Traverse definition is - to go or travel across or over. Such a fun and beautiful trail. Project Jukebox Elmer E. Rasmuson Library 310 Tanana … The 700-square-mile Harding Icefield, one of four major ice caps in the United States, crowns Kenai Fjords National Park. It is the only icefield located entirely on American soil. They will lead you on a guided hike on the Lower Trail or to Harding Icefield, all while providing information about how climate change has affected the landscape, wildlife, and people of Alaska. Exit is the easiest glacier to access from the highway, and was so named because it was the egress point for the first traverse across the Harding Icefield in 1968. Whether moving on skis or on foot, you should be ready to work hard. You can do the same – at your own risk. HIGHLIGHTS. The collection includes … Tour Times. Skiing across the ice field. Harding Icefield traverse « Back to gallery Item 18 of 23 « Previous | Next » Description: Walking across the Harding Icefield, 1968 Harding Icefield Traverse Expedition. HMC-0988. So the very first place Emily and I went to when she arrived in Alaska was Seward, where we went to the Kenai Fjords National Park and hiked the Harding Icefield Trail. The Harding Icefield is the main reason Kenai Fjords National Park exists. The trail to Harding Icefield near Seward (Hike 77 in my new book) is the perfect goal hike for most day hikers. The pathway to exit glacier and Harding ice-field starts at the nature center and after about 0.5 mile, the trail forks, with the right turn marking to be the official trailhead for Harding Ice field. Your day with the Collective will prove memorable and … If you’re an ambitious hiker, you can make a day out of it and follow the switchbacks up to Harding Icefield. Perched in the dawn hours along the terminal moraine of Kenai Fjords National Park's largest tidewater glacier are blue icebergs flowing toward the sea. The 8-day traverse occurred in the spring of 1968, beginning in Homer and ending in Seward. We spent one full day and two nights on wind hold in the emergency shelter atop the Harding Icefield Trail. They then loaded still-damp gear into University vans and headed south to the Kenai Peninsula for the start of 13-day traverse of the Harding Icefield. Sign in Sign up for FREE Prices and download plans The magnificent coastline of Kenai Fjords is steep valleys that were carved by glaciers in retreat. Huge collection, amazing choice, 100+ million high quality, affordable RF and RM images. Exit Glacier. These trips are highly variable, but they are all mountaineering trips. Along the path to the base of the ice, we were serenaded by Yellow, Yellow-rumped, Wilson’s, and Orange-crowned Warblers. But very few visitors continue past the first major overlooks. Skirting the Harding Ice Field from the highway junction to Homer - July 2004. The Harding Icefield is the huge – 300 square miles or 777 square km – sheet of ice that covers a large area in the lower arm of the Kenai Peninsula. Photo By: Dave Spencer. Find the perfect icefiel stock photo. The icefield may be a remnant of the Pleistocene ice masses once covering half of Alaska. Variable. A big, bright chunk of that acreage is held by the Harding Icefield. Our next goal was to complete the “grand traverse”* of the Kenai Range by crossing the Harding Icefield to Seward. Morning on the ice field. Summits & Icefields 2 Alpine Ski Tours in the Columbia How to use traverse in a sentence. Exit Glacier Guides also offers trips onto the ice itself. Hard. Went all the way down to stand on the icefield. Ian Malone. The Harding Icefield is a ski tourers journey of a lifetime. Variable. There are signposts in the ground at the location marking the dramatic distances that the glacier has receded since 1790. The trail is well developed but steep with nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Scattered on the jet-black beach are other bergs broken under the pressure of a four-mile river of ice. Hiking. Photo Courtesy of: Page Spencer. Skiing on the ice field. Contact us to find out how to design a trip for your group . Dave Spencer. Here, Seward Windsong Lodge Naturalist Guide Lane Pelletier admires the views from the end of the Harding Icefield trail. Harding Icefield. One of the park’s highlights is Exit Glacier, which is a very short drive from Seward. I took my time and soaked it in. Also saw two black bears, very non-aggressive, on the trail! Walker’s column was published July 18 following the Harding traverse in mid-May. Harding Icefield is a full day trek, taking approximately 6-8 hours for most visitors. This is the log of a ten day trip down the Kenai Peninsula. Harding Ice Field Trail, Kenai Fjords National Park Picture: Marmot sighted on the top traverse - Check out Tripadvisor members' 1,322 candid photos and videos of Harding Ice Field Trail Trips typically last 3 - 10 days. Get up close and personal with Alaska's famous glaciers by trekking along the