ridges of fractured, blue-and-white ice spill steeply down the mountainside. Evening sunlight slants across the scene, catching the rough textures of the ice. Dark cliffs of bare rock frame the glacier, with a patch of clouds drifting in a pale sky above. — The Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier with glancing evening sunlight | Prints, Wall Art, and Downloads

A couple of weeks later, I went back up to the ice with my friend CJ, who had come to visit from New Hampshire. It was only our second adventure of her trip, but the first of several glacier outings we’d end up doing together.

CJ has been one of my closest friends for almost my entire adult life. We met while working at Eastern Mountain Sports in Concord, NH. She’s one of the few people I’ve managed to stay in close touch with over the years, and since I moved to Alaska 15 years ago, she’s by far spent more time adventuring here with me than anyone else. I really value getting to share these places with her and piling up so many good stories, laughs, and adventures along the way.

Selfie of Lee Petersen and his friend CJ standing on the rocky moraine of the Gulkana Glacier in the Alaska Range. Lee, on the left, is wearing an orange cap, black jacket, and backpack with camera gear attached, smiling at the camera with his arm outstretched. CJ, on the right, is wearing a light blue knit hat, glasses, a green jacket, and a backpack, also smiling. Behind them stretches the glacier’s broad, striated surface of white and gray ice, with bands of moraine debris, framed by steep, dark mountain slopes under a cloudy sky. — CJ and I out on the Gulkana Glacier in late August

That day on the Gulkana set the tone for the rest of her trip. Glacier ice, long hikes, and a mix of gray skies with the threat of torrential rain that just never seemed to materialize, and countless brilliant moments that we’ll both be talking about for years.

A couple of weeks earlier, though, I’d already pushed myself on the same glacier in much better weather. I’d wrapped up work at home a little early, stopped by the gym for something (I honestly can’t remember what), chatted with a couple of employees, and could feel myself getting restless. By noon, I’d made up my mind. I was driving south to the Alaska Range.

Three and a half hours later, I was out on the ice in my trail running shoes. The weather was perfect, bright sun pouring over the glacier. I hiked well over 15 miles in about six hours, stopping often to take photos but still moving fast in between stops to squeeze it all into the evening.

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Starting late in the afternoon and needing to be at work at 8 a.m. the following morning, I was definitely on a time crunch. Luckily, the ice had a great texture in the warmer weather, and I was able to move quickly, sometimes even running in between stops. My first notable stop was at a waterfall spilling over the rocks above the Gabriel Icefall, catching the last of the day’s light.

Meltwater cascades in multiple thin streams down a steep, rocky slope above the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier. The cliff face is a mix of dark gray and reddish rock streaked with snow patches. Water runs over ledges and disappears toward the glacier below. In the background, sharp mountain ridges rise into a clear, pale blue sky. — Waterfalls spilling down rock above the Gabriel Icefall on the Gulkana Glacier. Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

A tall, narrow waterfall plunges down a vertical cliff of gray and tan striped rock above the Gulkana Glacier. The water emerges from snow and ice high above, splitting into smaller rivulets before crashing into the scree at the glacier’s edge. The jagged mountain backdrop glows faintly in late-day sunlight, while the glacier’s white surface lies at the base of the scene. — Another side of the waterfall that I don’t think I’ve seen flowing to this extent before

A steep mountain waterfall cascades down jagged gray rock into a jumble of boulders at its base. The water is bright white with force as it spills through the narrow chute. The sky above is clear and pale blue. — Closer view of the waterfall

A couple of weeks later, CJ and I returned in very different conditions. Visibility was poor, with rain showers coming and going, and the entire glacier felt grayer and colder. The ice texture was slick, so we needed to wear microspikes for most of the time on the ice. Instead of pushing super far up the ice, we explored near the terminus, where meltwater carved through the moraine in twisting channels. We followed the largest outflow stream as it wound between ice and rock, dipping in and out of small caves and tunnels, remnants of the larger subglacial system that flows unseen beneath the glacier.

A woman wearing a green jacket and teal knit hat walks carefully across a narrow wooden suspension bridge. She grips the cables on either side while stepping between widely spaced planks. The bridge is flanked by tall wooden support poles and surrounded by green brush. — Crossing the suspension bridge

A woman in a teal knit hat and dark jacket walks along the rocky banks of a glacial creek. She carries a backpack and smiles while looking ahead. Behind her, the gray, braided stream winds across a wide valley floor, with steep, barren mountains rising under a cloudy sky. — Hiking up Phelan Creek

A woman in a green jacket and teal knit hat wades barefoot through a rushing gray glacial stream. She balances carefully on submerged rocks, arms out for stability. Behind her, steep gravel banks and boulders frame the turbulent water. — Crossing the stream to access the glacier

A broad glacial stream of pale turquoise water flows into a dark opening beneath mounds of gravel and ice. In the foreground, a woman in a green jacket and teal knit hat crouches near the bank, examining rocks. Around her, fractured moraine terrain reveals exposed blue glacial ice. — A large meltwater stream disappears beneath the moraine ice, with CJ crouched nearby, looking at rocks.

The water from this channel flowed down from the glacier surface via a couple of waterfalls, which disappeared between talus-covered snow and ice. It was truly impressive to see such a high volume of water disappear into the rocks before us.

A narrow waterfall drops vertically through a crevasse-like cut in glacial ice, cascading into a pool at the base. The surrounding ice is striated with gray sediment layers, and scattered rocks lie at the bottom. — The “disappearing” waterfall

I stopped on the cliffs overlooking the Gabriel Icefall on both visits. I’ve been watching this icefall shrink over the years I’ve been visiting. Due to its visibility on the cliffside, it’s easy to see how much it has thinned over the years. I’ve also been watching the terminus position move steadily up the valley. It’s about 0.3 miles further up the glacier than it was in 2018.

Distant view of the Gulkana Glacier taken from a roadside monument, with the glacier flowing between two steep, gray mountain ridges. The ice from the left side icefall connects into the broader trunk of the glacier on the right. Green hills and vegetation fill the foreground under cloudy skies. — The Gulkana viewed from the Richardson Monument in the summer of 2011. Notice how the outflow of ice from the icefall (leftmost side) flows into the main trunk of the glacier on the right side.

Wide view of the Gulkana Glacier from below the Richardson Monument, with autumn-colored brush and a reflective pond in the foreground. The glacier’s main trunk curves between steep mountains in the distance, but the Gabriel Icefall on the left is now fully separated, no longer feeding into the trunk. — The Gulkana Glacier from just below the Richardson Monument (slightly different angle) this summer. The ice from the Gabriel Icefall is now completely disconnected from the main trunk of the glacier due to recession.

Animated map showing the boundaries of the Gulkana Glacier shrinking from 1957 to the present. The glacier area is shaded in blue, with a green rectangle highlighting the Gabriel Icefall region where the most visible retreat has occurred. — GIF showing the recession of the Gulkana Glacier since 1957 (source: USGS). I’ve highlighted the area of the Gabriel Icefall in green.

A woman in a green jacket and blue knit hat stands on bare ice near the Gabriel Icefall, looking up at a tall metal stake marked with black bands. The pole measures summer melt. Behind her, rough ice ridges and dark bedrock walls rise into low cloud cover. — CJ standing next to a mass balance stake in front of the Gabriel Icefall – a good visual for summer melt.

The Gabriel Icefall is one of my favorite places to visit, where the power of the glacier shows in its deep crevasses and towering seracs as the ice spills over the cliffside. In the past decade, it has thinned so much that it’s barely visible from the Richardson Highway. Up close, the scale is still striking and well worth experiencing before it disappears for good.

Walking beneath the ice, the air is filled with the constant sounds of cracking, tumbling rock and ice, water rushing under the glacier, and steady drips from the surface. It’s not a safe place to linger, but it’s hard to resist standing there, surrounded by so much massive, fast-changing ice.

Jagged ice of the Gabriel Icefall cascades steeply down a rocky cliff, catching the evening sunlight. Dark gray mountain slopes rise behind, and a few clouds drift across the blue sky. — Edge-on view of the Gabriel Icefall from the cliffside on a sunny day | Prints, Wall Art, and Downloads

Close-up of towering, fractured seracs of the Gabriel Icefall. The ice forms sharp ridges and spires with alternating blue and white tones, highlighted against a backdrop of clouds and sky. — View into the jagged seracs of the icefall | Prints, Wall Art, and Downloads

A woman in a green jacket and tan pants stands at the base of an enormous, jagged serac of blue and white ice. The wall of ice looms over her, dwarfing her figure against the gravel-covered glacier floor. — CJ in front of one of the towering seracs

The lower section of the Gabriel Icefall spreads out in a broad fan of fractured ice at the base of a cliff. Jagged seracs lean against the slope, while gray rock walls rise above under an overcast sky. — Overview of the lower portion of the icefall, spilling over the cliff and spreading into a fan at the base. This is where this section of the glacier terminates. It used to continue across the valley and join the main trunk of the glacier (see photo below).