Harding Icefield Trail. Page Spencer. “People write well about things they feel passionate about. Tiptoe up to a glacier, traverse the raw hillside of a recently exposed valley, gaze down on a seaside village from above, follow a glacier’s outflow river through fern-shrouded forest, sip hot tea beside an ice-choked lagoon. “I have always enjoyed writing,” Walker told the APU Blog. The first bit wasn't so bad, which consisted of a nice ledge traverse (although very loose) to the top of a steep gully, with a dozen or so large rocks wedged in at the top. Harry and Norma Hoyt family papers; 1908-1989. Elevation gain 3,500 ft - distance one way 4.1 miles. page_spencer.jpg. I may opt to ski steep stuff on the glaciers around girdwood instead this week if some friends of mine are not up for This 500-square-mile frozen mass feeds almost three dozen glaciers, including Exit. The Harding Ice Field, the most iconic site in the park, was named after President Warren G. Harding, who was the first President to visit the state of Alaska. Harding Icefield → website. Between 1986 to 2000, the icefield and its glaciers lost 12 square miles of ice cover, about 1.7%. harding icefield. The morning of May 11, we loaded our still-damp gear into the APU vans and made for the Kenai Peninsula, where we were to embark on a 13-day traverse of the Harding Icefield. The trail was very crowded since it was a bluebird day but the views were spectacular. Prices and download plans . Crossing of the Harding Icefield from March 8-14. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjord's crowning feature. This glacier, formerly known as Resurrection Glacier, was renamed after it served as an exit for the first party to traverse the Harding Icefield. Read Full Trip Description. Harding Icefield The leading edge of sprawling Harding Icefield, just coming into view. The Harding Icefield. Kenai Fjords National Park. It was only 50 feet or so down to the snow but it was 75-80 degree hard pan dirt in the gully, and all other potential scramble routes did not go. harding icefield hike - kenai fjords national park - june 2016. Seward Alaska. Head to Harding Icefield for views of surrounding peaks and fjords. Iconic train journey through Alaska’s wilderness; Explore Denali National Park; Visit a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre ; Kenai Fjords National Park; Add to wish list Enquire now. Skilak Lake, on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge where our journey began, did not appear to be anywhere near an icefield. No surprise Harding is a popular dayhike. Three different climates to pass through and insane views all over the place. Two team members. The vast expanse of the Harding Ice Field is absolutely mind-boggling. This collection contains the papers and photographs of a family who owned the Gulkana Road House and the Hoyt Motor Company in Anchorage. Harding Icefield traverse. Devil's Creek (Pass) → website. Their collection includes annotated maps of Seward, mountains near Seward, and Vin Hoeman’s documentation of his Harding Icefield traverse. The glacier was spectacular. Many visitors choose to traverse the distance between that point and the glacier and you can see them walking all the way up to the glacier. Temperature ranged from … Page Spencer. We started at the highway junction where the highway to Seward branches off from the one to Homer. Whether by hiking trail or flightseeing plane, views of the icefield resemble an ocean of snow, glacial crevasses and mountains set well above sea level. No need to register, buy now! With 700 square miles of ice, the Harding Icefield is the largest one completely within the borders of the United States and among only four in the entire country. October 4, 2020. Sat, Mar 12, 2016, 7:00 AM: *This trip plan is subject to change in the next week. This trail is free to access from the Exit Glacier Nature Center, and certainly some of the best things in life are free… but they aren’t always easy. At that time we knew of three attempts to cross the Harding but thought the feat unaccomplished. One of the best ways to quickly experience the Harding Icefield is by hiking the Harding Icefield Trail. Price. Traverse Denali’s tundra and Hurricane Gulch on your way to Kenai Fjords National Park – home to Black Bears, the Harding Icefield Trail and Resurrection Bay. This strenuous trail provides stunning views of the 700 square mile long Harding Icefield.The 8.2 mile long steep trail offers spectacular views of Exit Glacier and mountains along the way. Harding Icefield. You don’t have to climb to see it up close, though. A few thrushes—Hermit and Swainson’s—sang from the brush as well. Harding Icefield. Starting on the valley floor, this 8.2-mile roundtrip trail winds through cottonwood and alder forests, through heather-filled meadows and ultimately climbs above the treeline to an astonishing view of the Icefield. Difficulty. Click on the picture for a map of our route. jyhu.