View from a rocky slope overlooking the gray ice of the Gulkana Glacier’s main trunk. The wide expanse of the glacier stretches across the valley floor, with steep mountain slopes rising on both sides. — Looking out at the terminus of the main trunk of the glacier. The Gabriel Icefall used to flow in from the right side here.

A person in a green jacket and red backpack stands on rocky ground, looking up at the fractured ice wall of the Gabriel Icefall. Jagged blue ice looms above, pressed against a steep rock face, with the mountain partially obscured by low gray clouds. — Just stop and stare

Close-up of Arctic Alpine Fleabane growing among gray rocks. Five small purple-pink daisy-like flowers with yellow centers emerge from a cluster of green leaves, their petals slightly ragged and sunlit against the stony background. — Arctic Alpine Fleabane (Erigeron humilis – info in my wildflower guide) is one of the handful of wildflowers I find in this recently uncovered, rocky place at the edge of the icefall | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Sunlight highlights ridges of fractured glacier ice at the Gabriel Icefall, where layers of blue and white ice are streaked with dirt and rock. The jagged front of the icefall spills down against a slope of loose, gray rock rubble. — Edge of the icefall on a sunny day in early August | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

A long view across the upper Gabriel Icefall shows towering blocks of ice leaning over a rocky slope. The surface is broken into sharp, vertical ridges and tilted seracs, glowing faintly blue in contrast to the darker mountain rock behind. — The edge of the icefall viewed from the top of the cliffs | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

The sun peeks over the ridge above the Gabriel Icefall, sending bright rays and lens flares across the frame. Jagged spires of ice rise from the glacier’s surface below, streaked with sediment and glowing faintly blue in the backlit light. — A little sun glare over the seracs of the Gabriel Icefall | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

A close view of the chaotic, fractured surface of the Gabriel Icefall. Deep crevasses and vertical walls of blue ice dominate the frame, with streaks of gray sediment marking layers in the frozen mass. The texture emphasizes the unstable, constantly shifting nature of the ice. — Gabriel Icefall Ice | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Anyone who has ever hiked with me on a glacier can attest that I spend a lot of time looking at and photographing ice up close. Have you ever found yourself staring at a campfire blankly for minutes on end? I’m the same way with ice. Something about the textures and colors entrances me.

Anytime I hear water, I’ll go looking for the moulin. The way the ice melts, whether from water or increased air exposure in crevasses and seracs in the icefall, creates some fascinating patterns.

I have a project devoted to this: Water and Ice. I’ll be updating the corresponding gallery this fall, once I have more time to edit and curate some of these summer and early fall photos.

Close view of a moulin on the glacier, shaped like a horseshoe with smooth white ice walls streaked with dirt and a deep blue opening where water pours down into the darkness. — Water spilling down a horseshoe-shaped moulin | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Looking down into the narrow depths of a moulin, with icy blue walls closing in on a dark vertical shaft disappearing into the glacier. — Looking into the icy blue depths of a narrow moulin | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Top-down view of a moulin with bright blue ice walls and rushing water plunging into the hole, sending droplets and spray against the white surface. — Water falling down another moulin | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Jagged and pitted glacier ice at the icefall, forming irregular shapes and cavities that resemble Swiss cheese, with shades of white, gray, and pale blue. — A bit of Swiss cheese like ice at the icefall | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Sharp, angular block of glacier ice standing at the icefall, its fractured edges glowing blue against the smoother white ice around it. — Sharp ice at the icefall | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

Overhead view of a bright blue moulin shaped like a bent tube, with dark rocks collected in the swirling water at its base. — Funny-shaped moulin | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

A deep, narrow moulin in the glacier ice, with smooth vertical walls glowing icy blue and faint dark sediment streaks near the top. — A larger, very deep moulin with a sizeable volume of water flowing down | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

A long, V-shaped crevasse-like moulin cutting deep into the glacier, its pale blue ice contrasting with gravel and rocks scattered on the surface. — One last moulin – I like the sequence of arrow-like shapes in the ice | Prints, Wall Art, and Digital Downloads

I could spend weeks here and never run out of details in the ice. But as this summer showed me, each glacier has its own character and surprises. The Gulkana set the tone for my late-summer outings, leaving me eager for the next adventures with my best friend.